MonitAnt
Developing a European-level Monitoring strategy for mound-building Formica ants and symbiont communities residing in nest mounds
BiodivMon Call 2022-2023
About MonitAnt
Wood ants (Formica spp.) are mound-building insects found in temperate and boreal forests. As keystone species, they play a vital role in ecosystem balance by controlling insect populations, dispersing seeds, and improving soil health.
Current status
Mound-building Formica (MBF) ants face increasing declines and local extinctions due to habitat fragmentation, climate change, shifting management practices, and the conversion of natural grasslands into intensive agricultural land. However, a comprehensive assessment of their population trends and threat status across Europe is still missing.
Our Mission
Our mission is to establish an international, coordinated framework for a cost-effective and efficient monitoring strategy of MBFs and their associated invertebrate and vertebrate communities. This will enable the comparison of population trends across Europe, supporting conservation and research efforts.
An international team of scientists from 7 countries is part of the project. Here you can see in more detail who is involved in the project.
Attention Nature Explorers!
Do you often get outdoors, whether it be with your dog, jogging, walking or perhaps working?
Then grab your smartphone and become a citizen scientist by helping with a Europe-wide survey of wood ants.
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