ECNC

21 December - The Saxifraga database with free nature images on the ECNC website has been expanded and thousands of high-quality pictures of landscapes and animals have been added. This means that over 50,000 pictures of European biological and landscape diversity are now available here: http://www.ecnc.org/publications/freenatureimages

Animals and plants are ordered according to the class or order to which they belong. There are special groups of pictures for landscapes. They can be searched on a geographical and a geomorphological approach; furthermore, human activities, biotopes and landscape features are also categories to be searched for.

The low-resolution pictures of European animals, plants and landscapes are available for PowerPoint presentations and websites. Visitors can download these pictures free of charge. If you find a picture for which you need a high-resolution version for publications on nature conservation, contact Saxifraga at saxifraga@planet.nl. Pictures are provided immediately upon request. High resolution pictures are not free of charge. However, prices are always moderate.

 

17 December - The latest issue of the ECNC Update newsletter has been published on the ECNC website. Contents include:

• Time’s up for biodiversity!
• Western Balkan municipalities prepared for local biodiversity action plans
• Second steering group meeting of European Learning Network on Functional AgroBiodiversity

and more.

You can find it at: www.ecnc.org/publications/update

 

6 November - Some 80 representatives of 6 municipalities in the Western Balkans have been trained in skills to develop Local Biodiversity Action Plans (LBAPs). This was achieved during two regional training workshops of the ECNC-led project ‘Biodiversity and ecosystem services for local sustainable development in the Western Balkans’ (SEE-BAP) held in Kolašin, Montenegro, on 26 and 27 October 2009 and in Struga, FYR Macedonia, on 29 and 30 October 2009.

Following the visits to the partner municipalities in September 2009, the process of developing LBAPs has been initiated. The specific aim of the training workshops was to increase local knowledge about sustainable economic development opportunities through the benefits of biodiversity and ecosystem services and to increase interest, awareness and capacity regarding biodiversity and sustainable development. Therefore, these workshops were designed to provide: 1) an introduction to the project and its overarching goals; 2) background knowledge and experiences on the benefits of biodiversity and ecosystem services, and the contribution of the LBAPs to local economy; 3) presentation of a draft handbook for developing and implementing LBAPs for the municipalities; and 4) basic skills in communication and facilitation.

The participants of the first workshop came from the municipalities of Goražde & Srebrenica (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Pljevlja & Žabljak (Montenegro) and Čajetina & Bajina Bašta (Serbia). The second workshop involved the municipalities of Peshkopia (Albania), Dragash (Kosovo under UNSCR 1244) and Rostuša & Mavrovo (FYR Macedonia).

The discussions revealed that the process of developing the LBAPs for local communities is well understood and accepted by the core team of the municipalities. The LBAPs will also serve as an important asset for future planning and sustainable use of the resources in the region. A workshop report will be made available to all interested parties soon on this website.

The project is funded by the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For more information, please contact the Project Coordinator, Ms Aysegul Cil.

Photos: Participants of both workshops, in Montenegro and FYR Macedonia. © ECNC

 

4 November - A broad coalition of local and regional authorities, charities and businesses, presided over by Regional Minister for Ecology Mr Onno Hoes (Province of Noord-Brabant, the Netherlands), took up the challenge to communicate about biodiversity to a wide range of audiences during the International Year of Biodiversity 2010. This so-called National Biodiversity 2010 Coalition was launched in Amersfoort, the Netherlands, on 4 November.

ECNC organized the National Biodiversity Meeting 'Time's up for biodiversity' as a final output of the project 'Biodiversiteit werkt in de regio' (Biodiversity works in the region). ECNC carried out this project, aimed at identifying inspiring and innovative practical biodiversity projects, for the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment. The conference brought together almost 150 participants and discussed practical ways to sustainably use and protect biodiversity and find new ways to communicate effectively about the results.

The Coalition's 'Amersfoort Declaration' was signed by twenty representatives of local and regional authorities, charities and businesses. Many other organizations within the Netherlands announced their willingness to sign in the near future as well.

The meeting had been called for and was financed by the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. During the conference, the final report 'Biodiversiteit werkt in de regio' (Dutch) of the project was presented.

For more information, please contact Hanneke Wijnja (wijnja@ecnc.org). For the Dutch press release of the conference, please click here.

