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Biodiversity Newsflash 149
Summer 2025
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1 · New Policy Brief shows Belgium as GBIF champion
Why is GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) more essential than ever for global biodiversity?
Joining GBIF is a strategic decision that benefits the environment, the economy, and society.
Drawing on Belgium’s experience, which included submitting 55 million records, this new policy brief demonstrates why participation in GBIF is a smart investment in the future, for science and for policy.
Belgium’s case study reveals how GBIF supports efficient and collaborative research, especially in reaching global biodiversity targets and objectives.
Examples from various projects also illustrate contributions to citizen science and the development of innovative tools, such as biodiversity data cubes.
We’re proud that our colleague Sonia Vanderhoeven brought her long-standing expertise to this work!
Read it now!
📧 For more information, contact Sonia Vanderhoeven, Science Officer and Biodiversity Expert.
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2 · New One Health publication: the PREZODE Memorandum
The PREZODE Memorandum identifying priority actions to prevent zoonotic disease emergence in Belgium has just been published.
Following up on the 2023 policy recommendations provided to the competent ministers, the Belgian PREZODE Expert Group was tasked to continue its work and identify priority actions to prevent the emergence of zoonotic diseases in selected high-risk activities.
Then, on 4 June 2025, the FPS Public Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment organised a workshop (“One World, One Health, One Prevention”) on zoonoses, with the objective to assess the risk of their emergence in Belgium and their prevention in the light of socio-environmental drivers that impact our society.
Building on these policy recommendations and the outcomes from the workshop, the memo provides guidance for high-risk activities and prevention strategies.
It is available here: PREZODE Memorandum (June, 2025).
Our colleague and One Health expert Dominique Vanderhoeven has been actively contributing to this work.
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3 · Biodiversa+ Midterm Conference in Leiden
Biodiversa+ has reached its midpoint and is using this momentum to bring together partners and stakeholders to reflect on its progress and plan for the next phase.
The event will take place on 17-18 September in the beautiful city of Leiden, Netherlands.
It will include a high-level representative from the European Commission and stakeholders from the Biodiversa+ community and beyond.
On-site attendance is limited, but full online access will be available.
🌐 To register for online access and more details about the event, visite the event webpage.
4 · Save the date: BiodivRestore Final Conference
The BiodivRestore Cofund Action on biodiversity restoration, launched in 2020, is coming to an end this year.
To mark this milestone, Biodiversa+ invites the projects’ researchers, stakeholders, policymakers to come together on 21-22 October 2025 in Malaga, Spain.
The conference will be an opportunity to share the final results and achievements of the funded projects, as well as to review the main findings and discuss the future of biodiversity restoration.
It will take place back-to-back with the Final Conference of the Water JPI, which co-organised the BiodivRestore call.
On-site attendance is limited, but full online access will be available.
🌐 For more information and registrations for online access, visit the dedicated webpage.
5 · New series of policy briefs from BiodivScen
Biodiversa+ has released three new policy briefs stemming from the BiodivScen call on “Scenarios of biodiversity and ecosystem services.”
The briefs delve into how tools such as scenarios and early warning systems (EWS) can help navigate uncertainty, examine multiple possible futures, and foster cross-sectoral and multi-level governance collaborations.
They also offer insights and recommendations for specific challenges, including managing trade-offs in agricultural landscapes and protected areas, supporting biodiversity-friendly land use and urban planning, forecasting impacts of biological invasions, and identifying early warning signals in Arctic, oceanic, and freshwater systems.
🌐 Visit the page on Biodiversa+ to read key recommendations and explore the full policy briefs.
6 · Report on sustainable biodiversity monitoring
How can Europe build long-term, effective biodiversity monitoring networks?
Drawing on case studies, expert workshops, and insights from Biodiversa+ pilots, this new report explores the challenges and strategies for establishing transnational and sustainable biodiversity monitoring schemes.
