OPS 2-16
Using Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) as a framework for coordination across research and monitoring networks: A case study with phenology
The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was organized to encourage countries to take action to address issues of declining biodiversity. In 2010, the CBD identified specific goals for 2011-2020 (the “Aichi Targets”) and a tiered system of indicators necessary to achieve those targets. Essential biodiversity variables (EBVs) are the standardized measurements and observations necessary to calculate these indicators. By providing a list of pre-defined EBVs, existing and future research efforts can align measurements to address conservation policy needs. We assessed the applicability of phenology EBVs for standardizing measurements across observation networks within the United States as a test case for use of internationally standardized EBVs. We focused our conceptual framework on ground-based (organismal) plant phenology products from the USA National Phenology Network and the National Ecological Observatory Network, and on land-surface phenology products (i.e., spectral reflectance from satellite-based imagery) from the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science Center. We describe the process by which these organizations assessed the data products already available or planned from their efforts and have aligned themselves, wherever possible, in terms of concepts, language, protocols and data management with an ultimate vision of co-delivering a phenology EBV for the CBD.
Results/Conclusions
As currently defined by the CBD framework documents, the EBV definition for phenology is quite broad. Specifically, phenology is listed by CBD as a single EBV within the general category of ‘species traits.’ As currently written, the description does not support the development of standardized measurements across monitoring networks. Ultimately, this will undermine our ability to produce a globally coherent phenology indicator and could, instead, result in as many approaches to achieving this goal as networks participating. In order to coordinate globally relevant biodiversity monitoring across networks and to facilitate communication and consistent definitions, we propose more narrowly defined variables for standardization across networks and observing platforms. We demonstrate how these measurements satisfy the basic characteristics of an EBV (i.e., they are relevant, sensitive to change, biological and generalizable, scalable, feasible, stable and, represent state variables). We then map them to the tiered indicators identified by the CBD and the Aichi Targets to which they contribute. In sum, we show how the phenology EBV can be used to align measurements from different observing networks and also to facilitate coordination across programs using different observing platforms or working at different scales.