Speaker
Description
State of Nature reporting under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive generates comprehensive datasets on European biodiversity, yet presenting conservation status and trends separately often obscures genuine ecological shifts behind administrative or methodological updates. To address this complexity, the Conservation Status and Trend Index (CSTI) was developed to integrate current status and trend trajectory into a unified, transparent score ranging from 0 (Bad-Deteriorating) to 1 (Good-Improving). This framework utilizes a 9-point linear scale, weighting conservation status three times more than trend to prioritize foundational ecological conditions while employing a backcasting methodology to filter out non-ecological data shifts. Analysis of the 2024 reporting dataset indicates a widespread decline in ecological stability, with the majority of the analyzed feature groups decreasing in mean CSTI scores since 2018. Species generally maintain a more favorable condition compared to habitats, though both categories trended downward between 2018 and 2024, with habitats declining more steeply. European habitats remain in a critical state, as around a fifth of all assessments are classified as Bad-Deteriorating. Rocky habitats and mammals represent the most favorable groups, while dune habitats exhibit the lowest mean index. The largest taxonomic declines occurred within amphibians and molluscs. By translating multi-dimensional biodiversity data into a scalable, intuitive index, the CSTI provides an objective tool for resource allocation, offering a standard framework to prioritize conservation actions, track regional progress, and evaluate intervention efficacy under the upcoming EU Nature Restoration Regulation.
| Status Group | Postdoctoral Researcher |
|---|---|
| FOR TALKS: Poster Presentation Option | No, I prefer to present only as a talk. |