Photo: Mr Hoes (left), Alderman van 't Erve (Municipality of Amersfoort, middle) and Director-General of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, Mrs Wouters (right) sow the seeds for the International Year of Biodiversity. © Frits Falkenhagen 

 

29 October - The latest issue of the ECNC Update newsletter has been published on the ECNC website.

Contents include:

• European leaders state that ‘Europe’s biodiversity is a lifeline for economy’
• New ECNC project: ‘Vitamin G’
• Biodiversity in the recreational sector in Brabant

and more...

You can find it at: www.ecnc.org/publications/update

 

9 October - The second SEE BAP (Biodiversity and ecosystem services for local sustainable development in Western Balkans) project team meeting was held at ECNC’s headquarters on 8 October 2009. Through this project ECNC and REC-Regional Environmental Center aim to support local sustainable development and poverty alleviation in Southeastern Europe by harnessing the benefits of biodiversity and ecosystem services at local level. This will be achieved by developing and implementing Local Biodiversity Action Plans (LBAPs) in the 10 target municipalities and their local communities.

The project team mainly discussed the planning for upcoming regional workshops for the target municipalities (in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, FYR Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo/a UNSCR 1244). Two regional training workshops will be held (one in Montenegro and one in Macedonia) in the second half of October with the participants from the target municipalities. Partner municipality representatives will receive extensive training to increase their basic knowledge of sustainable local economic development opportunities through the benefits of biodiversity and ecosystem services, and to increase interest, awareness and capacity regarding biodiversity and sustainable development. During the training workshops, there will be presentations and interactive discussion sessions in order to receive maximum input for the ‘Handbook for LBAPs’, which is now being drafted. It is expected that this handbook will assist the municipalities to develop and implement their local biodiversity action plans (LBAP).

This project is funded by the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For additional information, contact Aysegül Çil.

Photo: SEE BAP project team meeting. © ECNC

 

8 October - From 5 to 7 October the Macedonian National Ecological Network (MAC-NEN) project team met for the third time, this time at Lake Ohrid in Macedonia. A review of the up to date project activities was made, including a detailed look at the planning of the activities to follow. The project is making an excellent progress so far.

Preparation of the first draft map of the national ecological network of Macedonia is well underway; as a part of the ongoing public awareness campaign, an outline for several publications was agreed during the meeting (including a general leaflet on ecological network, sectoral leaflets and the MAC-NEN calendar).

Upon the completion of the meeting, the project team made a tour of key elements of the Macedonian ecological network, including a drive along and across the mountains which are already particularly important as bear corridors. In addition areas of particular concern that are fragmented by transport infrastructure were visited. Designating these mountains as bear corridor areas and maintaining them or improving their current status will require a carefully elaborated management plan and close collaboration of all of the stakeholders involved.

An opportunity was taken to visit the Netherlands Embassy in the capital of Macedonia, Skopje, where the project and its activities were presented. The embassy representative expressed support for the project and an interest in being involved in future workshops and events.

Photo: Lake Ohrid and surroundings, Macedonia, part of the Macedonian ecological network. © ECNC

 

2 October - A report with guidelines for involving stakeholders in the implementation of ecological networks has been published. The report is the final output of ECNC’s recently completed project "Knowledge for Ecological Networks (KEN)". It provides advice and recommendations on the practical implementation of ecological networks in real situations: including how to stimulate knowledge transfer, practical partnerships and consensus-building within and between the stakeholders involved.

You can download the report here.

 

30 September - On 24 and 25 September 2009 the 2nd European Seminar on the European Learning Network on Functional AgroBiodiversity (ELN-FAB) was held in Frick, Switzerland. The seminar was co-organized by ECNC, and hosted by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL).

Over the last decade, knowledge on how to preserve and use ecosystem services in agricultural practices has increased. Pilot projects have yielded their first results. But is this information available to the right people and stakeholder groups, also to enable multiplication of good examples? Are farmers aware of the most relevant policies, the outcomes of case studies, and the latest expertise and experiences, do policymakers know enough about the farmers’ world, how to reach them, and which priorities to set and best practices to support politically and/or financially? The aim of the second European Learning Network seminar was to address these questions and to learn from each other.

