The B3 project operates within a context of urgent need for better biodiversity monitoring and more informed, sustainable resource management practices. Globally, biodiversity is under intense pressure from land use changes, climate change, invasive species, and pollution, causing widespread ecosystem degradation. This reality is driving demand for innovative tools and data systems that can support local and international efforts to protect biodiversity and adapt to climate change. The European Green Deal and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are key drivers, requiring reliable data and monitoring systems that guide policies and support ecosystem management. B3 addresses these needs by creating tools, workflows, and datasets that enhance biodiversity monitoring and analysis, aiming to inform strategic actions for environmental sustainability across Europe and beyond.
The core objectives of B3 are twofold: firstly to develop an infrastructure for biodiversity data through biodiversity data cubes, and second, to promote the widespread use of these data through robust workflows. Data cubes are multidimensional structures that efficiently organize and present data about species occurrences over time and across locations, allowing stakeholders to identify biodiversity trends and gaps in data coverage with greater accuracy and reliability. B3’s approach is inclusive, engaging a wide range of stakeholders—scientists, policymakers, conservationists, and even citizens—to actively use and contribute to biodiversity data, ensuring that outputs are valuable to all levels of decision-making. By promoting open-access, user-friendly platforms, B3 fosters transparency, engagement, and a sense of shared responsibility for biodiversity management.
The project’s pathway to impact combines technical development with engagement and capacity-building. B3 provides users with training, documentation, and a helpdesk to ensure effective uptake of the project’s tools. These resources aim to empower stakeholders to apply B3’s tools to their biodiversity and environmental data needs, making it possible for the insights generated by the project to inform conservation planning, ecosystem management, and policy development. By using the infrastructure of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), B3 ensures its outputs are interoperable and accessible at a global level. This alignment supports the project’s objective to contribute to biodiversity policy, scientific research, and conservation efforts internationally.
In terms of scale, B3’s expected impacts extend across European and global contexts. The focus on reproducible workflows and data sharing supports Europe’s role as a contributor to global biodiversity informatics and environmental data science. In summary, B3 aims to address complex environmental challenges by providing a structured approach to biodiversity monitoring and data use, thereby supporting global sustainability initiatives with a coordinated, evidence-based approach.
