SIGNAL Objectives

SCIENCE objectives

to asses resilience status and the functional significance of biodiversity elements for the maintenance of ecosystem functioning in grasslands prone to climate extremes

to investigate how resilience status and early warning signals of regime shift may vary across different bioclimatic regions of Europe

to combine the strengths of joint experimental and GIS modelling approaches

to produce recommendations to take up new biodiversity-function related indicators and their measuring protocols to monitoring activities and contributing to the development of the European Long-Term Ecosystem Research Network

to contribute to other global science networks, such as INTERFACE, IGBP and DIVERSITAS within the Earth System Science Partnership

to link scientific excellence to policy and practice in the field of biodiversity.

POLICY objectives

to support land use organizations and land managers in identifying critical stages of functional resilience by presence/absence of key species as early warning signals

to help communication of scientific results to practitioners for adapting management strategies and guidelines including design of prevention measures according to biogeographic region and resilience status at the subsidary level of national policy making

to support EU policies and international initiatives related to agro-ecosystems, such as the European Community Biodiversity Strategy 2020, the EC Biodiversity Communication, LIFE and Europes grasslands, the European Climate Change Programme, the EASAC Science Advisory Council for Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity in Europe, Cross Compliance 2011, and the relevant international conventions (UNCBD, UNFCCC), in their initiatives to implement the biodiversity and sustainability targets

to support national and regional legislative frameworks implementing EU directives, i.e. sustainable management of NATURA 2000 habitats including semi-natural dry grasslands and ‚Agri-environment Measures‘ inlcuding low-intensity pasture systems

to develop knowledge for decisions supporting climate change mitigation policies including EU Agro-Environ. Payment or European Common Agricultural Policies CAP by producing quantitative insight into grassland productivity of various diversity facing climate extremes

to contribute to the global science-policy interface, e.g. within IPCC, and within the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)

CONSERVATION objectives

ENDUSERS and STAKEHOLDERS at the European, national, regional level

• European Comission - Environment: SIGNAL contributes to fulfill the European Biodiv. Strategy implementing goals oft the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to 2020

• National Governments: SIGNAL contributes to fulfill the National Biodiversity Strategies and implementing the national commitments under the CBD

• Natura 2000 Network