Welcome to the NaturaConnect June 2024 Newsletter. We are pleased to share our recent milestones and outputs, including a spotlight on our work on ecological connectivity.

The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 aims to establish a truly coherent and resilient Trans-European Nature Network (TEN-N). In a well-integrated network, effective protected areas should be considered alongside ecological corridors to prevent genetic isolation, enable species dispersal and migration, and facilitate adaptation to climate change. While enhancing ecological connectivity is key to preserve European nature, planning increased connectivity remains extremely challenging. As the European Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 states, ecological corridors should be proiritized to meet the protected area targets.

There are, however, a series of challenges :

(1) Protected areas and ecological corridors do not necessarily have the same objectives and management approaches. So, should connectivity be promoted through the designation of new protected areas, or should it be a separate planning exercise once the network of protected areas is set?

(2) Connectivity projects might have multiple objectives not clearly associated with protected areas, such as reducing the impacts of human infrastructures on species movements, or delivering multiple ecosystem services; and

(3) How should ecological corridors be created on the ground? Many EU protected areas are a mix of different habitats and associated species assemblages, so giving priority for connectivity for forest species for example, might hinder connectivity for other targets such as grassland or wetland species.

These and other knowledge gaps on ecological connectivity are being considered under the NaturaConnect project. Read on below to learn more about our work in this area, as well as other recent project milestones.

If you wish to follow up on any of our updates, please reach out to us at [email protected].

Thank you for reading and best wishes from the project for the start of the summer season!

What is NaturaConnect and how does it support ecological connectivity in Europe?

NaturaConnect at the Mediterranean Biogeographical Seminar in Larnaca, Cyprus

Stakeholder engagement in conservation. Creating meaningful engagement for better conservation outcomes

Recent project milestones

News from our case studies

Get involved and engage with us

More ways to engage with us at events

Meet the people of NaturaConnect

Scientific publications

Resources coming soon

By actively involving stakeholders from diverse backgrounds and perspectives, we unlock a wealth of knowledge, creativity and passion, that is essential to implementing sustainable solutions. How can we start a constructive dialogue and create participatory engagement opportunities to reach better conservation outcomes? This webinar was organised as part of the NaturaConnect Learning Platform and the first two released modules under the project: 1) Stakeholder Engagement, and 2) Nature Futures Framework, and was attended by more than 130 participants. The webinar offered practical strategies and insights from three experts on protected area and conservation implementation on the ground. Did you miss it? Watch the recording and access the presentations on our website!

Connectivity guidelines report and database We are pleased to announce that the first version of the “Guidelines for connectivity conservation and planning in Europe” report has recently been finalised. Presenting a framework and guidelines for mapping functional and structural connectivity at the European scale, this report aims to support practitioners and individuals involved in the management and administration of protected areas and ecological connectivity projects across Europe. Connectivity goals are being featured prominently in several recent global and EU policy instruments. Yet, comprehensive assessments providing a pan-European overview of connectivity projects taking place across Europe, as well as connectivity implementation gaps and needs, have been limited. To address this gap, the guidelines compile concepts, methods and recommendations for assessing and planning connectivity conservation. We also present a survey gathering information from practitioners on existing ecological connectivity projects in Europe, with results from 80 submitted projects presented in the report. Alongside the report, an Open Access connectivity projects database has been developed showcasing further information on these projects. The database is intended to serve as a resource for researchers, policymakers, conservationists and members of the public interested in learning more about connectivity conservation projects being undertaken in Europe. Users can contribute to the database by adding other connectivity projects to the database.
The connectivity guidelines report will be further refined in the coming months following a feedback round from stakeholders; we welcome your comments on the report (please click here to submit your feedback).

The NaturaConnect Training Needs Assessment (TNA) has been developed to give insights on essential professional competences for planning and implementing a resilient and well-connected network of protected and conserved areas. Explore the tool to identify relevant competences for your work and develop your own capacity development strategies.

Learning Platform and Training Course

The NaturaConnect Learning Platform is the project capacity building hub gathering learning resources created by project partners that help to improve professional capacity to design and implement the Trans-European Nature Network (TEN-N). It is free of charge upon registration at the European Nature Academy (ENA). There, you will find our Training Course composed of sequential and stand-alone modules organised into three sections: Concepts, Governance, and Technical Tools. Explore the materials and activities to improve your professional competences.