The 44 participants, from 14 European countries, represented the three main stakeholder groups of the Network: farmers, policymakers and scientists. The facilitated workshop focused on the theme ‘How can ELN-FAB contribute to increased attention to agrobiodiversity in the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy and other relevant European policies?’. The outcome of the productive workshop will provide input into a paper on policy connection of functional agrobiodiversity and will also provide guidance for concrete steps within ELN-FAB with regard to interaction with policy.

In addition, the project reached a new milestone during the seminar. The ELN-FAB website (www.eln-fab.eu) was launched, providing the main communication platform to the Network and also containing a European project database covering the subject of functional agrobiodiversity. The website is available in four languages (English, German, French and Spanish) and focuses on the stakeholder groups of the Network through targeted messages.

The project is funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM) and will run until the end of 2009. The further support of funders is being sought in order to expand the Network in the long term.

Photo: Homepage website ELN-FAB

 

25 September - From 22 to 24 September the 5th Intergovernmental Conference “Biodiversity in Europe” took place at Liege University, Belgium. Over 120 government and business representatives and environmentalists met to discuss the state of Europe’s biodiversity and post-2010 biodiversity targets for the pan-European region.

The participants decided to step up efforts to conserve biodiversity and enhance the services provided by ecosystems; this also reflects governmental efforts to green Europe’s economy. Ecosystems support human well-being and health, and provide other direct benefits, such as flood control, water purification and regulation, carbon capture, food production, raw materials, and emotional, recreational and spiritual values.

Mr Pavan Sukhdev, leader of The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) initiative, emphasized that current generations are consuming the ecosystem services of future generations at a rapid rate. “The measurable cost of the loss of biodiversity is somewhere between 1.5 and 3 trillion euros per year. In comparison: the total sum of all the financial packages approved by governments worldwide to mitigate the worst financial crisis of the last century was 3 trillion per year.” These figures illustrate the economic value of the sound management of our natural capital.

You can find more information here.

Photo: Opening ceremony, with the Deputy director general of the Norwegian Ministry of Environment and host of the conference, Mrs Birthe Ivars, as a speaker. © ECNC  

 

12 August - The latest issue of the ECNC Update newsletter has been published on the ECNC website.
Contents include:

• ECNC part of coalition leading the Dutch campaign for the International Year of Biodiversity
• Complex conflicts in Natura 2000 network call for simple solutions
• Scenar 2020-II study drawing to a close

and more...

You can find it at: www.ecnc.org/publications/update

 

27 July - ECNC’s Annual report 2008 has been published. The report covers ECNC’s 15th anniversary year, and illustrates the further increase of ECNC’s work in challenging areas such as climate change, biofuels, business and biodiversity, and working with local authorities and stakeholders.

Click here to go to the Annual report, together with extra online information.

 

1 July - The latest issue of the ECNC Update newsletter has been published on the ECNC website.

Contents include:

• Europe’s remaining wilderness requires rapid and effective support
• ECNC’s cooperation with the Province of Noord-Brabant continues
• First Steering Committee meeting ‘Biodiversity and ecosystem services for local sustainable development in the Western Balkans’

and more...

You can find it at: http://www.ecnc.org/publications/update.

 

24 June - On 18 June 2009, ECNC organized a one-day workshop at Mundo-B, the newly opened Brussels House for Sustainability. This was the first workshop in a series of four to be held as part of the project ‘Conflict Management in the Natura 2000 Network’, an EU-funded project which ECNC manages in partnership with Alterra and Eurosite. The aim of the workshop was to collect information, experience and insights from EU-level organizations representing a wide range of Natura 2000 stakeholders. The workshop, chaired by Dr Leon Braat (Alterra), was attended by over 30 stakeholders representing European-level interest groups from various sectors: forestry, agriculture, nature conservation, hunting, etc.

During the morning session contextual information was provided through a series of presentations, which approached the subject from scientific, policy and practical points of view. Two invited speakers, Mark Thomasin-Foster (President of the European Landowners Organization) and Bernie Fleming (a Senior Specialist with Natural England) highlighted the perspectives of the resource owners and the conservationists respectively.

