Project information
OSCARS - Implementing FAIR principles in European Vegetation Archive data (EVA-FAIR)

This project aims to implement open science principles in European vegetation-plot databases. Vegetation-plot databases (Dengler et al. 2011; https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1654-1103.2011.01265.x) store records of total plant species composition from small plots (usually 1 m2 to 1000 m2). These databases are essential for assessing the biodiversity of natural, semi-natural and anthropogenic habitats and their changes over time. For example, vegetation-plot databases were a central source of data for the development of the terrestrial part of the European Red List of Habitats (Janssen et al. 2016) and the revision of the EUNIS Habitat Classification, which is the standard classification of European habitats governed and used by the European Environment Agency (Chytrý et al. 2020; https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12519). They are also used to assess the status of natural habitats for regular reporting according to the EU Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC).