Significant Role for the Finnish Environment Institute in Coordinating EU Biodiversity Monitoring

The Finnish Environment Institute’s (Syke) share of the €6.8 million total budget for the Preparatory Action Project for the EU Biodiversity Observation Coordination Centre (EBOCC) is a substantial €1.8 million. Around 20 experts from Syke will work on the pilot. Through the project, Syke strengthens its role as a key expert and actor in European biodiversity monitoring and its coordination.

Launched on 11 February 2026 following negotiations with the European Commission, the pilot aims to support Member States in implementing the EU Nature Restoration Regulation, the Birds and Habitats Directives, as well as the Water Framework Directive and Marine Strategy Framework Directive. The goals also include supporting coordination among the authorities conducting monitoring, integrating the results of monitoring systems, clarifying data flows, and analysing information at EU level.

The pilot will benefit EU Member States above all by clarifying and harmonising biodiversity monitoring practices and data flows. This will streamline and simplify EU and international monitoring and reporting obligations. At the same time, it will improve the conditions for producing comparable and interoperable data across countries, thereby increasing the usability of results in decision-making.  

The work also supports Member States in practical implementation by strengthening coordination, providing a collaboration platform, and offering targeted support, reducing overlapping development efforts. In the long term, such cooperation will reduce costs and facilitate the adoption of new methods.

Broad European Partnership Network

Syke’s role in the pilot is led by Group Manager Päivi Sirkiä, with Unit Director Aino Juslén serving as deputy lead. Within Syke, the project is coordinated by the International Expert Services unit. The entire consortium is coordinated by the German organisation adelphi consult. The organisations with the largest workload contributions are Syke and Umweltbundesamt Österreich (UBA, Austria). The project manager is Hugo Rivera (UBA, Austria). Other partners include Martin-Luther-Universität / iDiv (Germany), the French Biodiversity Office (OFB), and VITO (Belgium). Subcontractors include INBO (Belgium), DataCove (Austria), Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (MNHN, France), and the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ, Belgium).

Syke’s Responsibilities Within the Six Work Packages

Syke is responsible for two of the pilot’s six work packages:

• Task 1: Analysis of data workflows
• Task 4: Harmonisation of data collection

Thematic Areas

The pilot addresses six thematic areas, of which Syke leads three:

• freshwater benthic invertebrates
• freshwater habitats
• seagrass habitats

Syke’s experts will also contribute actively to strengthening expertise and capacity for pollinator monitoring. The remaining thematic areas are terrestrial habitats and marine mammals.