NEWS & EVENTS

As part of the European Research and Innovation Days 2025 satellite event “R&I for a Competitive Green Transition”, which took place in Brussels on 23-24 June 2025, the GUARDEN project was featured in the session titled “Environmental Observation, Data, and AI Tools for Implementing the European Green Deal”. The event, which brought together leading initiatives in sustainability and digital innovation, provided a platform to present GUARDEN’s integrated approach to biodiversity monitoring and decision support.

GUARDEN responds to a central challenge in Europe’s green transition: how to reconcile development priorities—such as renewable energy, transport, and urban expansion—with the urgent need to conserve biodiversity. Through a suite of tools, the project equips stakeholders with the means to make data-driven, foresight-based decisions that consider both ecological values and development needs.

At the event, Christodoulos Keratidis, from Draxis Environmental S.A., presented an overview of the project’s innovations:

• AI-enabled species recognition tools for plants and birds, deployed in case studies such as Greek wind farm zones, help assess the impact of infrastructure on biodiversity.
• Citizen science applications enable the public to collect geolocated biodiversity observations, which are visualized and explored through intuitive dashboards with chatbot support—already yielding tangible results in Barcelona’s urban beach ecosystems.
• High-resolution spatial analysis tools, such as the Landscape Dynamics Mapping Tool, integrate remote sensing and machine learning to monitor land use changes and vegetation trends.
• Ecosystem Services and Scenario Mapping tools allow policymakers to compare the outcomes of different land-use plans—such as alternative railway routes in southern France—on ecological functions and human well-being.
• All tools are unified under the Integrated GUARDEN Decision Support Application (DSA), facilitating usability across local authorities, planners, researchers, and civil society.

GUARDEN’s contribution was also highlighted through its wide geographic and thematic reach. Case studies span France, Greece, Spain, Cyprus, and Madagascar, each tackling context-specific challenges—from post-construction monitoring of wind farms to coastal urban biodiversity management. All pilots are built around Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships (MSPs), ensuring co-creation, policy alignment, and long-term impact.

Representing the SME perspective, the benefits and challenges for small businesses involved in EU R&I projects were presented. Participation in GUARDEN enables Draxis Environmental S.A. to develop market-ready solutions, access real-world testing environments, and strengthen visibility within the European innovation ecosystem.