Although in the context of this project the search for solutions to conflicts in the Natura 2000 network focuses on the current development of management plans, most parties acknowledged that the designation phase of Natura 2000 had been an important factor in creating an atmosphere of fear, misunderstanding and opposition among the parties concerned – which cascaded into the management planning phase. Better communication, clear and transparent decision-making processes, early involvement of key stakeholders, recognition of other users’ needs and engagement of local people and communities in the development of the site management plans, in order to create a sense of ownership and pride, were cited among essential ingredients for avoiding conflicts. Success stories and practical examples of how to achieve these were given and shall be integrated in the reporting.

The results from the workshop shall be integrated with the outcomes of a desk study carried out by Alterra. This exercise will provide the background for three regional workshops to be organized in the autumn of 2009 in order to deepen the understanding of the emergence of conflicts and their resolution in various parts of Europe.

For more information: Aysegül Çil cil@ecnc.org or Irene Bouwma irene.bouwma@wur.nl

Photo: Stakeholder workshop on conflict management in the Natura 2000 network. © ECNC

 

28 May - The first meeting of the steering committee of the project ‘Biodiversity and ecosystem services for local sustainable development in the Western Balkans’ (SEE-BAP) took place in Belgrade, Serbia, on 18 May 2009, back to back with the 10th meeting of the Dinaric Arc Initiative. 

The SEE BAP steering committee is composed of government representatives of the six participating countries – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, FYR Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo UNSCR 1244 – representatives of the local authorities in the region and Europe, international NGOs, intergovernmental organizations, and the funder (the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs). The steering committee is chaired by ECNC’s Executive Director and REC’s Deputy Director.

The project focuses on ten selected municipalities in six countries in the Western Balkans. Actions include developing local biodiversity action plans with the full participation of relevant stakeholders and with particular emphasis on sustainable development and poverty alleviation (through the creation of job opportunities). Important aspects of the project delivery will be capacity building of local players through targeted training programmes and the funding of some activities to start the implementation of the plans.

During the meeting the project team presented the project goal, the specific objectives and the plan of activities. Much of the discussion focused on the best ways to create synergies with ongoing programmes and activities and avoiding duplication of efforts in a region where many donors fund development and environmental projects. Particular attention was given to the coordination of activities with other relevant projects funded by the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other donors in the Western Balkans. Other points of discussion concerned the monitoring and evaluation of the project and how to ensure that the processes that it will engender will continue also after the ending of the project.

The presence of the government representatives - including Mr Radislav Momirov, Assistant Minister for Environment and Spatial Planning (Serbia) and Mr Sinisa Stankovic, Deputy Minister for Tourism and Environmental Protection (Montenegro) - allowed the project team to ensure that the project activities shall complement and be in line with the priorities of the different National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans, which are in different stages of development in the countries concerned.

For more information, please contact Ms Aysegül Cil, project coordinator, cil@ecnc.org.

Photo: SEE BAP steering committee meeting in Belgrade, Serbia. © ECNC

 

20 May - The latest issue of the ECNC Update newsletter has been published on the ECNC website.

Contents include:

• Biodiversity conference calls for a shake-up in EU biodiversity policy 
• Biodiversity is not only for grown-ups 
• European Learning Network on Functional Agrobiodiversity – Kick-off and first Steering Group meeting

and more...

You can find it at: http://www.ecnc.org/publications/update.

 

27 & 28 April - The EU high-level conference ‘Biodiversity protection beyond 2010: priorities and options for future EU policy’ took place on 27 and 28 April 2009 in Athens, Greece. The conference addressed the EU’s possible future policy priorities and took stock of the results of the EU’s biodiversity policy to date. The European Commission President Mr José Manuel Barroso addressed the conference at the opening session, while highlighting the high importance the Commission attaches to biodiversity conservation in Europe.

A recent review concluded that the EU’s political target to halt biodiversity loss in the EU by 2010 was unlikely to be reached and that substantial additional effort is required. The conference resulted in the 'Message from Athens', which calls for a shake-up in EU biodiversity policies and outlines an eight-point plan of action for biodiversity and nature conservation beyond 2010.

ECNC was actively involved in the conference and part of its preparations, focusing – at the request of the European Commission - on the theme of Business and Biodiversity. ECNC’s Executive Director Rob Wolters chaired the working group which dealt with business and biodiversity, reported the results back to the plenary and participated in the Conference Forum. Rob Wolters stated that a paradigm shift is required for both the business sector and the biodiversity sector: ‘The focus should be on implementing an inspiring new vision for Europe’s biodiversity and ecosystem services, in which hope, confidence and true cooperation and trust between sectors, institutes and organizations is at the centre.’

