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With the support of:
The duration of the project:
2023-2025
Partners:
Natuurpunt Beheer (Netherlands)
STICHTING WAGENINGEN RESEARCH (Netherlands)
EUROSITE (Netherlands)
Stichting IVN (Netherlands)
Vereniging Natuurmonumenten ((Netherlands)
Geonatura d.o.o. za strucne poslove zastite prirode (Croatia)
Stichting voor Duurzame ontwikkeling (Netherlands)
DOGA KORUMA MERKEZI VAKFI (Turkey)
Natuurpunt CVN (Belgium)
Background:
In scientific research and policy development, the idea of multiple benefits of nature for people (e.g. ecosystem services) has firmly taken ground. Natural areas are essential not just to conserve (protect) biodiversity but also to provide a range of benefits, such as drinking water, flood protection, climate regulation, recreation, and wood and food production, which is widely accepted. The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 underlines the immense value of nature benefits and the urgent need to maintain and restore these for the benefit of both nature and society. Several scientific methods have been developed for assessing, calculating and valorising services in EU (research) projects such as MAES, OPENNESS, OPERA and the more policy-oriented project ESMERALDA.
However, the majority of staff working in the management of natural areas at governmental or NGOs or regional or local administrations have a sectoral background in nature conservation, which did not include specific knowledge on the assessment of a wide range of benefits and how to include these benefits in the management planning, communicate them to a wide range of stakeholders or use them to secure funding for the site management and ecosystem restoration. As a result, certain nature benefits are often neglected or remain a source of conflict between site practitioners (site managers) and various stakeholders. Moreover, the opportunity to attract alternative funding for site management is often lost.
Short-term goal of the project:
Development of a course for nature users on the assessment of ecosystem services (the course will be developed in five languages)
Long-term goal:
Improving the management of natural areas, thus restoring degraded and protecting healthy and/or endangered ecosystems, while providing a wide range of benefits for society by improving the competence of managers of natural areas (site managers) and local and regional authorities.
Project website:
https://www.natuurpunt.be
