The project aims at establishing a multi-lateral network of research and innovation staff active in olive germplasm access, conservation, evaluation and exploitation, strengthening research capacities through the exchange of knowledge and expertise on a shared research programme focused on developing integrated common protocols to phenotype and characterize plants at molecular, morphological and physiological level, and evaluating the olive oil quality related to varieties. The scientific results of the project will contribute at improving the potential of the olive germplasm collections, repositories and banks as main sources of variability and of the evaluation tools to be used to increase oliviculture sustainability. Particular attention will be paid to issues concerned to international intellectual property rights for conserving, exchanging and using the olive genetic resources. Another aim is to create a long lasting network among partners also promoting new common projects in the frame of Horizon2020 and other international funding sources. The joint exchange programme will involve 9 beneficiaries and 6 partners belonging to AC and NAC sectors and will be performed through a series of short and long term staff exchanges and workshops among European (Italy, Spain, Greece and France) and third countries (Morocco, Lebanon, Jordan, Argentina, Chile and Mexico). The International Olive Council (IOC), represented by IOC Executive Director, Jean-Louis Barjol, expressed its strong support to “BeFOre” planning to play an important role in dissemination activities. Experienced and early stage researchers, technicians and managers, are expected to be exchanged between EU and TC to ensure a good scientific transfer of knowledge and training. Enhancement of careers for the staff involved is expected. The project coordination and management will be ensured by the contribution of a well established coordination group and a Steering Committee.

GUARDEN’s main mission is to safeguard biodiversity and its contributions to people by bringing them at the forefront of policy and decision-making. This will be achieved through the development of user-oriented Decision Support Applications (DSAs), and leveraging on Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships (MSPs). They will take into account policy and management objectives and priorities across sectors and scales, build consensus to tackle data gaps, analytical uncertainties or conflicting objectives, and assess options to implement adaptive transformative change. To do so, GUARDEN will make use of a suite of methods and tools using Deep Learning, Earth Observation, and hybrid modelling to augment the amount of standardized and geo-localized biodiversity data, build-up a new generation of predictive models of biodiversity and ecosystem status indicators under multiple pressures (human and climate), and propose a set of complementary ecological indicators likely to be incorporated into local management and policy. The GUARDEN approach will be applied at sectoral case studies involving end users and stakeholders through Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships, and addressing critical cross-sectoral challenges (at the nexus of biodiversity and deployment of energy/transport infrastructure, agriculture, and coastal urban development). Thus, the GUARDEN DSAs shall help stakeholders engaged in the challenge to improve their holistic understanding of ecosystem functioning, biodiversity loss and its drivers and explore the potential ecological and societal impacts of alternative decisions. Upon the acquisition of this new knowledge and evidence, the DSAs will help end-users not only navigate but also (re-)shape the policy landscape to make informed all-encompassing decisions through cross-sectoral integration.