Despite improved understanding of the need for science to inform biodiversity related policy making and the rich field of science-policy interfaces (SPIs) there remains a gap in ensuring that all decision makers across all societal sectors have direct access to research-based knowledge when planning, budgeting and deciding on actions that have an impact on local, national, EU and global biodiversity. BioAgora will develop a Science Service for Biodiversity (hereafter referred to as Science Service), which responds to the present gaps and future needs in SPIs and provides the science pillar of the EU’s Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity (KCBD). It will channel the entire landscape of EU biodiversity science from monitoring to meta-analyses and communicate this knowledge through two-way platforms to EU institutions and the broader community. To do this, the project will use ongoing processes of SPIs across Europe and beyond, as knowledge exchange networks, to address the most urgent needs identified for the Science Service. BioAgora will go beyond the state of the art by co-creating new ways of bridging the gap between science, practice and policy and use this as a basis for the Science Service’s development for future needs. To do this, it will 1) analyse the existing landscape of SPIs, assess their policy tools and the current biodiversity knowledge held in Europe, 2) engage with a broad range of actors –those already established ones and those not yet fully integrated within the landscape, as well as the users of SPIs; 3) form the Science Service governance structure and systems model along the projects span by testing it in real life; 4) provide capacity building for the EU community of decision makers to become empowered for transformative change for biodiversity. BioAgora will deliver a functional and responsive Science Service, capable of providing a one-stop-shop for fit-for-purpose materials and tools which enable decision makers to secure biodiversity and sustainability transformation.

Rivers rank among some of the most threatened ecosystems in the world, and are the focus of costly restoration programmes that cost billions to taxpayers. Much of Europe depends on water from rivers for drinking, food production, and the generation of hydropower, which is essential for meeting the EU renewable energy target. Yet only half the EU surface waters have met the WFD’s 2015 target of good ecological status, due in part to the fragmentation of habitats caused by tens of thousands of dams and weirs which also pose a flood hazard. Some barriers are old and out of use, but may have historical value, while the life span of others will soon come to an end and may need to be removed. But barriers also provide energy, water, fishing and leisure opportunities, and may also help to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species. Improving stream connectivity has been flagged as one of the priorities for more efficient stream restoration but effective rehabilitation of ecosystem functioning in European rivers needs to take the complexity and trade-offs imposed by barriers into account. AMBER will deliver innovative solutions to river fragmentation in Europe by developing more efficient methods of restoring stream connectivity through adaptive barrier management. The project seeks to address the complex challenge of river fragmentation through a comprehensive barrier adaptive management process, based on the integration of programme design, management, and monitoring to systematically test assumptions about barrier mitigation, adapt and learn.

NAIAD aims to operationalise the insurance value of ecosystems to reduce the human and economic cost of risks associated with water (floods and drought) by developing and testing - with key insurers and municipalities - the concepts, tools, applications and instruments (business models) necessary for its mainstreaming. We will do this in detail for 8 demonstration sites (DEMOs) throughout Europe and develop tools and methods applicable and transferable across all of Europe. The assumption is that Natural Assurance Schemes can reduce risk, especially to drought and flooding, and this risk reduction can be assessed and incorporated within insurance schemes. NAIAD´s conceptual frame is based on three pillars: (i) to help build a resilience approach to risk management through nature based solutions, (ii) the operationalisation and testing of scientific methods using a source-to-sea in DEMOs, (iii) the uptake of nature based solutions that are cost-effective and provide environmental, social and economic benefits. Trans-disciplinarity and stakeholder engagement are at the core of NAIAD for two reasons: first, because the conceptual and assessment methodologies combine physical, social and cultural and economic aspects, integrated into tools and methods but second, and most importantly “road tested” and validated with the stakeholders and end users themselves at the DEMOs. NAIAD will contribute to providing a robust framework for assessing insurance value for ecosystem services by (i) enabling full operationalisation through improved understanding of ecosystem functionality and its insurance value at a broad range of scales in both urban and rural context; (ii) making explicit the links between ecosystem values and social risk perception; and (iii) the application of developed methods and tools in water management by relevant stakeholders, especially businesses, public authorities and utilities.

Advance_eLTER marks a crucial step in building the distributed European Research Infrastructure of Long-Term Ecosystem Research sites and socio-ecological research platforms (eLTER RI) to provide highest quality data and services complementary to the European and global environmental RIs. The project will conduct important conceptual work and preparatory steps towards enabling European-scale investigation of the “Critical Zone”, major ecosystems and socio-ecological systems, targeted at supporting knowledge-based decision making at various levels concerning ecosystem services and biodiversity. The review of the eLTER ESFRI proposal submitted by Germany in March 2015 noted the HIGH to VERY HIGH scientific value and necessity of the eLTER RI and was designated as an ‘Emerging’ ESFRI RI. The objectives of Advance_eLTER are firmly anchored in the strategic long-term goals of the eLTER RI, but strictly focus on the challenges identified by the ESFRI review: ● Detailed design study (WP1), including an in-depth analysis of the scientific questions driving the eLTER RI physical site network design and instrumentation; ● Prioritization of eLTER services for key user groups (WP2), and a plan for eLTER RI services at all service provider levels (central, cross-site, individual site); ● Cost analysis and Business plan, for the future eLTER RI operation (WP3); ● Organisational framework of eLTER RI (WP4), comprising the development of a robust governance scheme, enabling shareholder negotiations and identifying the most suitable legal framework; ● Consulting, communication and team-building (WP5), advancing the national eLTER ESFRI processes, specifying the role of eLTER in the environmental RI landscape and developing staff capacity for the eLTER ESFRI process. Advance_eLTER will closely cooperate with all LTER related processes and projects and will result in a 2017 eLTER ESFRI proposal.

EuPOLIS aims to: (a) replace the traditional perception in which engineering systems are built to protect the environment at significant costs. We aim to deploy natural systems to simultaneously enhance Public Health (PH) and Well-Being (WB), and create resilient urban ecosystems at lower Life-Cycle Costs; (b) propose a structured approach to activate the hidden possibilities and services of existing Natural and Engineered urban systems, integrate them and define their joint social, cultural and economic effects, as a main vehicle for Ecosystem Business Services and Investment; (c) regenerate and rehabilitate urban ecosystems, while in parallel addressing key challenges such as low environmental quality, fragmentation and low biodiversity in public spaces, water-stressed resources, undervalued use of space in deprived areas and therefore we improve urban livability; (d) improve urban resilience (operational, social and economic) through interventions designed using a set of proper urban planning matrices, which catalyse stakeholder participation, with a special attention to gender, age and disability perspectives within the process; (e) create inclusive and accessible urban spaces by systematically implementing gender mainstreaming strategies and novel participatory tools into all phases and processes of project development to ensure that the needs of diverse groups are considered. We aim to stimulate active communities’ participation throughout the process; (f) to improve citizens’ quality of life providing them with pleasant socializing open areas that stimulate social exchange and inclusivity; (g) monitor and validate the impact of all interventions to PH and WB of citizens. EuPOLIS solutions will be demonstrated in 4 European cities: Belgrade, Lodz, Piraeus and Gladsaxe. We have also included some follower cities (Bogota, Palermo, Limassol and Trebinje) in order to replicate and demonstrate the advantages of our innovations via mentoring and coaching.