Tag: Biodiversity Meets Data

Pensoft joins the Biodiversity Meets Data Horizon project to support biodiversity monitoring and conservation

As part of the new consortium, Pensoft is to use innovative communication tools in support of evidence-based biodiversity conservation across Europe.

The European Union (EU) has been working to protect nature for decades, with the Natura 2000 network now safeguarding over 18% of EU land and 9% of its marine territory. Yet, biodiversity is still in trouble, with only 50% of bird species and 15% of habitats in good conservation status. 

To turn the tide, the EU’s Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 will expand the existing Natura 2000 areas, implement the EU’s first-ever Nature Restoration Law, and introduce concrete measures to achieve global biodiversity targets. Success will depend on enhancing biodiversity monitoring, making better use of data and gaining a clearer picture of how nature is changing.

Addressing this urgent challenge, the EU Horizon project BMD (abbreviated for Biodiversity Meets Data) will offer a centralised platform (Single Access Point or SAP) for improved biodiversity monitoring across Europe. 

Pensoft’s role

Pensoft will play a role in Biodiversity Meets Data’s impact by planning and implementing the communication, dissemination and exploitation of project results, as well as helping with the training and capacity building for BMD’s end-users, which will be led by LifeWatch ERIC. Pensoft will adopt a multi-format approach to knowledge transfer with tailored outputs for the scientific community, decision-makers, industry representatives and the general public. 

Furthermore, the BMD SAP will also incorporate elements of the Biodiversity Knowledge Hub (BKH), developed under the BiCIKL project, coordinated by Pensoft.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to see the continuity in our projects, with the legacy of the BiCIKL project continuing with Biodiversity Meets Data. This seamless progression not only builds on our past successes but also ensures that our work continues to deliver long-lasting value to the biodiversity community.”

said Prof. Dr. Lyubomir Penev, CEO and Founder of Pensoft, and project coordinator of BiCIKL (abbreviated from Biodiversity Community Integrated Knowledge Library).
The BMD project consortium at the project’s kick-off meeting in early March 2025 (Leiden, the Netherlands).
International consortium

Coordinated by Naturalis Biodiversity Center, the project brings together 14 partner organisations from 11 countries to develop innovative solutions for biodiversity management.

  1. Naturalis Biodiversity Center – the Netherlands
  2. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh – the United Kingdom
  3. Meise Botanic Garden – Belgium
  4. Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – Germany
  5. e-Science European Infrastructure for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research – Spain
  6. Pensoft Publishers – Bulgaria
  7. The European Land Conservation Network – the Netherlands
  8. University of Tartu – Estonia
  9. Stichting Catalogue of Life – the Netherlands
  10. The International Hellenic University – Greece
  11. The Senckenberg Nature Research Society – Germany
  12. The Environment Agency Austria – Austria
  13. The National Research Council – Italy
  14. SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics – Switzerland
For more information:

Visit the BMD project website at https://bmd-project.eu/, and make sure to follow the project’s progress via our social media channels on Bluesky and Linkedin.