EBCC Advisory working groups
EBCC encourages and actively establishes advisory working groups to address relevant topics in line with specific needs within its scope of work. These groups meet based on the level of involvement in the projects they collaborate on and include a responsible representative from the EBCC Board, as well as a fluid network of other specialists who contribute to the groups’ goals.
Spatial modelling group (SMOG)
Representative from the EBCC Board:
Nicolas Strebel, Swiss Ornithological Institute, Switzerland, contact: nicolas.strebel@vogelwarte.ch
Coordinator of the group:
Juan Gallego-Zamorano, SOVON, Dutch Centre for Field Ornithology, The Netherlands
Information about the group:
The group was established in 2005 to advise and develop spatial modelling outputs using European bird observation data.
EBCC projects the working group is currently collaborating with: EBBA: EBBA-live, EBP: Life-EBP, PECBMS, EFSA: Early warning system for avian influenza
Research working group
Representative from the EBCC Board:
Aleksi Lehikoinen, Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Finland, contact: aleksi.lehikoinen@helsinki.fi
Coordinator of the group:
Aleksi Lehikoinen, Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Finland
Information about the group:
The group was established in 2020 to develop an EBCC strategy for research and policy-related initiatives. The strategy, adopted by the board in March 2024, is used to prioritise EBCC research activities and will be updated regularly if needed. The Research group aims to enhance and coordinate research themes in EBCC, including research priorities, potential funding opportunities, data access policy, and synergies between EBCC projects (PEBCMS, EBBA, EBP).
EBCC projects the working group is currently collaborating with: PECBMS, EBBA, EBP
Acoustic monitoring group (AMOG)
Representative from the EBCC Board:
Aleksi Lehikoinen, Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Finland, contact: aleksi.lehikoinen@helsinki.fi
Coordinator of the group:
Thomas Sattler, Swiss Ornithological Institute, Switzerland, Co-lead
Information about the group:
The AMOG was established in 2024 due to the rapid development of the avian acoustic methodology, including automatic sound identification and passive acoustic monitoring. The AMOG aims to follow developments in the field and collaborate with key partners on research related to avian acoustics. The group provides guidance for EBCC activities, including to national coordinators and others working in acoustic bird monitoring. AMOG’s goal is to coordinate, align, and integrate acoustic bird monitoring initiatives across Europe, thereby strengthening overall bird monitoring efforts. In particular, at the moment we are working on providing guidelines on how to use automatic sound identification in long-term monitoring programs and are investigating opportunities to improve passive acoustic monitoring and other acoustic monitoring-related tools in Europe.
EBCC projects the working group is currently collaborating with (EBCC, PECBMS or/and EBP):