Never before has our planet's biological diversity been so threatened by human activity. Yet it plays a vital role in maintaining the health of ecosystems, as well as providing us with many valuable resources essential for our survival. For these reasons alone it is important that we understand biodiversity and the pressures it faces, so that we can develop credible responses. This requires effective scientific research.

Integrating European biodiversity research

ALTER-Net is a network of 24 partner institutes from 17 European countries. ALTER-Net integrates research capacities across Europe: assessing changes in biodiversity, analyzing the effect of those changes on ecosystem services and informing the public and policy makers about this at a European scale. Originally funded by the European Union’s Framework VI program to stimulate a collaborative approach, ALTER-Net is now operating independently.

On this website you can find information about key issues of concern and ALTER-Net projects contributing to the lasting integration of Europe’s research capacity on biodiversity.
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You can read about the 4th ALTER-Net summer school here ...