On 23 June 2023, SHOWCASE member Mylene Martinez from the Estonian University of Life Sciences presented her project results at a combined scientific conference: 18th Symposium of Polish Carabidologists and 9th Symposium of Baltic Coleopterologists. She presented preliminary results about ground beetles from SHOWCASE’s Estonian EBA, located along the western coastline of the country’s mainland and encompassing two local landscape regions: the West Estonian lowland and the Gulf of Livonia coastal lowland. 

Mylene presented the new northernmost record of Diachromus germanus (Linnaeus, 1758) in Europe which may indicate global changes. She highlighted the important role played by the abovementioned landscape regions, different environmental conditions, and continual intervention (grazing) when assembling ground beetles in the suprasaline zone of the Baltic Sea coastal areas. The results showed that – although open coastal grasslands hosted significantly higher ground beetle abundance, species richness and diversity – wooded habitats associated with high N, P and moisture, as well as lesser light also contribute significantly to the ground beetle assemblages. This finding underscores the importance of habitat diversification on a smaller scale. 

Mylene also emphasised the significance of continual management and landscape features, as well as the importance of the NATURA 2000 network for ground beetles in coastal habitats with traditional agricultural landscape. Focusing on sustainable management of coastal habitats in the Baltic Sea region is crucial in boosting biodiversity and its benefits to local farmers and society.

Photo: Mylene presenting her SHOWCASE research at the University of Warmia and Mazury.