DarCo advances knowledge on subterranean biodiversity in Europe to inform and guide management. Here, we provide the first mapping of European subterranean life implementing a multifaceted view of biodiversity beyond taxonomic information alone. We also relate biodiversity to the provisioning of ecosystem services—the delivery of multiple ecosystem services being one of the potential major benefits of biodiversity. Furthermore, we will develop, for the first time, a concrete and spatially explicit plan to establish conservation priorities belowground at regional to continental scales in Europe. Because we focus on subterranean biodiversity beyond political borders, DarCo is transnational in its scope, but also in terms of societal impacts and the maintenance of Europe-wide ecosystem services. To maximize societal impacts, we have a work package fully dedicated to information dissemination and stakeholder engagement, creating a legacy beyond the project duration.

2023

2025