The conference was attended by leading scientists, politicians, economists and academics from all EU Member States and by representatives from civil society and business. The European Commission-DG Environment organized the conference under the direct auspices of EC Commissioner for Environment Mr Stavros Dimas.

For more information, visit the EC website http://biodiversity-chm.eea.europa.eu/stories/european-message-athens-future-biodiversity, or contact ECNC: Mr Ben Delbaere, Ms Aysegül Çil or Mr Rob Wolters.

 

23 & 24 April - More than 30 key stakeholders and project partners met in April in Dojran, Macedonia for the first national workshop on ecological networks. They came together as part of ECNC’s MAK-NEN project (development of a National Ecological Network (NEN) in Macedonia) which is being managed in cooperation with the national project partner the Macedonian Ecological Society (MES). 
 
Organized by the MES, the workshop allowed the ecological networks concept to be presented for the first time to the representatives of all relevant sectors responsible for its successful future implementation (relevant ministries, spatial planning, forestry, hunting, agriculture, energy, transport, tourism, science, etc.), thereby making a first step towards the sectoral integration that will be necessary for effective delivery.

The workshop was opened by Mr Filip Ivanov, Director of the Administration of Environment, from the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning. He expressed the Ministry's full support for the project and stressed the strategic importance of the development of the NEN.

Themes covered during the workshop were:

• Biodiversity richness and why Macedonia needs an ecological network.
• Ecological networks - policy and practice in Europe and progress made in Macedonia so far.
• MAK-NEN project overview.

The presentations were followed by a very lively discussion by all the participants, showing their high motivation and willingness to participate in the process. During a facilitated working session the participants generated ideas for the successful delivery of the NEN by identifying barriers and solutions for that process.

The workshop provided a defining point for all sectors to come together and start cooperating and working together in the same direction using the NEN as a vehicle. As a clear indicator of witnessing the beginning of a productive phase of cooperation, the workshop was used as an opportunity for signing a memorandum of understanding between the Macedonian Ecological Society and National Hunters Association.

The second day of the workshop was used to consider the delivery of the NEN in practice by visiting some of its future sites: Belasica Mountain area and Monospitovsko Blato swamp. Representatives of the Bosilovo Municipality presented the work done on the Monospitovsko Blato revitalization and local ecotourism development in the framework of the EU funding programme.

Photo 1: A memorandum of understanding between the Macedonian Ecological Society and National Hunters Association was signed. © ECNC

Photo 2: Workshop participants visiting the habitat of the Royal Fern (Osmunda regalis) in the Monospitovsko Blato wetland area. © ECNC

 

22 April - A large and unique collection of high quality nature images is now accessible on the ECNC website. Thousands of pictures of European species and landscapes can be downloaded free of charge to promote our beautiful Europe.

The pictures are from Saxifraga Foundation, an ECNC-linked network of European nature photographers, whose aim is to stimulate and facilitate the conservation of European biodiversity. Nearly one hundred photographers from fifteen European countries contribute to Saxifraga's collection.

High quality nature images are often not available for free usage on the web. This unique database offers visitors a wide range of downloadable pictures, free to use for powerpoint presentations or websites. It will increase the use and distribution of nature images. Rob Wolters, ECNC's Executive Director, says: "The beautiful and impressive images clearly are an asset for our website, they visualize in a very appealing way the importance of nature protection and will be an important asset for awareness raising."

The image gallery is an initiative of the Saxifraga Foundation. ECNC, Dutch Butterfly Conservation (De Vlinderstichting) and Crossbill Guides Foundation provide assistance in its development and maintenance.

You can search for and download pictures over here.

 

16 April - Today the ECNC Scientific Council held its regular meeting at the ECNC Offices in Tilburg. This meeting was special, as it was the first time that this Council met in a new setup. Three new members have joined the Scientific Council recently: Dr Anke Fischer of the Macaulay Institute in Aberdeen, Dr Zamir Dedej from the Institute for Nature Conservation in Albania, and Dr David Green from Aberdeen University. David represents The Coastal and Marine Union (EUCC), which reflects the current process of integration between ECNC and EUCC. As from now on the Scientific Council will serve ECNC and EUCC at the same time.
 