Report on spatial opportunities and constraints for green infrastructure network design

This recently published report summarises the methodologies developed and implemented to establish a coherent set of cost layers for use in NaturaConnect’s spatial conservation prioritisation efforts. The layers represent standardised opportunity cost estimates for conservation based on, amongst other data, values for land and property rent and crop yields. The work offers an important first step in providing consistent estimates for conservation costs across Europe; selected datasets will be further refined in the coming months and when finalised published on the Essential Biodiversity Variables Data Portal.

NaturaConnect encompasses six European case studies, which are informing project implementation and will help to test the analysis tools and methodologies developed under the project. In each newsletter, we will profile recent work from selected case studies. This time, we are pleased to present recent highlights from the Doñana area, Portugal and the Danube-Carpathian Transboundary Region:Stakeholders gather for dialogue on National Strategy for Protected Areas in France

In May 2024, our French case study launched its first stakeholder engagement event, gathering 18 participants, from the French Ministry of Ecological Transition, three different Regional Directions: for the Environment, Planning and Housing (DREAL) and the French Biodiversity Agency. The event featured a full day of scientific presentations and exchanges around the French National Strategy for Protected Areas.

Currently, 28% of land is protected in France, including 1.5% under strict protection. France aims to strictly protect 10% by 2030, through the prioritisation of already protected areas showing low levels of anthropogenic pressures. Regional authorities have strong power to designate protected land and are very keen to learn from the NaturaConnect Consortium work and material.

Funding biodiversity and climate change adaptation in Portugal

In the framework of the NaturaConnect project, the Think Tank NaturaConnect.PT was established to foster inter-institutional collaboration in identifying barriers and co-creating innovative solutions to achieve the EU biodiversity targets. Led by Miguel Bastos Araújo (Évora University), it gathers high-level representatives from public administrations, businesses, universities, NGOs and trusts. After its first gathering in November 2023, members reconvened on the International Day for Biological Diversity, 22 May, at Tapada Nacional de Mafra, to discuss funding opportunities for biodiversity in Portugal.
With invited experts in Green Finance, the group explored tools and necessary actions to finance biodiversity conservation in the context of climate change. The University of Évora set the discussion with an overview of the key EU targets and challenges in Portugal, and the state of art of biodiversity credits implementation. Rewilding Europe shared a broad overview of the main structured funding streams for biodiversity and examples of public and blended investments. The discussion delved into an analysis of the main legal and political tools and  constraints to developing the voluntary market for biodiversity credits in Portugal.

First steps into Blue and Green Infrastructure integration for the Danube-Carpathian Transboundary Region

Since December 2023, project partners in the Danube-Carpathian case study, WWF Central and Eastern Europe (WWF-CEE) and the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), have engaged with stakeholders from the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR), the Carpathian Convention and the EU Strategy for the Danube Region in the format of meetings, interviews and surveys. Current activities include the analysis of the interviews, surveys and literature to review the status of ecological connectivity implementation and related existing tools in the region, and to elaborate pathways of changes to support the establishment of the Trans-European Nature Network (TEN-N).
In parallel, BOKU collected data available for the region as the basis for integrating Blue and Green Infrastructure, made a first assessment and started developing the methodology for assessing stressors and identifying ecologically valuable freshwater and wetland habitats. For this, BOKU analysed spatial and tabular datasets reported under Article 17 of the Habitats and Article 12 of the Birds-Directive and investigated freshwater- and wetland-related habitats (33) and species (278) in the Danube basin. First results reveal that the conservation status of habitats and species is primarily bad, poor or unknown. The majority of pressures that act on freshwater and wetland habitats are related to agriculture, for running water habitats it is urbanisation, and for wet forest habitats it is forestry. Likewise, the modification of water regimes causes most of the pressures in all habitats. Results of the analysis show that corridors along larger rivers are often hotspots for great biodiversity. In many areas, habitat and species hotspots overlap with Natura 2000 sites, especially in the lower reaches of the Danube, including the Danube Delta. Some hotspots are not protected or only protected by small Natura 2000 sites. This is clearly visible in the upper reaches of the Danube, in southern Germany and western Austria.
BOKU’s next steps will include linking the collected data on land use, riparian zones, ecological status and others with the Birds and Habitats Directive datasets, and datasets available through the ICPDR and the Carpathian Convention.
Source: Schinegger et al. (2024): Wasser & Abfall 06/24, Seiten 47-54. Springer Vieweg. ISSN-14369095

