NordForsk funds Nordic LifeWatch cooperation
Photo: Johannes Jansson, norden.org
Healthy ecosystems and the biodiversity they harbor are a prerequisite for the sustainable future of our planet. Many ecosystems are heavily impacted by human activities, and we need to implement effective policies and management strategies in order to preserve species and ecosystems that are threatened.
Biodiversity science is entering a new era, where the massive data sets that have been collected over time can be combined with modern eScience.
The ESFRI project LifeWatch aims to establish a large infrastructure in the field of biodiversity and ecosystem research, creating a fully transparent system for the exchange of data. This will build upon earlier initiatives to develop databases, standards and systems.
An enhanced Nordic collaboration in this field may result in more research, more effective policies and management strategies within this area, and help promote the Nordic countries in the development of the European LifeWatch construction phase. The main goal of the project will be to map existing, relevant databases and time series and to explore the possibilities to establish compatible Nordic eSystems for biodiversity data. Funding this collaboration is in line with NordForsk’s strategic aim to facilitate a joint Nordic voice on the international research infrastructure arena.
Read more about LifeWatch here
Contact persons
Project coordinator, Norway: Tor G. Heggberget, Norwegian institute for Nature research
Finland: Martin Forsius, Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) and Kari Laine, University of Oulu
Denmark: Kurt Nielsen, DMU
Sweden: Ulf Gärdenfors, The Swedish Species Information Centre
Iceland: Starri Heidmarsson, The Icelandic Institute of Natural History
