Sharing our Biodiversity Data

Get the low-down on the project's open-access Data Hub

A new report shares how over the course of our project, expert scientists and citizen scientists working across 11 farmer clusters collected thousands of biodiversity observations — from bird and pollinator surveys to vegetation assessments and farm habitat data. A new report, Specialist indicators and farming systems data capture, describes how all of this data has been captured, catalogued, and made available through the project's Data Hub.

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What is the Data Hub?

The Farmer Cluster Data Hub is a web-based metadata catalogue and data repository built on GeoNetwork, an open-source platform developed by the Open Source Geospatial Foundation. It serves as the project's central location for storing and discovering spatially referenced biodiversity datasets. Each dataset is described using the ISO 19115 international metadata standard and structured around FAIR data principles — making the data findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable. You can read more about its launch here on the project website.

What Data Does it Hold?

The report describes three main categories of data stored in the hub. Expert biodiversity monitoring data includes the results of standardised field surveys — covering birds, pollinators, vegetation, and other indicator species — carried out by scientists across all 11 farmer clusters using protocols developed within the project. Citizen science data comprises biodiversity observations recorded by farmers and members of the public through the iNaturalist platform, gathered under the FRAMEwork Citizen Biodiversity Observatory. Farmer cluster datasets bring together farm-level information on land use, management practices, and farming systems, providing the context needed to interpret the monitoring results.

Who will Find it Useful?

The report is relevant to researchers looking for open biodiversity datasets from European farmland, project teams designing similar data infrastructures, and anyone interested in how biodiversity monitoring data can be managed at scale across multiple countries and farming systems. The Data Hub itself is designed for scientists, farmers, facilitators, and policymakers with an interest in farmland biodiversity. It also integrates with other project tools, including the FEAST decision support tool, allowing users to connect monitoring evidence with practical habitat assessment.

Where to Learn More

The full report is available as a free download from Zenodo. The Data Hub can be explored directly through the Recodo platform.