NaturaConnect Stakeholder CommunityThe NaturaConnect Stakeholder Community brings together a diverse range of people interested in engaging with our project and its activities. We aim to engage professionals from different private and public sectors, including scientists, policymakers, civil servants, resource managers, NGOs, the private sector, and public participants involved in protected areas and ecological connectivity planning and management.

As a registered member, you will receive dedicated updates from NaturaConnect and have the opportunity to be involved in key project development stages, helping to ensure the project is relevant for the NaturaConnect Stakeholder Community. As a member, depending on your interests and areas of expertise, you could be involved in:

Additionally, if you wish, you can create a public profile in our Stakeholder Community portal, which will detail your expertise and engagement with the project, alongside the public profiles of other members of the Community.

NaturaConnect colleagues will be participating in several events this year. We look forward to meeting you there and discussing the NaturaConnect project and collaboration opportunities. If you wish to get in touch about any of the below events, please email us at [email protected].

7th European Congress of Conservation Biology

17-21 June 2024, Bologna, Italy

The ECCB 2024 theme “biodiversity positive by 2030” presents a message and a call to action towards the conservation of our planet’s biodiversity. NaturaConnect colleagues are attending the conference and will be organising the “Designing a future Trans-European Nature Network (TEN-N) for a nature-positive Europe” and “Insights on the Nature Futures Framework: different perspectives and implications of positive futures scenarios for nature and people” symposia, as well as the “Zonation 5 and prioritizR – practical tools for spatial conservation planning” Training Course. For more information, please see the ECCB 2024 website.

Natura 2000 Biogeographical Seminar  

25-27 June 2024, Prague, Czech Republic

NaturaConnect colleagues will be attending and representing the project at the upcoming Natura 2000 Biogeographical Seminar for the Continental, Alpine, Pannonian, Steppic and Black Sea regions.  We are looking forward to engaging with EU Member States attending the seminar on how NaturaConnect can assist them with their planning processes for an improved protected area system in the context of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.

15th Carpathian Convention Biodiversity Working Group Meeting

17-18 June 2024, Vienna, Austria

NaturaConnect is organising a 1.5-hour workshop discussing the recently developed Guidelines for connectivity conservation and planning in Europe, BOKU’s assessments for the integration of Blue and Green Infrastructure, and Systematic Conservation Planning. We look forward to engaging with meeting stakeholders across the Danube-Carpathian region.

13th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR)

20-21 June 2024, Vienna, Austria

WWF-CEE together with the Carpathian Convention and the ICPDR are organising a stand presenting the NaturaConnect project, among others. WWF-HU is participating in a side event of the EUSDR Priority Area 4 Water Quality as a speaker, presenting among others our work in NaturaConnect.

World Biodiversity Forum: From Science to Action

16-21 June 2024, Davos, Switzerland

Several NaturaConnect partners will be attending and presenting project work at the World Biodiversity Forum:

• CNRS will have a series of presentations:
  • The “Models and scenarios for biodiversity and NCP at regional to global scales” session, where CNRS will present on forecasting terrestrial food webs and NCP in climate and land use changes and future global change impacts on European invertebrate groups and associated NCP.
  • The “Integrating earth observations and biological tools in ecology and evolution to cogenerate knowledge towards meeting the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework Targets” session, where CNRS will present on harnessing AI and remote sensing to foster high resolution habitat mapping.
  • The “Species distribution models for spatial prioritization of biodiversity conservation” session, where CNRS will present linking traits to species predictions as the key to plant community conservation.

