From butterflies to birds, experts and citizen scientists unite in a shared mission to monitor and protect nature’s habitats.

On my show this week, we zoom in on the declining richness of Luxembourg’s biodiversity and why it matters. From powerful EU projects to local volunteers counting butterflies, my guests show how citizen science can be crucial to help collect data in a clear and scientific manner.

Dr. Youri Martin, Senior R&T Engineer in biodiversity at LIST, is at the heart of Luxembourg’s monitoring systems. As principal investigator of the BIODIV project, Youri and his team track protected species using standardised data methods. He coordinates the Luxembourg Pollinator Monitoring Scheme, where volunteers conduct pollinator transect walks and pan trapping to observe bees, butterflies and other insects.

“Consistency in data is everything. It allows us to see real trends,  and the picture is concerning.” Over 60% of butterfly mass abundance has declined in just over a decade.

Citizen science has gripped John Park, who created Bee Together.  From identifying butterflies to pan-trapping pollinators, John works hands-on with LIST and is cited among contributors to the new Butterfly Atlas of Luxembourg.

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not,” he quotes from The Lorax. John’s work has even contributed to published research on genetic drift in insects .

Joining us from Austria was Gerid Hager, a research scholar at IIASA and a key figure in the EU’s FRAMEwork project and Urban ReLeaf initiative. Gerid emphasised the strength of collaborative data collection from farmers and citizens alike.

“This isn't just about data, it’s about community, ownership, and the cultural shift towards biodiversity-friendly agriculture.”

On the birding front, Patric Lorgé, field ornithologist at natur&ëmwelt, has spent decades building Luxembourg’s bird monitoring network. With over 120 volunteers, he has standardised the national tracking of bird populations and authored Vögel Luxemburgs. Patric has personally observed 283 of the 336 bird species in Luxembourg, contributing vital knowledge to EU conservation frameworks like Natura 2000.

Digitally documenting this natural world is Paul Braun, Digital Curator at the National Museum of Natural History Luxembourg (MNHNL). As the Luxembourg node manager for GBIF and site manager of iNaturalist.lu, Paul promotes citizen science through technology. The iNaturalist app, he explains, allows users to photograph and identify wild species globally. "The data doesn't just sit there—it feeds into research, policy, and international conservation."

The show also highlighted the upcoming City Nature Challenge, a global bioblitz encouraging everyone to document as many species as possible in their city using iNaturalist. Last year Luxembourg contributed over 9,000 observations. “This is where science becomes personal and powerful,” says Paul.

So, whether you’re walking transects, installing pan traps, identifying birds or just using an app in your garden, you are a vital part of Luxembourg’s biodiversity mission. The data you collect today could shape conservation policy tomorrow. As Youri said, “We can’t protect what we don’t understand. And we can’t understand what we don’t observe.”

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