National research programme Dynamics of terrestrial biodiversity (PEPR Dynabiod)

The climate emergency, increasing human transformation of the environment, and declining biodiversity require innovation in order to understand and anticipate. It is also a question of reversing this dynamic on living organisms and its consequences for our societies. However, there is a lack of data covering long periods of time, especially for plants and invertebrates, which are key to ecosystems. By mobilising naturalist collections and citizen science, new observation technologies and AI, the national research programme Dynabiod supports the orientation of public policies.

Faced with the climate crisis and the silent collapse of life on Earth, France is launching Dynabiod, an unprecedented scientific programme dedicated to terrestrial biodiversity.
Its ambition? To understand, starting today, how plants and invertebrates – often overlooked pillars of our ecosystems – are evolving under pressure from human activities, in order to act more quickly and more effectively.

Three major advantages:

1. A universal ‘composite sketch’ of species. Dynabiod is building the very first multimodal reference database: for each target species, a single file will bring together DNA barcodes, high-definition photos, sound recordings, physical characteristics and distribution maps. This database, fed by the vast collections of museums and new samples, will become the digital identity card of French wildlife.
2. High-tech surveillance, from the past to the future. Automatic cameras, acoustic sensors, drones, satellite remote sensing and environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis will be deployed across four ‘common terrains’ – mountains, urban-agricultural environments, protected areas and the national network – to monitor species, interactions and pressures (climate, pollution, land use) in real time. These deployments will be based on scientific and citizen science networks. Historical data from collections, some dating back two centuries, will be integrated to recreate long time series and detect real trends.
3. Predictive models for decision-making. Thanks to artificial intelligence and national computing power, Dynabiod translates these billions of data points into clear scenarios: which species will decline in the future? Which landscapes should be restored as a priority? Which agricultural or urban choices maximise the benefits for nature and society? These results will directly feed into the 2030 National Biodiversity Strategy and local actions, in continuous dialogue with local authorities, businesses and citizens.

Beyond research, Dynabiod brings together national expertise, strengthens participatory science and places France at the heart of international biodiversity observation networks (GEO-BON, iBOL, EuropaBON). The objective is clear: to halt and then reverse the decline in biodiversity by providing decision-makers with the knowledge they need.