We're excited to bring you the latest updates, insights, news, our ongoing research and collaborative efforts from the SYBERAC project. This edition highlights significant progress in our field studies and findings on pesticide impacts on bird behaviour. We delve into the advancements of the Aarhus University team in modeling and data collection and spotlight a vital new JRC report on bridging the gap between chemical pollution and biodiversity loss, featuring contributions from our own Prof. Andreas Focks.
Also, we recently met in Barcelona to plan our next steps and further reinforce our cooperation within the project and with SYBERAC’s stakeholders. There was also the chance to get to know a vineyard’s changes toward agriculture and the bat case study site in the Ebro Delta.
We also provide insights through interviews with Ana LĂłpez Antia and Manuel Eloy Ortiz Santaliestra.
Stay tuned for upcoming events and the latest news from the SYBERAC team!
Syberac Research Highlights
Bat Fieldwork & Ebro Delta Update (Ana Lopez Antia, CSIC - WP1, WP2): Our team successfully located and integrated old bat boxes into our Ebro Delta study. We've collected vital blood and faecal samples to refine our analytical methods. The workshop held in the Ebro Delta on 15 November 2024 was a success, with valuable discussions and knowledge sharing.
Pesticide Impacts on Bird Behavior (Rafael Mateo, UCLM - WP2): New research highlights the critical link between pesticide exposure and bird behavior. A recent study underscores how sublethal pesticide exposure can alter predator-prey dynamics, emphasizing the need to incorporate behavioral changes into environmental risk assessments for Plant Protection Products. Read the full study here:https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.4c01893
The Aarhus University team progressed on two parallel case studies. They gathered comprehensive knowledge on sludge use in Denmark, consulting with experts to inform future implementation strategies. Additionally, they prepared the landscape model for the Hope Farm farming practice, integrating crucial environmental variables like soil water content, slope, and pH into the ALMaSS model. This was essential for upcoming boundary vegetation prediction and the development of a Collembola model for the Danish case study.
Uniting the team: Barcelona Consortium Meeting
The SYBERAC project convened in Barcelona for a productive four-day consortium meeting, featuring stakeholder engagement, in-depth project discussions, and a revealing field visit to the Ebro Delta. The event kicked off with a vineyard visit and stakeholder workshop with our stakeholders , fostering collaboration and insights into climate change impacts. Subsequent days focused on advancing project objectives, including refining the "System-based ERA" definition, discussing case study methodologies, and planning for the mid-term review. A Saturday field trip to the Ebro Delta provided practical context, highlighting the challenges of balancing diverse land uses with biodiversity conservation, particularly through the project's research on pesticide effects on bats within rice fields.
Thanks to our stakeholders Georgina Bray of RSPB and Magda Silva of Câmara Municipal de Cantanhede for the fruitful exchange and your views on SYBERAC case studies 1 & 5!
New JRC Report: Bridging the Gap Between Chemical Pollution and Biodiversity Loss
"The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) has released a key technical report, Protection of biodiversity as the ultimate goal of environmental safety assessment: how does chemical pollution affect biodiversity?" SYBERAC project member Prof. Andreas Focks contributed to this important work.
The report highlights a critical challenge: ecotoxicological studies often fail to align with biodiversity assessments, making it difficult to fully understand the impact of chemical pollution. To address this gap, the report explores:
How chemical pollution contributes to biodiversity decline.
The use of modeling techniques such as mechanistic models, Bayesian networks, and TITAN.
The need for closer collaboration between ecologists and ecotoxicologists.
Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) as a tool for more comprehensive assessment.
This report is a must-read for environmental scientists, policymakers, and risk assessors working towards a systems-based approach to chemical risk assessment.
Follow us on social media to stay up-to-date about SYBERAC and environmental risk assessment on a weekly basis and stay up-to-date with our publications on Zenodo.
Workshop on Environmental Risk Assessment in the Ebro Delta
As part of the SYBERAC project, an informative workshop was held, showcasing a case study conducted in the Delta. The event focused on the dynamic interaction between aquatic and terrestrial environments, using bats and their potential prey as model species. It brought together a wide range of participants, including farmers, government representatives, agricultural advisors, and researchers, fostering valuable collaboration and knowledge exchange.
Read more about Ana LĂłpez Antia research regarding biodiversity conversation & her fieldwork for Case Study 2A here.
Learn about Manuel Eloy Ortiz Santaliestra's study in the SYBERAC project, his view on biodiversity protections, the key challenges in understanding the ecological impact of pesticides and pollutants on wildlife and how SYBERAC has impacted cooperation and stakeholder engagements here.
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