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Long-term, integrated data are essential for understanding biodiversity change and socio-ecological dynamics in Europe. In this context, eLTER provides a pan-European research infrastructure for harmonised long-term observations, supporting the study of ecological and socio-ecological change across scales. Its infrastructure includes well-instrumented eLTER Sites and socio-ecological eLTSER Platforms, delivering harmonised observations and access to high-level central facilities for stakeholders ranging from local site managers to policymakers.

The eLTER Consortia Meeting 2026 took place from 14 to 16 January 2026 in Athens, Greece, highlighting the results from the two main projects (eLTER PPP & eLTER PLUS), as the eLTER journey continues towards an eLTER ERIC. The event was opened by eLTER coordinators Jaana Bäck (UH) and Michael Mirtl (EAA, UFZ), and Pierre Quertenmont, European Commission Officer in charge of the eLTER projects (EC/REA). The event began with an Info Day, which highlighted some of the many success stories achieved by the eLTER consortium over the project's runtime. A particular highlight was a series of elevator statements from peers and flagship projects, showcasing the breadth of the eLTER network and the concrete collaborations that have emerged from it.

Niels Raes (Naturalis Biodiversity Center), Biodiversity Meets Data project’s coordinator, participated in the meeting with an online presentation describing how BMD’s work on biodiversity monitoring, data integration, and Biodiversity Analysis Tools complements the long-term datasets and monitoring infrastructure of the 83 eLTER sites within the Natura 2000 network. These data-rich sites offer a unique opportunity to combine high-throughput biodiversity monitoring methods with existing long-term observations.

BMD’s Single Access Point and Biodiversity Analysis Tools, fully co-designed with stakeholders, provide configurable, on-demand services for analysing biodiversity trends, identifying drivers of change, and assessing impacts across terrestrial, freshwater, and marine realms. By linking these tools with eLTER’s long-term datasets, natural resource managers, researchers, and policymakers can support targeted conservation measures and standardised conservation reporting, including within Natura 2000 sites.

Watch the full presentation of Niels Raes here.