Assessing LArge-scale Risks to biodiversity with tested Methods - ALARM
		Simon G. Potts and Stuart Roberts ALARM project website The International Convention on Biological Diversity specifically cites pollination as a key ecosystem function that is threatened globally. This ecosystem service not only ensures production value in crops but is critical to the survival and maintenance of the diversity of plant populations. Numerous case studies across Europe suggest that pollinators and the services they provide are under increasing threat from anthropogenic disturbances. However, it is unclear how widespread the perceived pollinator declines are, and the impact on ecosystem services is unknown. Therefore there is an urgent need to quantify the problem at a continental level in order to underpin strategies to protect and enhance pollinator biodiversity and ensure sustainable pollination services are provided across the European landscape. OBJECTIVES ALARM is a European Union Framework 6 Integrated Project combining the expertise of 54 partners from 26 countries and has a centrally funded work programme for an initial period of 5 years (2004-2009). Research will focus on assessment and forecast of changes in biodiversity and in structure, function, and dynamics of ecosystems. This relates to ecosystem services and includes the relationship between society, economy and biodiversity. In particular, risks arising from pollinator loss, climate change, environmental chemicals and biological invasions in the context of current and future European land use patterns will be assessed. The specific objectives for the Pollinator module of ALARM are to: Quantify distribution shifts in key pollinator groups across Europe, thereby providing the first continental-scale evidence for any pollinator declines Measure the biodiversity and economic risks associated with the loss of pollination services in agricultural and natural systems through the development of standardised tools and protocols Determine the relative individual and combined importance of drivers of pollinator loss (land use, climate change, environmental chemicals, invasives and socio-economic factors) Develop predictive models for pollinator loss and consequent risks. APPROACH ALARM will identify pollinator indicator groups to develop thresholds for the quantification of: (1) pressure (probability of pollinator loss) linked with (2) impact (consequences of loss of pollination function). This ecological basis for risk assessment will use a package of standardised protocols developed to allow comparable assessments to be undertaken in different ecosystems and in different EU regions. Specific scientific and technological innovations will include: Development of rigorously standardised protocols for pollinator abundance, diversity and pollination services to agricultural crops and wild plants Establishment of long-term monitoring schemes across Europe Quantification of pollination requirements of key European crops and wild plants Building a definitive catalogue of pollinator taxa and functional groups with regionally relevant risk probability evaluations Production of a European (and first continental scale) pressure and impact risk assessment map Identification of vulnerable ecosystem types, risk zones and pollinator groups Development of predictive models for pollinator risk assessment Identification of the drivers of pollinator loss at the local, national, and continental level and an understanding of the synergism between drivers at different scales Construction of a knowledge base to underpin future research programmes for the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of pollinators in agriculture and related ecosystems. EXPECTED OUTPUTS ALARM will deliver a number of specific outputs, including: An integrated European pollinator database Risk assessment toolkit for pollinators and pollination Continental assessment of the economic and biodiversity risks Quantification of the drivers of pollinator loss Predictive models for pollinator loss and consequent risks Knowledge base to underpin future development of the European Pollinator Initiative. PARTNERS IN POLLINATION MODULE Reading University (UK): Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, Dr. Simon G. Potts and Mr. Stuart Roberts Göttingen University (Germany): Department of Agroecology, Dr. Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter, Dr. Catrin Westphal and Birgit Meyer Aegean University (Greece): Department of Geography, Prof. Theodora Petanidou, Dr. Ellen Lamborn and Ms. Olivia Messenger Natural History Museum (UK): Department of Entomology, Dr. Andy Polaszek, Mr. George Else and Dr. Paul Williams Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (France): Laboratoire de Pollinisation Entomophile, Dr. Bernard Vaissière Leeds University (UK): Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation, Dr. Bill Kunin, Prof. Chris Thomas and Dr. Koos Biesmeijer Haifa University (Israel): Laboratory of Pollination Ecology, Prof. Amots Dafni and Dr. Gidi Ne’eman Jagiellonian University (Poland): Institute of Environmental Sciences, Prof. Michal Woyciechowski Swedish University of Agricultural Science (Sweden): Prof. Jan Bengtsson and Dr. Riccardo Bommarco Halle-Wittenberg University (Germany): Prof. Robin Moritz and Dr.Bernd Kraus Oxford Bee Company (UK): Mr. Chris O’Toole Consortium Coordinator: Dr. Josef Settele UFZ Centre for Environmental Research FUNDING European Commission Framework 6 Integrated project (GOCE-CT-2003-506675)