This project participates in a cluster of projects working on biodiversity research. The aim of the cluster is to determine and promote strategic approaches to biodiversity assessment and management in Europe. Other members of the cluster are: Biodiversity Assessment, BIOSTRESS, CASCADE, EURO+MED, Fauna Europea, FOSSILVA, METABIRD, MIDI-CHIP, PLANT DISPERSAL and TRANSPLANT. The cluster will help to co-ordinate and to provide common purpose to an important collective European effort to develop biodiversity research; provide an opportunity to enrich each project by an exchange of ideas; and, where appropriate, increase the effectiveness of each proposal through joint field work or other activities. The cluster may later be extended to include other projects, in particular projects arising from future calls for proposals related to biodiversity.