Insect monitoring for national nature policy
Standardised insect data for the system: national monitoring networks, European reporting and nature restoration.
Ministries hold system responsibility for nature: legislation, agreements with regions, national monitoring networks and reporting to Europe, including national restoration plans under the Nature Restoration Regulation. That requires nationwide, comparable trends, and insects were largely missing from them. The DIOPSIS insect camera, developed with EIS, Naturalis and Radboud University and in use at more than 100 sites, delivers those trends with one method that can be rolled out nationally.
The system needs national trends
European reporting under the Birds and Habitats Directives, the Nature Restoration Regulation and agreements with regions require multi-year, comparable data at national scale. Insects respond quickly to changes in land use and management and form the basis of the food web, but a nationwide picture of insect trends was long missing. Camera monitoring makes it feasible.
One method, ready for national roll-out
The DIOPSIS insect camera measures the same way everywhere: an illuminated screen, a photo every few seconds, identification and counting by the Naturalis model. That makes results comparable between regions, landscape types and years. The camera runs on solar power and 4G and is placed by one person, so scaling up does not require a large organisation and can also run through regions, site managers or farmer collectives.
Developed with the Dutch knowledge infrastructure
The camera grew out of a collaboration between EIS Kenniscentrum Insecten, Naturalis Biodiversity Center and Radboud University and has been built by Faunabit since 2021. The method is described in scientific publications, including international articles on standardised camera monitoring. The image recognition model remains managed by Naturalis.
From regional pilots to a national network
Regional authorities, water authorities and research programmes already use the camera; see the pages for regional authorities and research. Want to explore how insects fit structurally into national monitoring? Contact us.
Related
Frequently asked questions
How does DIOPSIS relate to national monitoring networks?
National networks usually consist of schemes per species group, largely carried by volunteers. DIOPSIS is a complementary, automated method delivering continuous data on flying insects at places and times where no counters come. The cameras were developed with research institutes that are also involved in such networks.
What does this mean for the Nature Restoration Regulation?
National restoration plans ask for measurable targets and for monitoring of restoration. A standardised camera series per landscape type gives a nationally comparable basis for that reporting, alongside existing networks.
Is the method scientifically described?
Yes. The camera and its use are described in scientific articles and reports, including an article in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B on standardised camera monitoring of nocturnal insects. See the publications page.
What is the difference with the regional role?
Regions implement and manage: areas, subsidies, management plans. National government guards the system and reports nationally and to Europe. For national government it is therefore about one national method and multi-year trends per landscape type; see also the page for regional authorities.
Including insects structurally in national monitoring?
We are happy to discuss how a camera network fits national monitoring networks and European reporting, what scaling up requires and which role research institutes and regions play.