CETAF - Consortium of European Taxonomic Facilities

28/05/2026

Katja Kaiser, from Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, explored how museums can engage with colonial objects in natural history collections, offering practical recommendations for research, institutional reflection, and responsible museum practice.

She highlighted the importance of recognising the ongoing impact of colonial histories on collections and the ways these legacies continue to shape research, exhibitions, digitisation, and other museum activities.

🗣️ “The colonial past can be found everywhere. Recognising this is important, as colonial collections continue to form the basis of our research, exhibitions, digitisation, and many other areas of museum practice to this day.”

🔗 For those interested in learning more, the guidelines discussed during the presentation are available here: https://books.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/arthistoricum/catalog/view/1756/3146/134514?utm_source=chatgpt.com

20/05/2026

🎉 Tomorrow, CETAF is kicking off the celebrations for Recognition Day! We have a week packed with activities to honor this essential scientific discipline, leading up to its official day on May 23rd. 🌱

During the 8th Knowledge of Chamber event, we will be at the House of European History in the morning and at the Institut des Sciences naturelles - Instituut voor Natuurwetenschappen in the afternoon. We'll be talking about Taxonomy, about the TETTRIs Project and our campaign—where everyone can join the celebration by sharing a photo of their favorite species along with its scientific name using the hashtag! 📸🌍

19/05/2026

🗣️“The satellite projects showed that best practices can scale — but only when they are tested in real contexts, by real practitioners, facing real constraints.”

In the latest TETTRIs Project article published by the European Dissemination Media Agency, Ana Casino Rubio, Executive Director of CETAF, highlights the importance of building taxonomic capacity through practical collaboration, shared expertise, and real-world implementation across .

From citizen science initiatives to AI-assisted identification and cross-border biodiversity infrastructures, the TETTRIs satellite projects demonstrated how taxonomy can grow stronger through community-driven approaches.

15/05/2026

08/05/2026

🟡 🌿 Wrapping up a busy week at BioMonWeek 2026 in Montpellier

CETAF joined discussions on biodiversity monitoring and taxonomic capacity building, highlighting TETTRIs-linked outcomes supporting biodiversity monitoring in Europe.

We are also excited to see TETTRIs Project featured in the new CORDIS Results Pack on innovative solutions for biodiversity monitoring ✨

🔗 More information on the CETAF website:�https://cetaf.org/cetaf-biomonweek-2026-tettris-biodiversity-monitoring/

🔗 Read the CORDIS feature:�https://cordis.europa.eu/article/id/464158-genomics-and-other-new-approaches-for-cost-effective-biodiversity-monitoring

06/05/2026

🌍 We are pleased to announce the start of GEODERA, a project led by the CETAF Earth Science Group (coordinated by Laura Tilley), in collaboration with TalTech - Tallinn University of Technology (with a team led by Olle Hints ) and Jardin botanique Meise (Patricia Mergen).

This project is among the 23 initiatives selected under the EOSC Gravity program to support the preparatory work for potential future EOSC nodes and expand the services offered through the EOSC Association.

🟡 The Goal
The project will deliver scientific use cases demonstrating how Earth Science collection data can be integrated into the EOSC Federation through the GeoCASe service and the EOSC Data Terra node.

🟡 Bridging the Data Gap
Natural history collections curate extensive geological and paleontological specimens that document:

- Past climates
- Environmental changes
- Natural hazards
- Biodiversity dynamics across deep time

Despite their relevance for contemporary environmental research, these datasets remain underrepresented in EOSC and insufficiently connected to Earth observation infrastructures.

🟡 Impact and Methodology
GEODERA will enhance the accessibility and interoperability of selected GeoCASe datasets by optimizing key metadata fields (such as stratigraphic age, georeferencing, and provenance). This integration will be demonstrated through two cross-domain use cases:

- Paleoclimate reconstruction using fossil pollen archives.
- Geological specimens with stratigraphic constraints relevant to hazard and environmental change research.

By linking deep-time records with present-day environmental observations, we are extending the temporal depth of Earth observation systems to better understand our planet's future.

🔗 More about the project: https://eosc.eu/horizon-europe-projects/geodera

🔗 Official EOSC announcement: https://eosc.eu/news/twenty-three-projects-receive-funding-under-eosc-gravity

01/05/2026

Join us at ! 🌿

CETAF will be taking part in the European Conference for Biodiversity Monitoring in Montpellier from 4–8 May, where we’ll present TETTRIs-linked outcomes supporting capacity building for biodiversity monitoring.

📍 Visit our booth to meet the team and learn more about our work.

🗓 We will also contribute to the session: “CP06 Capacity needs and availability for species identification and naming” on Wednesday, 6 May 2026 | 16:30–17:30

🔗 https://2026.biomonweek.eu

08/04/2026

🎥 Faces of Taxonomy: collaboration in times of crisis

In this new interview, Patrick Michaely, Director of the Musée national d'histoire naturelle Luxembourg - Naturmusée, shares his perspective on the power of collaboration across institutions, the importance of connecting collections and data, and why museums are trusted and stable actors in times of societal and environmental change.

From safeguarding scientific knowledge and digital infrastructures to supporting the people behind research, this conversation highlights both the challenges and the collective strength of the natural history community.

💬 “Working together is essential. If we are connected as institutions, we are not only stronger—we become a real force.”

Watch the full interview and discover more 👇

🔗 https://cetaf.org/faces-of-taxonomy-patrick-michaely/

30/03/2026

30/03/2026

🟡 CETAF was recently represented by its Executive Director, Ana Casino, at the Biodiversa+ Enlarged Stakeholder Board meeting in .

The meeting provided valuable input at a key moment for Biodiversa+, which plays an important role in structuring and supporting biodiversity monitoring at the level, particularly by helping to connect existing efforts and make them more accessible and usable.

Discussions also helped to clarify priorities and identify areas where activities can be further strengthened, while reinforcing the importance of collaboration across .

From 23 to 26 March 2026, members of Biodiversa+’s Enlarged Stakeholder Board (ESB) and Advisory Board (AB) met to discuss the Partnership's activities and its future...