General aims

The main objective of BIOservicES is to understand the interconnection between soil organisms (virus, bacteria archaea, fungi, protists, nematodes, microarthropods, earthworms, isopods, millipedes, insects and spiders) and the delivery of soil multiple Ecosystem Function and Services (EFS) at different scales (field vs landscape), identifying the pressures and drivers resulting from different land uses and climate change, and performing an economic valuation of the contribution of soil organisms to ES. BIOservicES will also deepen in the relationship between soil organisms and soil structure, and how this interaction is affected by land use and management intensity, to contribute to the Soil Mission objective 6 “Improve soil structure to enhance habitat quality for soil biota and crops”. BIOservicES will thus deliver new knowledge, new indicators based on soil organisms and the EFS in which they are involved and digital decision-support tools and models to help design climate resilient management practices and monitoring/conservation/restoration programmes adapted to a range of environments (land uses and  biogeographic regions) across Europe, to maintain and foster the multiple EFS in which soil organisms are involved.

Challenge

Although there is evidence that soil organisms are crucial in providing essential ecosystem services, such as nutrient cycling, pest control, water retention, and climate regulation, there is still a lack of understanding regarding the relationships between key soil organisms and the delivery of ecosystem services in different land use types. As a result, our ability to predict the effects of soil biodiversity on human well-being and ecosystem sustainability is limited.

Solution

BIOservices brings together a multidisciplinary team for 60 months to generate new knowledge about the functions and ecosystem services of soil organisms. The project aims to develop new indicators, tools, and incentives to identify and monitor key organisms contributing to ecosystem services in various European land uses. The project will involve 25 experimental sites in five biogeographic regions covering eight different European land uses.

JuneCom role

JuneCom leads WP6, regarding the Communication, Dissemination, and Exploitation of the project's results. For this, we have put together a Communication, Dissemination, and Exploitation plan, aiming at highlighting the project and increase awareness among the general public on the importance of sustainability and sustainable land management practices.

Team involved:

Iuliana Floricică, CEO & Co-founder

Elena Zamfirescu, PR Executive

Bianca Ioana Caragea, Client Service Manager

The project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation programme under Grant Agreement Nº 101093873.