Dr Sjur Baardsen was re-elected Chair for the next 3 years and David Green was elected Vice-Chair. During the lively and constructive meeting the integration process and the role of the Scientific Council therein was discussed at length. Upon reviewing ECNC's current programme of work and some promising themes for future activities the Council provided good advice on issues such as bioenergy, GMOs and biosafety, local biodiversity action plans, green infrastructure, and island biodiversity.

Photo: from left to right, Dr Zamir Dedej, Mr Carlos Sunyer, Dr Eeva Furman, Dr David Green , Dr Anke Fischer and Dr Sjur Baardsen © ECNC

 

27 March - Nine European institutions, under the lead of ECNC, have developed a new tool for assessing biodiversity impacts of changing environmental conditions in Europe. This BioScore tool has now been released on the internet.

Co-funded by the European Commission Research Framework Programme, the BioScore tool brings together data on Europe’s species that help quantify the possible effects that policy measures may have on Europe’s species composition. The user of the tool can simulate combinations of changes in the environment and immediately see what the effects of these changes may be for a given country, region or the whole of Europe.

“Every citizen and decision maker can now download the tool from the web and find out the possible effects of selected decisions on Europe’s rich biological diversity,” said Ben Delbaere, project leader at ECNC. “It allows policymakers to make alternative options that reduce potential negative effects or that may even improve the state of biodiversity.”

The BioScore tool can be downloaded from www.bioscore.eu. Read the press release here.

 

25 March - Predictions are that Southern and South-East Europe may be severely affected by climate change. There is a growing body of scientific evidence showing that the effects of climate change on biodiversity and the ‘goods and services’ that ecosystems provide are steadily increasing. There will be increasing problems for local and regional communities that depend on the services provided by ecosystems to sustain acceptable living conditions and welfare.

As a result of the finalized project 'Impacts of climate change in South-East Europe', three reports have been published. One report contains the proceedings of the conference 'Changing climate, changing biodiversity in South-East Europe', held in Belgrade, 18-19 June 2008. The technical background report contains detailed scientific information about the impacts of climate change on biodiversity and ecosystem services in the SEE region, focusing mainly on five target countries (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey). Also, practical and tailor-made recommendations to mitigate the effects of climate change on biodiversity and to increase the resilience of ecosystems in SEE are provided. The summary report is a summarized version of the background report which is available in six translations.

Read the press release here.

 

19 March - As part of the national celebration of the 53rd Tree Festival in the Netherlands on 18 March, the so-called Kids Countdown 2010 Declaration was developed and signed by 8 schools from the Eindhoven region. By signing this declaration the kids and their teachers promise to undertake action in and around their schools to promote and enhance biodiversity.

This Kids Declaration was signed during the Tree Festival as a pilot for the Eindhoven region. After the festival, all schools in the Province of Noord-Brabant have been invited to follow the example and sign the Declaration as well. In this way, ECNC and the Province want to make children aware of the nature surrounding them and the positive influence they can have on its quality.

The children who signed the declaration during the Tree Festival received a €1,000 grant from the Province to support the implementation of their Biodiversity Action Plan. Special guest during the Tree Festival was HRH Prince Hamzah bin Al Hussein of Jordan.

The newly developed 'biodiversity stand' of both ECNC and the Province, was on view for the first time.

Photo: The Kids Countdown 2010 Declaration © ECNC

 

18 March - The project team of the MAC-NEN project came together for the second time at ECNC’s headquarters in Tilburg, the Netherlands, on 11 March. The Steering Group meeting, chaired by Hans Kampf from the Netherlands Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, was held on the following day.

Both the project team and the Steering Group members agreed that the project is making good overall progress. The first deliverables of the project were presented and reviewed during both meetings, including: the Public Relations and Communication Strategy and the first printed materials foreseen under the project – the project leaflet and the campaign folder.

Another important outcome of the two meetings is a programme for the National Workshop on Ecological Networks, which will be held in Dojran, Macedonia, on 23 and 24 April this year. The aims of the workshop are to: 

• introduce the project to the relevant stakeholders; 
• create ownership for the project and its deliveries; 
• generate ideas for successful delivery (barriers and solutions); 
• make a first step towards the sectoral integration.

