Wijnja's blog

The Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) will organize the first 'Systems ecological perspectives to sustainability' conference 24-30 September 2014 in Helsinki, Finland. The three-day conference will be followed by intensive course 'Introduction to systems ecology' by Sven Erik Jørgensen. Registration is now open! Read more »

Photo: Bloom-filled Baltic Sea © ËSA

In the last issue of Ecological Indicators (Volume 38, March 2014) the OpenNESS paper 'Cross-scale analysis of ecosystem services identified and assessed at local and European level' was published. Two methods for assessing the ecosystem services delivered at the scale of a land management unit in the UK are being compared, using 73 local scale indicators and 16 indicators obtained from European scale data. Read more »

Figure: Total Ecosystem Service Index (TESI) for the provisioning, regulating and cultural services at 11 sites in mainland UK.

IRSTEA (the National Research Institute of Science and Technology for Environment and Agriculture) in Grenoble, France, is offering a paid post-doctoral position on operational methods on ecosystem services with a focus on social-ecological integration research. The position will support IRSTEA's work within the framework of Openness. The contract would ideally start 01 May 2014 and will initially be restricted to 18 months. The position is open until filled. Read more »

The OpenNESS 1st Annual Meeting (AM) will take place in Budapest on 24-28 March 2014 hosted by ESSRG and MTA-ÖK. The aim of the AM is to provide OpenNESS partners with further guidance and training in the use of WP1-4 tools, methods and conceptual frameworks so that they can be applied and tested in the place-based case studies. Therefore, the focus of the AM is on methods training sessions as well as methodological ‘clinics’ or ‘office hours’ in which case study partners can sign up for 15 to 30 minutes consultations with experts. Read more »

Photo: Open sandy grassland with Juniper and Poplar trees in Kiskunság National Park.

On 29 and 30 January, the EU FP7 projects BioFresh and REFRESH organized the science policy symposium for freshwater life "Water Lives: scientific horizons for biodiversity and water policy". The aim was to bring together policymakers and stakeholders from the water, energy and conservation sectors, NGOs, the scientific community and selected experts, to discuss challenges in implementation of the EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy and the EU Water Framework Directive and to agree on recommendations for policymaking and future research. Read more »

Photo: © Ogarit Uhlmann

The OpenNESS reference book is added to the new library section on the OpenNESS website. This reference book will be made up of several individual Synthesis Papers generated by OpenNESS members, of which the first one has now been published. Read more »

OpenNESS as well as our sister project OPERAs are actively involved in the establish-ment of ESCom Scotland, which is currently taking shape. This new initiative aims to support better management of Scotland’s natural resources. ESCom hopes to help establish a community of practice between individuals and groups involved in the science, policy and practice behind sustainable ecosystem management. Read more »

Image: The ESCom logo

OpenNESS member Fabio Masi (IRIDRA, Italy), presented the Italian case study ‘Multipurpose wetland construction and landscape restoration in a peri-urban area’ during the Natural Water Retention Measures (NWRM) Mediterranean Regional Workshop in Spain 28‐29 January 2014.

Within the context of the EU Green Infrastructure Policy, an increasing policy interest has emerged for the NWRM. These have been brought to the water policy arena because of their potential contribution for water management, among other important contributions to attain environmental policy objectives. The present workshop was the first to be held in the context of the Mediterranean Regional Network. Read more »

On 22 January 2014, the OpenNESS work package ‘Regulatory frameworks and drivers of change’ organized a one-day stakeholder workshop entitled 'Mainstreaming ecosystem services into EU regulatory frameworks’ in Brussels (Belgium). With this workshop a dialogue was started to identify and discuss crucial dimensions for effectively integrating the concepts of ecosystem services and natural capital into practical policy making. Read more »

Photo: Introductory session in the afternoon, © Jörg Priess

The OpenNESS flyer has been designed and printed! It includes a brief overview of what OpenNESS is, does and will achieve. Next to that the work packages diagram has been redesigned and there’s a clear and good looking map showing our case studies. All partners receive a box with 75 flyers for dissemination purposes. To order (more) copies of the flyer, please send your request to the new OpenNESS e-mail addres info@openness-project.eu.

Image: The OpenNESS case study map