NIVA leads large European Topic Centre on Biodiversity and Ecosystems supporting implementation of European environmental policies
− NIVA is investing heavily in leading the European Topic Centre Biodiversity and Ecosystems (ETC BE). This is very much in line with our strategy’s emphasis on providing decision-makers with science-based data. Collaborating with 23 other European partners in 13 countries, we will support the European Environment Agency (EEA) with the knowledge base needed to ensure that European environmental policies are based on timely, targeted, relevant, and reliable information to policy-making agents and the public, says NIVA Deputy Chief Executive Officer Thorjørn Larssen.
Larssen is the leader of the consortium, while Chief Scientist Jesper Andersen is deputy manager. Claudia Neitzel has the administrative responsibility, while Senior Scientist Jannicke Moe coordinates the contribution of the deliveries of the 32 of NIVA's staff involved in the project.
This is ETC BE and EEA
The ETC BE is one of seven European Topic Centres working with EEA and the national EIONET partners work centres of thematic expertise. It is a consortium of EEA member state organisations with expertise in the topic area of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine biodiversity and ecosystems. The centre will provide data products, interactive maps and tableaus, indicator assessments, reports, and other services to the EEA and EIONET. This involves compiling, processing and quality-checking data, Europe-wide presentations of data, synthesis and assessments of policies and their implementation.
The EEA is the hub of the European Environment Information and Observation Network (EIONET), a network of around 350 organisations across Europe through which environmental-related data and information are collected and disseminated. As of 1 January 2023, there are seven European Topic Centres contracted by the EEA that provide expertise and capacity to support the EEA and its member states with implementing the EEA-EIONETStrategy.
Read more at the ETC BE website