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Biodiversity monitoring plays an essential role in tracking changes in ecosystems, species distributions and abundances across the globe. Data collected through both structured and unstructured biodiversity recording can inform conservation measures designed to reduce, prevent, and reverse declines in valued biodiversity of many types. However, given that resources for biodiversity monitoring are limited, it is important that funding bodies prioritise investments relative to the requirements in any given region. We addressed this prioritisation requirement for a biodiverse Mediterranean island (Cyprus) using a three-stage process of expert-elicitation. This resulted in a structured list of twenty biodiversity monitoring needs; specifically, a hierarchy of three groups of these needs was created using a consensus approach. The most highly prioritised biodiversity monitoring needs were those related to the development of robust survey methodologies, and those ensuring that sufficiently skilled citizens are available to contribute. We discuss ways that the results of our expert-elicitation process could be used to support current and future biodiversity monitoring in Cyprus.

Whilst being generally small and shallow lentic water bodies, ponds provide valuable habitats for a multitude of groups and contribute to habitat connectivity. Semi-aquatic insects emerging from such ponds act as one of the most important vectors of dietary energy to the adjacent terrestrial environment. By providing essential fatty acids, emerging insects constitute an important nutritional food resource for terrestrial (e.g. spiders, lizards, ants) and aerial (e.g. bats, birds) consumers. Broad-scale studies are needed to explore differences in dietary exports encompassing diverse pond types and different landscapes or regions, with the final aim of drawing general patterns. Herein we present the first results of "EUROPONDS". In this ongoing project we quantify the seasonal and spatial variation in insect emergence. In a total of 55 ponds distributed across Europe we installed emergence traps for one week per season over a full year. This broad scale set-up allows us to quantify differences in biomass export between different geographical regions, between rural and urban systems as well as between natural and artificial ponds. The project brings together the knowledge of 80 early-career limnologists from all over Europe and therefore not only provides important insight in the aquatic-terrestrial linkages of ponds, but also provides an important exchange among the future generation of European limnologists.

Invertebrates have recently been recognised under a global decline, a situation that seems to be accentuated in continental waterbodies. In the EUROPONDS project we deepened in the contribution of aquatic invertebrates to terrestrial ecosystems, representing countries all over Europe. Our study was encompassed in a restored quarry in Alpedrete, Madrid, Spain, a landscape destined for livestock activities. We evaluated the invertebrate assemblages of a small permanent pond after restoration (physicochemical variables, macroinvertebrates assemblages and macrophytes species) and its contribution to the landscape by the emerging insects. To do that, we have carried out seasonal samplings starting in autumn 2020 and finishing by summer 2021. We detected a highly aquatic biodiversity in our study pond, showing oversaturation of dissolved oxygen concentration and a rich and dense cover of macrophytes. A diverse assemblage of aquatic macroinvertebrates included odonates, heteropterans, coleopterans, culicids, chironomids and ephemeropterans. We located two traps for emergent insects during one week each season, and we captured flying and adult individuals of some of these macroinvertebrates (even 60 chironomids in winter), revealing the importance of this pond for the adjacent landscape. We concluded that our shallow permanent pond shows a high degree of naturalisation due to the huge diversity of fauna and flora recorded. We consider of concern that the cattle’s faeces in the surroundings of the pond could reduce the water quality as detected an increase in nitrate concentration (0,16 mg/L in winter). Therefore, we encourage regional authorities to include this pond in the regional program for wetland conservation.

Globally there’s an astounding and often underestimated number of ponds (small stagnant water bodies). Ponds, whilst directly providing habitats for a multitude of animals and plants, also contribute to habitat connectivity by enabling organisms to cross the landscape, acting as “blue stepping stones”. The diverse community of insects emerging from such ponds acts as a vector of dietary energy to the surrounding terrestrial environment. By providing highly unsaturated fatty acids, emerging insects constitute a high nutritional food resource for terrestrial (e.g. spiders, lizards) and avian (e.g. bats, birds) consumers. One important dietary resource these insects export is essential fatty acids. These are introduced initially into the local food web and then on into the main terrestrial cycle. However, knowledge about the exact ecological role of ponds, their contribution to beta- and gamma-biodiversity, and dietary energy transfer is limited. Herein, we present preliminary results for the first seasonal sampling (Autumn 2020) of our ongoing “EUROPONDS” project. EUROPONDS aims to fill this gap of knowledge on ponds by analyzing 55 ponds distributed across Europe from Sweden in the north to remote Mediterranean islands in the south, from rural areas to large cities, and including both artificial and natural ponds. EUROPONDS brings together around 80 European early-career limnologists and covers autumn, winter, spring, and summer sampling campaigns through 2020/21. Preliminary results from autumn 2020 indicate differences in emerging insect biomass, trophic status of ponds, and between artificial and natural ponds.

Biodiversity monitoring plays an essential role in tracking changes in ecosystems, species distributions and abundances across the globe. Data collected through both structured and unstructured biodiversity recording can inform conservation measures designed to reduce, prevent, and reverse declines in valued biodiversity of many types. However, given that resources for biodiversity monitoring are limited, it is important that funding bodies prioritise investments relative to the requirements in any given region. We addressed this prioritisation requirement for a biodiverse Mediterranean island (Cyprus) using a three-stage process of expert-elicitation. This resulted in a structured list of twenty biodiversity monitoring needs; specifically, a hierarchy of three groups of these needs was created using a consensus approach. The most highly prioritised biodiversity monitoring needs were those related to the development of robust survey methodologies, and those ensuring that sufficiently skilled citizens are available to contribute. We discuss ways that the results of our expert-elicitation process could be used to support current and future biodiversity monitoring in Cyprus.

Invasive alien species (IAS) are one of the major drivers of change that can negatively affect biodiversity, ecosystem functions and services and human health; islands are particularly vulnerable to biological invasions. Horizon scanning can lead to prioritisation of IAS to inform decision-making and action; its scale and scope can vary depending on the need. We focussed on IAS likely to arrive, establish and affect biodiversity and human health on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. The scope of the horizon scanning was the entire island of Cyprus. We used a two-step consensus-building process in which experts reviewed and scored lists of alien species on their likelihood of arrival, establishment and potential to affect biodiversity, ecosystems and/or human health in the next 10 years. We reviewed 225 alien species, considered to be currently absent on Cyprus, across taxa and environments. We agreed upon 100 species that constituted very high, high or medium biodiversity risk, often arriving through multiple pathways of introduction. The remaining 125 species were ranked as low risk. The potential impacts on human health were documented for all 225 species; 82 species were considered to have a potentially negative impact on human health ranging from nuisance to disease transmission. The scope of the horizon scanning was the entire island of Cyprus, but the thematic groups also considered the relevance of the top 100 species to the Sovereign Base Areas of Cyprus, given their differing governance. This horizon scan provides the first systematic exercise to identify invasive alien species of potential concern to biodiversity and ecosystems but also human health within the Mediterranean region. The process and outcomes should provide other islands in the region and beyond with baseline data to improve IAS prioritisation and management. © 2019, The Author(s).