ARCADE

ARCADE targets a key component for the development of pollinator’s taxonomy – reference collections – through indexing, revision and improvement of reference collections from Portugal, a biodiversity hotspot in the Mediterranean basin, including the Macaronesia. This will create a solid foundation to implement upcoming initiatives on taxonomy, conservation and monitoring of pollinators in Portugal. To achieve this, three main goals are set: 1) create an accessible and updated database from, at least, seven existing (sub)collections of the main pollinator groups in Portugal and identify existing limitations; 2) revise and improve three Portuguese reference collections, specifically on taxonomic accuracy, spatiotemporal coverage and species representativeness; and 3) develop a workflow and best-practices protocol to safeguard the systematisation of current and future Portuguese pollinator collections. This will significantly improve our knowledge of pollinator’s taxonomy and distribution at the national level, providing access to standardised good-quality reference collections across the country.