Projects

Key projects of the team Crossing Borders
 
      

ECONET: by investing in their own business, farmers also invest in the landscape
Information: Theo van der Sluis

The Ukraine has large tracts of derelict land and very low biodiversity. Yet at one time, the country had vast expanses of natural grasslands, the ‘steppes’. Today these steppes have almost entirely disappeared in the wake of agriculture, and illegal mining too has caused major losses of biodiversity.
Steppes are grassland landscapes commonly found in regions with little rainfall. Soils in steppe landscapes have a thick layer of humus-rich matter, which makes them very productive for farming. Over the years, much of the Ukraine’s steppe was ploughed for agriculture. As a result, few of these landscapes remain intact today.
Effective collaboration between farmers and conservationists could succeed in restoring these lands to their former glory. Development of the ECONET ecological network is one such collaborative effort to bring the biodiversity of these landscapes back to its previous level. In effect, ECONET is a land-use plan that integrates a succession of nature areas where flora and wildlife have a good chance of survival alongside more intensively used agricultural areas. 

 
       Dealing with conflicts in the Natura 2000 network
Information: Irene Bouwma

The project ‘Dealing with conflicts in the implementation and management of the Natura 2000 network- best practices at the local / site level ’ was commissioned by DG Environment in January 2009. The aim of the project was to promote best practices for achieving a good balance between potentially conflicting interests related to the use and management of Natura 2000 sites, ensuring the engagement of different groups of stakeholders (including the public) into the protection and proper management of the sites and their ecological values.
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BioBio- Indicators for Biodiversity in Organic and Low-input farming 
Information: Bob Bunce or Marion Bogers

BIOBIO is a European Project which aims the conceptualization of criteria for a scientifically based selection of biodiversity indicators for organic and low-input farming systems. In addition, the assessment and validation of a set of candidate biodiversity indicators in representative case studies across Europe and in ICPC countries (Uganda, Ukraine and Tunisia). The output will be the preparation of guidelines for the implementation of biodiversity indicators for organic and low-input farming systems for Europe and beyond.
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EBONE European Biodiversity Observation Network: a project to design and test a biodiversity observing system, integrated in time and space
Information: Bob Bunce or Marion Bogers

EBONE is an EU FP7 project. The key challenge of the EBONE project is the development of a cost effective system of biodiversity data collection at regional, national and European levels. The system will be fully integrated, based on key biodiversity indicators and implementation within an institutional framework operating at the European level.
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SENSOR Sustainability Impact Assessment: Tools for Environmental, Social and Economic Effects of Multifunctional Land Use in European Regions
Information: Dirk Wascher


SENSOR is an Integrated Project within the 6th Framework Research Programme of the European Commission with 33 research partners from 15 European countries. SENSOR will develop science based forecasting instruments to support decision making on policies related to land use in European regions. SENSOR responds to the European objectives of sustainable development and better regulation.
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Ukraine – Steppe Conservation
More information: Theo van der Sluis

ALTERRA was involved in two projects for steppe restoration, the Eurasian Steppe Project and an Embassy initiated multidisciplinary study on farming opportunities. Our aim was also to improve rural livelihoods and develop new opportunities for regional development.
more information
 

Yellow River Delta
Information: Bas Pedroli

 

The Yellow River Delta Environmental Flow Study (YRD-EFS) is an important step towards  defining the required amount of water needed for sustainable development of the Yellow River Delta (YRD), focusing in first instance on the nature reserves in the area. The study has an international exposure because the YRD is an acknowledged wetland area offering breeding, wintering and stop-over places for many migratory birds on the east-Asian migration routes, among which very rare species like the red-hooded crane and the Saunder's gull. Low flow in the Yellow River is a major threat of the wetlands, among others causing salinisation of valuable freshwater habitats. more information
 

URBAL
Information: Rob Schröder

 

URBAL as name means URBan + rurAL. The motto of URBAL Development is “let’s bring urban and rural together”. So the goal of the project is to build bridges between urban and rural interests.

URBAL is an INTERREG IIIB project, which entails that its main goal is European regional cooperation. Several regions work together on projects of common interests and learn from each other about practical experiences and about strategies of territorial policy.

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BRANCH: Biodiversity requires Adaptations in Northwest Europe under a Changing Climate 
Information: Marion Bogers

BRANCH is an INTERREG IIIB funded spatial planning project bringing together spatial planners, policy makers and scientists across North West Europe to:

  • Model how wildlife of land and coast will respond to climate change.
  • Demonstrate good adaptation practice in spatial planning and protected area management.
  • Use case studies in Hampshire, Dorset, Isle of Wight, Kent, Limburg and Normandy to develop planning options and tools to help wildlife adapt to climate change along the coast and inland.
  • Engage stakeholders, so that adaptation to climate change is integrated at all planning levels. more information
 

ATLAS: Action for training on Land use And Sustainability 
Information: Bas Pedroli

 

ATLAS is a project funded by European Commission FP6 , which unites higher research, education and training institutions across Europe. At the moment the fragmented nature of the provision of education and training in sustainability impact assessment for land use planning is a major barrier to the management of rapid land use change in Europe.

more information
 

Landscape Europe: an interdisciplinary network of national research institutes in support of sustainable landscapes.
Informatie: Bas Pedroli 

Landscape Europe is based on the strong partnership of about 20 of the leading Europeaninstitutes and expert groups involved in landscape research and management in more than 15 countries.
The network accepts the challenge to demonstrate the synergy of these joint research institutes and to carry out scientific activities and education to support the quality and functions of landscapes balancing spatial cohesion, cultural values, aesthetics, biodiversity and sustainable use.
 This initiative has the ambition to be the principal advances and publications as well as by taking in account worldwide driving forces regarding their actual and potential impacts on European landscapes.

More information: www.landscape-europe.net

   Hydropolitan : an interactive tool to gain insight in the possible consequences of climate change in a Metropolitan delta
Informatie: Janneke Roos-KleinLankhorst

 

Introduction
A common issue of metropolitan deltas is the location in an estuary. Such a location has advantages: the soil is fertile, there is an abundance of fresh water, and it is near the sea, offering a good trading location, reasons why densely populated metropolitan deltas exist all over the world. A delta is a wet area, and in natural circumstances, the sea and rivers tend to flood regularly.

 

If urban areas are developed in an estuary, hydrological problems are bound to occur that must be solved, otherwise people get wet feet and wet houses. The problems will increase in the next centuries due the expected warming of the earth, causing a rise in the sea level. Therefore it is very important that physical planners involved in the development of delta regions understand the hydrological situation with its natural limitations. ........ more information

links to projects:

Project Information Website
Planning for nature

www.planningfornature.wur.nl

  
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