Spain has becomeLifeWatch project headquartersthanks to the “excellent scientific quality” in the area of the country’s biodiversity, whichholds almost half of the European plant endemisms. The research work related to LifeWatch will allow to evaluate in a virtual laboratory, through simulators, the impact of global warming, urban development or the installation in its environment of an industrial nucleus, on certain geographical areas.
For this, the existing information on the flora and fauna of a territory and their associated environmental conditions will be processed, and ICTs will be used to analyze different temporal scenarios and implement the most effective environmental measures to preserve its biodiversity. “Our future social and economic development is based on biodiversity”, assured Cristina Garmendia, Minister of Science and Innovation (MICINN), during her speech at the opening ceremony in Seville.
InfrastructureLifeWatchfacilitate the use ofEurope’s environmental and biodiversity databanks, and will promote the creation of new ones at the same time. It will allow its connectivity, interoperability and use by scientists, environmental managers, companies and citizens. The platform is called to become a primary instrument for managers in decision-making and development ofpolicies related to the preservation of different ecosystems, thereby contributing to thefight against climate change.
The project has a budget of 220 million euros, financed by various countries of the European Union, and its main headquarters, which will be ready in five years, will be located at the facilities of the Pablo de Olavide University in Seville. To date, eight European countries have expressed their interest in participating in the construction of the project: Sweden, Greece, Finland, Hungary, Romania, the Netherlands and Italy, as well as Spain. The last three will house the common facilities of the infrastructure. Spain, in addition to being the main administrative and legal headquarters, will have the central facilities related to ICT. The Netherlands will host an information technology research and innovation center, and Italy will host a service center.