 

• A workshop titled “Building the Components of a Global Biodiversity Observation System (GBiOS)” is being organised on Sunday, 16 June. This event is central to advancing Biodiversity Observation Networks (BONs), key tools for monitoring global biodiversity changes. The workshop will deepen the integration and expansion of existing frameworks to enhance our understanding of biodiversity dynamics—identifying where, why, and how they alter. In aligning with the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the session aims to refine operational strategies and address the enhancement needs of BONs. NaturaConnect and EuropaBON   will be represented, contributing their expertise to this collaborative effort. Building on the insights from our inaugural GBiOS workshop in 2022 and subsequent findings published in 2023, the workshop will detail the critical roles and challenges of BONs and strategise on necessary supports for their success within GBiOS. The day’s discussions are expected to culminate in concrete actions and strategies that will not only enhance the effectiveness of BONs but also contribute to the global biodiversity conservation efforts, demonstrating a united and effective approach.

We are a Consortium of 90+ scientific researchers, managers, policy officers, and communicators. On this occasion we have the pleasure of introducing colleagues from our engagement, communications, dissemination and capacity building work package, and multi-scale nature connectivity and corridors design work package:

“Stakeholder engagement is a key aspect of the NaturaConnect project, and at EUROPARC, participatory approaches are at the heart of all our activities. It is therefore a pleasure to be part of this project and contribute with our experience and visions of participatory approaches to a research project. With our contribution, we aim to bridge the gap between science – policy and the implementers on the ground, bringing in the perspective of the protected areas and parks of our network.”

Marit has also led the development of the stakeholder engagement module as part of the NaturaConnect Learning Platform.

“Professional development is an important project component for the design and implementation of the TEN-N. In our capacity building hub, analysts, planners and managers can learn about the concepts and policies underpinning our work and how to apply the technical tools the project is producing. I cherish contributing to a project that associates various fields of knowledge and aims to improve skills and inspire ethical and positive attitudes towards nature conservation.”

Want to learn more? Read all about the NaturaConnect Learning Platform here.

The connectivity modelling work aims to identify and prioritise the locations that are the most important for maintaining or restoring ecological movements and flows. This contribution is highly important for the production of a successful Trans-European Nature Network. Ensuring that these connections incorporate the protection of as many species as possible while maintaining ecological processes is an ultimate challenge and goal.

“Given how complex our socio-ecological landscape makes conservation work, the production of broad sustainable conservation solutions is only possible through ambitious projects like NaturaConnect that bring together a diverse suite of experts and stakeholders. The NaturaConnect project is an inspiration of activity and applied scientific output, which I believe will translate into meaningful conservation action.”

Beyond NaturaConnect Jeremy is also involved with projects to mitigate human-tiger conflict in India and serves on the U.S. Biosphere Reserve Working Group.

Want to learn more? Read more about his work here.

An assessment of the state of conservation planning in EuropeWe are delighted to announce the publication of a comprehensive systematic review conducted and led by Martin Jung with contributions from other NaturaConnect partners (Jung et al. 2024). This review, published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, critically examines and categorises existing conservation planning studies in Europe, assesses gaps and provides valuable recommendations for improving methodologies to better contribute to informed decision-making.  Read more about and access the paper here.

Best practices in land use policies and governance reportUnderstanding the Green and Blue infrastructure (GI) landscape across countries and administrative levels is essential to create a comprehensive conservation network. We will be launching a report later this year that reviews and synthesises information on existing land-use planning and land management policies, laws, and guidance across European countries. The report will highlight best practices from across Europe and examine how these policies and strategies are implemented in the project’s six case study regions: the Danube-Carpathian Transboundary Region, Finland, France, Portugal, the Doñana region, and Leipzig-Halle.

Want to learn more? Explore our work on policy and governance here.

Stakeholder analysis and evaluation of capacity building report

Stakeholder engagement is an important part of the project, and we are aiming to work closely with different stakeholder groups to most effectively support European Union Member States in the planning of an ecologically, representative and well-connected network of conserved areas. This upcoming report will give an overview of the stakeholder analysis conducted in the project, the results of the midterm evaluation of engagement, and the way forward, showing key moments of foreseen engagement activities. You will also find the preliminary results of the training-needs assessment and an overview of the evaluation of the already-launched modules on the NaturaConnect Learning Platform.

Want to learn more? Explore our work on stakeholder engagement here.

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