As part of Group 2 of the national project “Development of Monitoring Systems for Species and Habitat Types”, SCIOM d.o.o. was engaged by Oikon Ltd. to provide expert consulting and data analysis services. The project was commissioned by the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development within the OPCC framework and focused on developing a long-term monitoring program for terrestrial flora and habitat types in Croatia.

SCIOM contributed to the design and statistical evaluation of the monitoring program for 33 terrestrial flora species and 67 habitat types of EU interest. Our work involved consulting on spatial and analytical data processing, harmonization procedures, and the application of advanced statistical methods to support program development and stakeholder capacity building.

The finalized monitoring program provides standardized protocols for data collection, reporting, and evaluation of conservation status in accordance with EU Habitats Directive requirements. It serves as a cornerstone for future assessments and reporting activities under Article 17, contributing to improved nature protection planning and biodiversity management in Croatia.

SCIOM developed the flora-sampler web application to support the planning of field sampling for terrestrial flora and habitat monitoring. The tool enables users to explore habitat distribution across 1 km² grid cells by biogeographical region and to select both random and targeted samples for monitoring based on habitat sensitivity (Vfrag index).

Key features include:

• Interactive selection of habitat types and regions of interest
• Visualisation of habitat occurrence and sampling candidates on a map
• Biased or random sample selection with export to CSV
• Support for estimating habitat change probabilities, trends, and structural condition assessments

The application is compatible with all modern web browsers and is designed to assist field teams and stakeholders in implementing national monitoring protocols efficiently and transparently.