Towards a continental-scale biodiversity monitoring network to assess climate-driven change in bat communities and inform European Union conservation policy

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Chapter 1

ABSTRACT

As impacts of climate change on biodiversity are increasing globally, decision-makers urgently need scientifically robust, long-term monitoring data on biodiversity responses to inform effective conservation strategies. We designed a European-scale monitoring network to assess climate change effects on bat communities, integrating species distribution models under current and future climatic scenarios with spatial conservation planning tools to identify suitable monitoring sites across the continent. The monitoring design followed a hypothesis-driven framework, defining projected species range shifts and community turnover as measurable indicators within the Essential Biodiversity Variables framework, and applying a standardized and spatially optimized approach to assess climate-driven changes. The optimized site selection also incorporated practical implementation aspects, including workforce availability and variable levels of monitoring efforts. We applied this framework to a regional case study from Catalonia, Spain that illustrates how existing national or subnational programs not originally designed for climate research can be adapted to detect climate impacts on regional bat communities, thereby providing a foundation for a future European-scale network built upon ongoing monitoring initiatives. The proposed continental network can support the European Union in addressing commitments on biodiversity conservation and climate policy, while providing information relevant to Member States reporting obligations and implementation of key policy instruments such as the Habitats Directive, Biodiversity Strategy for twenty thirty, and Nature Restoration Regulation. The proposed framework offers substantial flexibility and scalability across both spatial and taxonomic dimensions and, although developed for bats, is broadly transferable across geographic regions and taxonomic groups, providing a generalizable approach for climate-informed biodiversity monitoring.

One. Introduction

Two. Methods

Two point two. Data retrieving and processing

Two point two point two. Conservation features

Two point three. Marxan

Two point three point two. Run parameters

Three. Results

Three point one point one. Coverage of Natura two thousand and protected area networks

Three point two. Case study at a regional scale: Catalonia's network

Three point two point one. Coverage of Natura two thousand and protected area networks

Four. Discussion

Four point one. Rationale for the design of the European-scale monitoring network

Four point two. Integrating existing national and subnational monitoring networks: The Catalonian case study

Four point three. Monitoring network and its design approach as support tools for European Union's biodiversity policy framework

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Declaration of competing interest

Data availability

Overview

The document outlines the urgency of establishing a comprehensive monitoring network to observe climate-driven changes in bat communities, integrating species distribution models with spatial conservation planning tools. It emphasizes the importance of adapting existing national monitoring programs to better understand climate impacts on biodiversity.

Key Points

1A European-scale monitoring network is proposed to assess climate change effects on bat communities
2The monitoring design includes species distribution models and spatial conservation planning
3It addresses the need for standardized indicators to track biodiversity change
4The framework is adaptable to various regions and taxonomic groups
5Existing national programs can be integrated for broader applicability in climate research

Details

Authors: Francesco Belluardo, D. Federica Roscioni, Adria Lopez-Baucells, Danilo Russo, Luca Santini, Penelope C. Fialas, Hugo Rebelo, Orly Razgour, Francisco Amorim
Category: Environmental Studies

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