Summary

Oceanic island native forests have become highly fragmented and yet host a disproportionate share of endemic arthropod diversity. Long-term monitoring and conservation planning are often limited by the scarcity of standardised, plot-based datasets for key indicator taxonomic groups, such as the megadiverse beetles (Coleoptera). Under the scope of the projects EU-NETBIOME grant 0003/2011, FCT MACDIV – FCT-PTDC/BIABIC/0054/2014 and BIODIVERSA+ funded BioMonI, we compile and mobilise a baseline dataset of forest beetles from the Azores using a network of 16 permanent 50 m × 50 m native-forest plots (Pico: 6 plots; Terceira: 10 plots). Beetles were sampled with an optimised COBRA (Conservation Oriented Biodiversity Rapid Assessment) protocol complemented by beetle-targeted sampling techiques (under-bark/epiphyte and coarse woody debris/ground refugia searches), enabling repeatable and comparable monitoring across islands and through time.