Intensive land use, biodiversity loss and climate change have altered ecosystems around the world. Biodiversity and functional ecosystems are our strongest natural life insurance in a world of crises. Current private and public decision-making have not been able to provide solutions to handle environmental risks. In this context, the EU-funded SELINA project will provide EU decision-makers from various business, policy and societal sectors with the necessary tools and information to help sustain, restore and enforce the climate-neutral use of European ecosystems and their services. To achieve this, with the help of ecosystem experts as well as the massive amounts of available ecosystem data, research and monitoring solutions, decision-makers will be provided with applicable tools, models and data for guiding their decisions towards sustainability.

With a focus on biodiversity and ecosystem services, SELINA seeks to:

• Identify key ecological indicators that can be effectively integrated into decision-making processes across sectors, by facilitating knowledge-sharing and co-production through EU-wide workshops and multidisciplinary Communities of Practice.
• Co-develop and test new methodologies to improve how biodiversity, ecosystem condition, and ecosystem service data are mapped, assessed, and applied across diverse planning and policy contexts.
• Support the creation of a robust and accessible knowledge base that links ecosystem condition to ecosystem services, designed to inform spatial planning, environmental management, and sustainable development strategies.
• Demonstrate the value of cross-sectoral collaboration by working with science, policy and business stakeholders to embed ecological evidence into practical, place-based decision-making.
• Lead and support demonstration projects and co-create a Compendium of Guidance that brings together tools, case studies, and lessons learned to promote mainstreaming of biodiversity and ecosystem values.