SEE PEER REVIEW

INTRO:

The authors will present a monitoring strategy for biodiversity in agricultural landscapes in the context of the need to track progress towards the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020. More precisely, they will present the "EMBAL methodology" and its components, which are being developed within a European project and based on a comprehensive review of existing monitoring approaches in Europe.  MERITS:

While understanding how biodiversity responds to human pressure, including in agricultural landscapes is without a doubt important, addressing data gaps, and setting up the observation systems to fill those gaps is also essential. This project is thus particularly interesting and relevant for biodiversity conservation. In addition, basing this approach on existing frameworks, and lessons learned from those is a plus.    CRITIQUE:

Nothing to add here.  DISCUSSION:

It would be interesting to hear which are the stakeholders involved in the design of the monitoring scheme and how is the data mobilised, integrated, and delivered to users. The sustainability of the monitoring scheme resulting from the EMBAL project would also be important to discuss. 
- - -
INTRO:

The authors describe approaches towards monitoring of biodiversity, ecosystem services and management practices in European agricultural landscapes to enhance data availability for the biodiversity indicators used to evaluate Agricultural Policy at national and regional levels in Europe.

The EMBAL approach or European Monitoring of Biodiversity in Agricultural Landscapes was launched in 2017 based on the results of 13 existing monitoring approaches at national and European scale. The EMBAL approach aims at rapid assessment of the structure of the agricultural landscape and the state of farmland biodiversity. The applicability of the drafted EMBAL methodology has been tested in five European countries based on a three-fold approach which includes an area survey (mapping), a vegetation survey,  and a photo documentation.

MERITS:

The EMBAL is a unique innovative approach for monitoring biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services at regional and national scales. The methodology can be used to collect more efficient biodiversity and ecosystem services measures in a much wider extent. Therefore, it is definitely worth to present this approach to conference audience.

CRITIQUE:

It would be helpful if the authors shortly explain synergies between the EMBAL approach and the existing monitoring programs in Europe, e.g., in terms of data collection on different biodiversity indicators and measures. It would be also helpful if the authors can shortly mention if the preliminary results from pilot investigations sound promising for agricultural policy.

DISCUSSION:

Due to the geographic extent of the EMBAL and diversity of ecological conditions across Europe, there is a risk that the proposed methodology cannot be implemented in the same way across different regions/countries, which results in data that are not easily comparable.

- - -
INTRO:

The presentation deals with the project "European Monitoring of Biodiversity in Agricultural Landscapes" (EMBAL) which was launched by the European Commission in 2017. The monitoring approach is based on the High Nature Value (HNV-) Farmland indicator, the LISA-approach and other European approaches. A field test in five European countries has been carried out and the applicability of the drafted methodology could be approved. The EMBAL methodology is based on field surveys of plots with a size of 500 x 500 m². Habitat characterization and vegetation surveys are undertaken.

MERITS:

A European monitoring of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes is highly required in order to thoroughly and comprehensively assess biodiversity trends in European agricultural landscapes in a standardized way. It is also highly relevant because agricultural biodiversity is such important in Europe and because European the expensive agricultural policies should positively affect biodiversity and the environment, but a standardized monitoring of effectiveness and efficiency is lacking.

CRITIQUE:

It might be interesting for readers in which five European countries that test run is currently implemented and how the sampling design was done. However, it might be enough to learn about these issues during the talk.

DISCUSSION:

With no doubt, the research is highly important and could be a milestone for the conservation of agrobiodiversity in Europe. I am looking forward to listen to the talk.