It introduces a criteria-based approach for evaluating biodiversity monitoring initiatives, such as policy relevance, cost-effectiveness, feasibility, and scalability.
The report also examines and develops:
- Five aspects essential to the design and sustainability of monitoring schemes
- Three governance models, each with their strengths and trade-offs
- Key strategies to support long-term sustainability
📄 Download and read the full report for detailed insights.
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7 · IPBES appoints new Executive Secretary
Dr. Luthando Dziba has been appointed as the new Executive Secretary of IPBES, taking up the role on 1 October 2025. Dr. Dziba has long-standing involvement with IPBES, most recently serving as co-chair of the MEP and co-chair of the IPBES Regional Assessment for Africa.
See the official notification for more information.
8 · IPBES Webinar on knowledge gaps and needs of new assessments
On 12 September 2025, IPBES is hosting a webinar to present knowledge gaps identified in the Transformative Change and Nexus Assessment, as well as the knowledge needs for the upcoming Spatial Planning and Second Global Assessment.
Sign up here before 11 September 2025.
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9 · Flemish Biodiversity Data portal release
The Flemish Biodiversity Portal (Vlaams Biodiversiteitsportaal) is the new gateway for biodiversity data in Flanders.
Built on the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) technology and powered by GBIF data, it integrates information from research, monitoring programmes, citizen science, species lists, and GIS layers.
Designed to serve both policy-makers and scientists, it delivers reliable evidence to support biodiversity and environmental decision-making, while providing open-access, standardised datasets for analysis and international collaboration.
By linking Flemish data with global infrastructures, it also demonstrates how open data can strengthen the knowledge base needed to understand, manage, and protect biodiversity worldwide."
Explore the portal (in Dutch) and share your feedback with the team: support.natuurdata@inbo.be
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 🌿 Biodiversity around the world! Each month we share a selection of exciting news and events from across the globe.
Coming this October: the first Living Earth Festival in Brussels
Mark your agendas! The first edition of the Living Earth Festival will take place from 9 to 12 October 2025 in Brussels.
The festival aims to celebrate and explore a shared culture of life through science, art, and civic engagement.
Organised by Studio Biorama, it will unfold across several venues in Ixelles: from Place Flagey to the Abbaye de La Cambre site, along the ponds, at the edge of the forest, and up to the ULB Zoology Museum.
Over four days, the festival will offer a rich programme of exhibitions, talks, film screenings, performances, and interactive workshops.
For more information and to register, visit the official website or follow updates on Instagram.
Conference: Ecosystems in a Changing World
The Royal Academy for Overseas Sciences (RAOS), the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS), and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) are jointly organising a three-day conference on Ecosystems in a Changing World, from 8 to 10 September 2025.
The conference will explore the impact of global changes in our world (demographics, industrial development, climate, etc.) on different ecosystems, ranging from terrestrial and coastal ecosystems to oceanic ecosystems.
Beyond a rich programme of lectures, the event will also offer an opportunity to engage with scientists from overseas and forge new links.
Participation is free of charge, but prior registration is required.
Practical information:
New Lancet comment calls for linking Planetary Health and Planetary Boundaries
A decade ago, the Rockefeller Foundation–Lancet Commission report launched the Planetary Health movement and paved the way for the Planetary Health Alliance.
Since then, the field has grown rapidly, uniting science, policy, and civic action to protect the health of people and planet.
A new Lancet Comment (26 July 2025), co-authored by leaders in Planetary Health and Planetary Boundaries, calls for the systematic alignment of both frameworks.
The authors argue that safeguarding human health requires addressing Earth system destabilisation across all nine planetary boundaries, six of which are already transgressed. They outline four priorities for action: health risk assessments, justice-centred policies for vulnerable populations, true cost accounting, and integrated communication strategies.
Since its release, the commentary has gained wide attention, with coverage in Business Today, Forbes, and an op-ed by Paul Polman.
Read the Lancet Comment
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