The common conclusion of the meetings was that the project is just in time to contribute to the ongoing processes in Macedonia: adoption of the European Union standards, in particular in the field of subsidies in agriculture/agri-environmental schemes; implementation of the Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA); and the reproclamation process of the existing protected areas.

For more information, contact the project manager, Kristijan Čivić.

Photo: The MAK-NEN Steering Group © ECNC

 

27 February - The latest issue of the ECNC Update newsletter has been published on the ECNC website.

Contents include:

• Businesses set good examples for each other
• Stakeholders matter in implementing ecological networks! But how to get them involved?
• Boosting local biodiversity action in Western Balkans
• ECNC welcomes 50th Network partner

and more...

You can find it at: http://www.ecnc.org/publications/update.

 

16 February - How do you convince stakeholders to contribute to the practical implementation of ecological networks? This was the central question of the KEN (Knowledge for Ecological Networks) Workshop, organized by ECNC on 11 and 12 February 2009 in Vught, the Netherlands. An international group of 35 practitioners from the conservation field was invited to discuss the complex issue of ecological networks implementation in Europe. The participants agreed that there is wide consensus at political level that ecological networks are an important feature of contemporary conservation of habitats and species. It was also found that these areas contribute to society in a great many ways by the ecosystem goods and services they provide.

However, in spite of the achievements in planning those networks, their practical implementation often lags behind schedule. Underlying reasons for the slow progress were analysed, and solutions from theory and practice were discussed. It was found that identifying the key stakeholders, those who can influence the process in a positive and decisive way, was an essential first step in each implementation effort. Investing time and effort in building trust with the smallest possible number of the most influential stakeholders was seen as a realistic and efficient way to proceed. Other groups of less influential stakeholders should, however, be kept informed of the process and given the chance to voice their ideas and opinions at key moments in the process through consultation and the provision of public information. Creating alliances with influential and respected organizations could help in creating political support for ecological networks at the local level. Communication and information are crucial to all these approaches, and appropriate techniques should therefore be developed.

The workshop was introduced by a series of short presentations that set the scene for the later discussions, making sure that there was a common understanding among the participants about the basic ecological principles and policy framework regarding ecological networks and their implementation.

The results of the workshop were practised during a field visit to the Green Delta (Groene Delta), an ecological network project involving a wide range of stakeholders in the metropolitan area of Den Bosch. The excursion was followed by a debate with the representatives of five local stakeholder groups: the State Forest Agency (that kindly organized the excursion), the Association for Nature Conservation (Natuurmonumenten), the Water Board of Aa en Maas, the Municipality of Den Bosch, and the Agricultural and Horticultural Association (ZLTO). Among other things, the Dutch ‘polder model’, which is a traditional method for bringing people together to agree actions and responsibilities in relation to water management but which now has wider applications within the country, was seen as a success factor in bringing together the different stakeholders and achieving consensus through discussions and debate.

The KEN project is funded by the Research Programme of the Netherlands Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. For more information please contact Aysegul Cil.

Photo: The KEN workshop participants © ECNC
Photo: The field visit to the Groene Delta © ECNC

 

10 February - From 4 until 6 March, the ALTER-Net final conference ’Interdisciplinary challenges for biodiversity and ecosystem research‘ will take place in Leipzig, Germany. The conference will focus on understanding the challenges facing ecosystem services and biodiversity, changing our thinking and on developing solutions to these challenges.

ALTER-Net is a research partnership developed in the EC’s Sixth Framework Programme. Its mission is to improve the sustainable use, management and conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems through the integration of European interdisciplinary research capacity and knowledge. It will do this by working in partnership with its main European stakeholders in scientific, policy and public sectors.

The provisional programme of the final conference can be downloaded on the ALTER-Net website http://www.alter-net.info/.

 

30 January - The final workshop of the project ‘Supporting public involvement in building capacity for Ukrainian biodiversity monitoring’ was held in Kyiv on 27 January 2009. The workshop brought together project partners, the funder and a range of stakeholders to discuss the project outcomes and future actions for a possible follow-up. 

