That Europe’s biodiversity faces unprecedented challenges is nothing new: species are vanishing, ecosystems are degrading, and the policy-makers crafting the policies to address these challenges depend on data that is, at times, scarce.
What is probably less known is that biodiversity genomics – the one that focuses not on humans, but on other living organisms, like animals and plants – is living a revolution that may well provide just the right knowledge that policy-makers need. Never before has DNA-based science been able to identify species, monitor ecosystems, and understand genetic diversity as cheaply, efficiently, and at scale as it can now.
A landmark commitment
The European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA), the International Barcode of Life Europe (iBOL Europe), and the Consortium of European Taxonomic Facilities (CETAF) have signed a historic agreement for biodiversity genomics in Europe. These three large scientific communities have committed to building a coordinated European infrastructure for biodiversity genomics: one that will allow experts to work in a connected system of shared resources, technology, and data.
The vision has taken shape through the Biodiversity Genomics Europe plus (BGE+) project, and aligns with the environmental goals of the European Commission, which has welcomed steps in this direction. In fact, Costas Kadis, EU Commissioner for fisheries and oceans, recently weighed in on the need for common protocols and comparable data, and pointed to the possibility of achieving this goal through an improved and dedicated biodiversity genomics infrastructure for Europe.
We are entering a new phase. Europe already has extraordinary expertise in taxonomy, genomics, bioinformatics, biodiversity collections, and environmental monitoring. The challenge now is bringing these strengths together in a way that allows us to work at scale in an interconnected system, beyond geographic and political limitations.
says Dimitris Koureas, director of BGE+
The initiative emphasises one of the biggest challenges for efficient biodiversity research today: scale. Although more than two million species have been formally described worldwide, scientists estimate that millions more remain unknown, and we all know what this means: we cannot protect what we do not know. But understanding and monitoring biodiversity at the speed required by today’s environmental challenges demands new approaches that boost scientific collaboration and interoperability. Initiatives like BGE+ show the way ahead.
In the words of Gabriela Dankova, BGE+ project manager:
Tackling current biodiversity challenges requires effective collaboration of our communities across Europe, open knowledge exchange, solid technical infrastructure, harmonised processes, and, above all, a shared vision. BGE+ brings these elements together, enabling and amplifying the work of biodiversity genomics communities in Europe and beyond.
Scientists know that discovering and documenting all species is only part of the work. They also need to understand how species adapt to environmental change. That is the reason why BGE+ brings together two different strands of genomics. DNA barcoding allows scientists to identify species quickly and accurately. Genome sequencing provides deeper insights into adaptation, evolution, and resilience. Combined with taxonomic expertise and advanced data systems, these tools are creating entirely new possibilities for understanding and protecting nature.
BGE+’s long-term ambition is to establish the services, standards, capacity, and infrastructure needed for biodiversity genomics to become a routine part of how Europe studies, monitors, manages, and restores nature. The stakes could not be higher.
Pensoft’s role in Biodiversity Genomics Europe plus (BGE+)
Within BGE+, Pensoft plays a leading role in knowledge sharing, skills development, and open publishing in biodiversity genomics. Working with research communities across Europe, the company will identify training needs, develop practical learning resources, and support capacity building for BGE+ cascade projects. At the same time, Pensoft will develop publishing workflows that make biodiversity genomics research easier to publish, discover, and reuse, integrating scientific articles with datasets and metadata via the ARPHA Writing Tool to support FAIR principles and ensure research outputs are more transparent, searchable, and interoperable.
Beyond training and publishing, Pensoft will help translate genomic research into policy-relevant evidence by supporting harmonised standards, open data practices, and clearer communication between researchers and decision-makers. The company will also support iBOL Europe’s community engagement and capacity building through training activities, strengthening collaboration between national and European networks, developing distributed DNA barcoding facilities, and promoting the growth of a comprehensive European DNA barcode reference library.