After signing the Convention on Biodiversity in 1992, Switzerland recognised the need to develop a set of indicators for monitoring biodiversity. The Biodiversity Monitoring Switzerland initiative started in 1995 with pilot study conducted by a specialist working group.

Other key developments in the history of the initiative include:

1996. Development of concept (requirement of future recipients, discussion with experts)
1997-1998: Development of methods, comprehensive tests
2000: Training season for  field work
2001: Start of data collection on biodiversity state
2006: Start on data collection on biodiversity change
 

The BDM programme is a project of the Federal office for the Environment (FOEN). An external coordination office is responsible for the project.

The BDM is organized as follows:

• A small external coordination office is responsible for the overall project and organizes the annual gathering of data. It is responsible for data management, evaluation, reporting and quality assurance.

• The field surveys for the main indicators of widespread species – Z7 and Z9 – have been put out for bid, and contracts have been awarded to the most qualified applicants for a survey period covering several years. The coordination office performs its own surveys at particularly complex sites.

• Data collection for rare species relies on institutions that already deal routinely with the respective species groups. The institutions in this category are primarily the Swiss Centre for Fauna Cartography (CSCF), the Swiss Flora Network Centre (CRSF), the Swiss Ornithological Station, the Swiss Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Programme (KARCH) and the Swiss Society for Wildlife Biology (SGW). The BDM also relies on data from numerous other institutions and organizations.

Selection criteria for taxonomic groups:
Costs
Human resources
Charisma
Number of species
Sensitivity
Ecological value

Pressure Indicators
• Size of valuable habitats
• Size of areas of defined use
• Size of wilderness areas
• Length of linear landscape features
• Diversity of land use and land cover
• Nutrient supply in the soil
• Intensity of agricultural land use
• Forest area dominated by non-indigenous trees
• Area of artificially regenerated young woodland
• Deadwood
• Volumes of water withdrawn from watercourses
• Proportion of adversely affected watercourses
• Water quality of watercourses and captive water
• Proportion of polluted waterways
• Landscape fragmentation

State Indicators
• Number of livestock breeds and plant varieties
• Proportion of livestock breeds and plant varieties
• Species diversity at national and regional level
• Number of species in Switzerland facing global extinction
• Change in the endangerment status of species
• Population size of endangered species
• Species diversity in landscapes
• Population size of common species
• Species diversity in habitats
• Size of valuable habitats
• Quality of valuable habitats
• Diversity of Species Communities

Response Indicators
• Size of protected areas
• Size of "secure" protected areas
• Endangered species living in protected areas
• Ecological Compensation Areas
• Areas farmed organically
• Implementation of environmental regulations
• Financial resources for nature and landscape conservation

A variety of both indicator products are available to view via the BDM website. The website also contains multimedia resources and press releases. The indicators are also presented to both a scientific and non-scientific audience with the use of posters and presentations.

The financial resources are currently in place to ensure that BDM monitoring will continue until 2014.

A variety of products are available to download from the ‘Document’ section of the BDM website.