“Opening up Data Silos”

Thursday, November 26, 2026, 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

What’s it about?

In order to effectively protect endangered species and habitats, conservation measures tailored to site-specific conditions are necessary. Reliable biodiversity data are an essential prerequisite to make informed decisions. That is why the observations made by nature conservation practitioners worldwide are of great importance.

However, practitioners in local nature conservation management rely on information about biodiversity in different ways. Primarily professional stakeholders are trained in the use of official biodiversity monitoring data and geodata issued by authorities. Volunteers, however, often lack the knowledge and capacity to use existing biodiversity data for planning local conservation measures. Furthermore, the rich local knowledge about biodiversity held by volunteers and nature conservation organizations has not yet been incorporated into existing or developing biodiversity data infrastructures.

International exchange on biodiversity data

The transdisciplinary research project ENABLElocal addresses these issues: To ensure that decisions regarding nature and species conservation can be made based on reliable data, the research team is focusing on establishing the necessary data flows between local stakeholders and the data infrastructures of national, European, and global biodiversity monitoring initiatives. With the goal of breaking down existing “data silos,” the project promotes the exchange of knowledge between local practitioners and academia.

ENABLElocal is a joint project of the Institute for Social-Ecological Research (ISOE) in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, the Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences (Czech Globe), and the Department of Biology at Lund University, Sweden,

About the Workshop

The stakeholder workshop is designed to facilitate an international professional exchange on the integration of biodiversity data. The research team of project ENABLElocal will first provide insights into local examples from case studies in Sweden, Germany, and the Czech Republic. In addition, a handbook for practitioners will be presented, containing general guidance on tools and instruments, as well as approaches for better integrating biodiversity data into local decision-making processes in nature conservation and land use. In interactive discussion groups, participants will also have the opportunity to exchange ideas across sectors and organizational levels.

The workshop will be conducted in English and is aimed at experts from nature conservation organizations, research institutions, and government agencies who are responsible for planning and implementing practical nature conservation measures, funding programs, or biodiversity monitoring, as well as for data provision. The workshop is an online event and participation is free of charge. Registration is required before 24.10.2026.

To register: https://pretix.eu/lindmanns/enablelocalbiodiv/

The project ENABLElocal was funded by Biodiversa+, the European Biodiversity Partnership and co-funded by the European Commission. Further funding organisations are the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.