Monitoring biological diversity establishes the basis for nature conservation policies and assessment of the efficiency of nature conservation measures and for the sustainable use of natural resources. Loss of biodiversity is an urgent issue in Ukraine, one of the main threats being the destruction of natural habitats of plants and animals. Biodiversity monitoring in the country is in its primary stages of development; most of the surveys are of an occasional character and mainly conducted by a limited group of specialized scientists.

During the workshop, the representatives of the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Ukraine underlined that action should be taken soon. Focus should be placed on inventorying current monitoring methodologies and on the implementation of indicators that could be used as a communication tool for policymakers, involving local authorities and the general public in the process. They stressed that further action and cooperation are strongly needed.

The two-year project, funded by the Netherlands Government under its BBI Matra programme, sought to enhance Ukrainian capacity in developing biodiversity monitoring by increasing public involvement. The results of the project will be published in English and Ukrainian and will be available at the ECNC and the project websites (www.biomon.org).

ECNC’s partners are the National Ecological Centre of Ukraine (NECU), the Institute of Zoology and the Institute of Botany of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. The project was implemented in close collaboration with the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Ukraine.

For more information, please contact the project coordinator, Amor Torre-Marin.

Photo: ECNC's Programme Manager Lawrence Jones-Walter congratulates Dr Vasiliy Kostiushyn, NECU's project coordinator, with the valuable project results.

 

26 January - The BioScore project, ending in January 2009, produced a user friendly tool to query a unique database of species sensitivities to policy induced environmental change. Such was the conclusion of the project partners who attended the final project meeting in Tilburg (the Netherlands) on 22 January 2009 to evaluate the work achieved and to discuss the future of the tool and database. 

During the three years of the project, a database of European species and their sensitivities to changes in environmental variables (pressures) was developed by a consortium of nine expert institutions. The result is an exceptional tool linking changes in environmental variables such as water and soil eutrophication, habitat fragmentation and changes in land use, to species sensitivities. The database contains environmental sensitivity scores for a selection of over 1,000 European species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, vascular plants, freshwater fish, benthic macro invertebrates, butterflies and dragonflies.

The tool allows the envisaged users (policy makers) to run simple scenarios and view the results in terms of potential changes in biodiversity. It should raise awareness among policy makers about the impacts of their policies on Europe’s biodiversity and allow them to adapt their policies in such a way as to minimize the negative effects of proposed changes on Europe’s biodiversity.

Also invited to this final meeting were representatives of the Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre and the Swedish Species Information Centre, the latter recently joined the ECNC Network. Their presentations were used as contextual information for a more in depth discussion about the future and follow up of BioScore, to which all project partners were very much committed.

In the next weeks the project report will be finalized and posted on the project website (www.bioscore.eu) together with the final version of the tool, which will be made available for downloading. The final BioScore brochure is already available here. For information related to the project, please contact the project coordinator, Ben Delbaere.

Photo: cover page of the BioScore final brochure.

 

20 January - On 19 and 20 January 2009 ECNC-European Centre for Nature Conservation together with REC-Regional Environmental Center kicked off a large international project for promoting biodiversity and sustainability among rural municipalities and their local communities in the Western Balkans.

The project - which focuses on small municipalities in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, FYR Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo/a (UNSCR 1244) – aims to assist in reducing the downward spiral of poverty, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation through increasing local participation and awareness of local authorities and their citizens.

Countries of South-East Europe (SEE) have seen a decline in biodiversity and development indicators in the last decade. Local action for biodiversity is essential for ensuring better conservation status for biodiversity and maintaining ecosystem services. Local sustainable development initiatives do exist in SEE, but not in great numbers.

Partner municipalities to this project will be offered support in developing and implementing local biodiversity action plans (LBAPs) while involving local stakeholder groups such as farmers, foresters and hunters, providing expertise, organizing targeted trainings, promoting socio-economic benefits of biodiversity for local practical actions.

This three-year project is financially supported by the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, whose development policy prioritizes support to the stability of the Western Balkan region. The project will help to achieve this priority by integrating biodiversity and ecosystem services considerations into local and regional cooperation initiatives.

For more information please contact the leader of the project team, Ms Aysegul Cil, ECNC, tel.: 0031 (0)13 5944 944, cil@ecnc.org, or REC’s project leader, Mr Srdjan Susic, Ssusic@rec.org.

Photo: the project team during kick-off in Budapest © ECNC