BiodivERsA and JPI Climate joint strategic workshop to identify research needs at the interface between biodiversity and climate change

Climate change and biodiversity loss are closely interlinked and should be tackled together. Climate change has undeniable negative effects on biodiversity and ecosystems, while healthy ecosystems can support mitigation and adaptation to global change. As also increasingly recognised by the IPBES and IPCC (e.g. IPBES/IPCC co-sponsored workshop report on biodiversity and climate change, 2021), linking initiatives and research efforts around those two pressing issues is more important than ever.

This strategic workshop was jointly organised on 13 of April, 2021 by BiodivERsA/the future European Biodiversity Partnership and JPI Climate, in the context of the BiodivClim COFUND action on Biodiversity and Climate Change. The objective was to explore future collaboration opportunities between both initiatives and identify possible modalities for collaboration on the short- and long-term. The expected outcome was to identify common priorities at the crossroads of biodiversity and climate change and possible joint actions, notably to inform the implementation of relevant European policies in this field, including the European Green Deal, the EU Adaptation Strategy, and the Horizon Europe Mission “A Climate Resilient Europe”.

The event took place online during the afternoon of the 13th of April 2021. It started with a presentation of both initiatives and their strategies, as well as the new Research & Innovation and policy context in which both initiatives will work. The participants were invited to discuss and identify:

1. research priorities and needs
2. activities and instruments to address these needs, and
3. possible frameworks for future collaborations during break-out group sessions.

To prepare for the discussions, BiodivERsA and JPI Climate both developed documents analysing and comparing their respective Strategic Research and Innovation Agendas as well as their past and ongoing activities in this field.

The report from this workshop is available here.

For more information on this activity, please visit the BiodivERsA website.