January 26, 2021. The Global Nature Foundation—a member of the National Rural Network assembly—in collaboration with the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge—has launched the Agrarian Biodiversity Observatory, an open citizen science initiative that seeks to understand the state of biodiversity in the agricultural environment.

• The Global Nature Foundation, together with the Biodiversity Foundation, launches a monitoring and good agricultural practices initiative.
• This is an open citizen science project.

The main objectives of the Observatory are:

• Create a biodiversity monitoring network. Specifically, pollinators, soil fauna, and flora and landscape will be monitored.
• Make good agricultural practices visible and demonstrate their positive impact

Using a methodology based on citizen participation , the idea is to focus on five key groups to better understand their status: flora, solitary bees, pollinators (butterflies and others), earthworms, and other soil invertebrates. "The biodiversity of agricultural farms helps with pest control, pollination, erosion prevention, and improved yield, among other benefits," states the Global Nature Foundation (FGN).

What is “citizen science”

Participatory science (or citizen science) is recognized as a methodology with great capacity to develop large-scale biodiversity studies.

To this end, the FGN, in collaboration with the National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN), has defined a methodology that solidifies the work of citizens, who are responsible for detecting good agricultural practices. All information will be reviewed by validators to verify the consistency and quality of the data provided according to the temporal and geographical context and the plausibility of the observations.

The collected data is entered into a proprietary database using digital tools (app and website) and is periodically published publicly.

To participate in the Agrarian Biodiversity Observatory, users register using the web tool or app and enter data on the plots where sampling is conducted.

Starting in March 2021, the Agrarian Biodiversity Observatory network will be open to the public. All groups, farmers, and organizations are invited to participate. Training and outreach activities will be held for all interested parties.

Initially, 16 pilot farms will be incorporated into the project.

Importance of biodiversity

For the Global Nature Foundation, biodiversity is "key to greater food security and adaptation to climate change; mitigating the impact of agricultural activity requires introducing sustainable practices, and to do so, we need better knowledge, which we gain in the field."