RFPs: Ensuring Long-Term Effectiveness of Protected Areas Under Biodiversity Loss Pressures

The focus areas include conservation of habitats and species, protected area management effectiveness, biodiversity loss drivers, climate change impacts, ecosystem resilience, predictive modelling of environmental change, terrestrial biodiversity, freshwater ecosystems, marine biodiversity, cumulative environmental impacts, socio-economic drivers of biodiversity loss, adaptive conservation strategies, climate refugia, assisted migration, ecological monitoring systems, policy support for biodiversity, and development of management indicators for protected areas.

Protected areas play a central role in conserving biodiversity, but increasing pressures from climate change, land and sea use changes, pollution, invasive alien species, and direct exploitation of organisms are challenging their long-term effectiveness. The initiative supports EU biodiversity targets, including the protection of at least 30% of land and sea areas under the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, and aligns with global biodiversity commitments under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Projects under this topic are expected to analyse long-term trends in biodiversity loss drivers and their cumulative impacts on ecosystems. This includes both direct and indirect drivers, such as socio-economic factors, and their influence on the conservation status of habitats and species within protected areas.

Proposals are required to develop predictive tools capable of assessing how the intensity of biodiversity loss drivers may evolve over time, including medium- and long-term projections and cumulative impact scenarios.

Projects must evaluate future impacts on the conservation status of protected habitats and species, identifying whether new adaptive management approaches are needed. This may include exploring climate refugia, areas of ecosystem stability under climate stress, and “bright spots” where conservation actions or natural resilience mechanisms are effective, as well as assessing the potential role of practices such as assisted migration.

The scope also includes defining and testing innovative management approaches for protected areas, supported by performance indicators. These approaches should be assessed using methodologies consistent with existing frameworks for protected area management effectiveness.

Projects are also expected to address long-term ecological monitoring needs, providing recommendations and exploring options for sustained monitoring systems for protected habitats and species.

Stakeholder involvement is required, including public authorities, protected area managers, and civil society organisations, to ensure that research and innovation outcomes align with policy needs and societal expectations.

Proposals must focus on either terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystems or marine biodiversity and ecosystems, with the possibility of including freshwater ecosystems. The selected research field must be clearly specified in the application.

The total funding available is €13,000,000, with approximately €6,500,000 per project.

Eligibility is open to any legal entity regardless of place of establishment, including entities from non-associated third countries and international organisations, provided they comply with Horizon Europe Regulation requirements and other applicable conditions. A legal entity is any recognised natural or legal person with legal personality, or an entity without legal personality capable of exercising rights and obligations.

For more information, visit European Commission.