Platform for Agrobiodiversity Research

Each year the EUROPARC Federation, in cooperation with the Alfred Toepfer Foundation (D), awards three Alfred Toepfer Natural Heritage Scholarships, each worth 3000€, to promising young conservationists. The application period for the 2010 scholarships has already begun.

The aim of the Scholarships is to enhance international cooperation and to advance the quality, innovation and European dimension of protected area management. The €3000, generously donated by the Alfred Toepfer Foundation (D), offers the winners the opportunity to undertake a study visit looking at a specific topic to one or more protected areas in European countries other than their own. This will in turn enable them to gather experience which will be both of benefit for the future career of the scholars, and to the EUROPARC Federation and its members.

This year individuals interested in applying for the Alfred Toepfer Scholarships can do so from now until 16th May.

Guidelines, registration and more information can be found at the EUROPARC website .

After the initial years when only a few farmers knew the concept of Conservation Agriculture and research groups began to study its environmental benefits, we are now at a stage in which the techniques are already known in the agricultural sector and new lines of research are being developed, focused on the study and resolution of current problems such as climate change and biodiversity loss.For this reason this Conference intends to make a quality leap with respect to issues already covered in previous scientific dissemination and technology transfer events. Therefore, presentations, communications and reports on practical experiences, will focus on recent achievements in traditional lines of research and the new studies which are being carried out, in response to the current demands of society regarding agronomic, political, environmental and economic issues.

This event will serve to update the knowledge of the audience, to promote the exchange of experiences among professionals of the sector, and to publicize the role that the Conservation Agriculture has within the current environmental, political and social frame. Thus, Conservation Agriculture is presented as a model to promote in order to advance towards a system of sustainable agricultural production for the present and the future.

For more information visit http://www.congresoeuropeoac.eu/en

Continuous change in agricultural land use directly affects Europe’s biodiversity. A new report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) finds that Common Agricultural Policy payments could be used more effectively to support High Nature Value farmland and help halt biodiversity loss ….Read More.

Author: Veronica Mikos

The European Learning Network on Functional AgroBiodiversity (ELN-FAB) project aims to accumulate knowledge on how biodiversity can be mobilized to increase sustainable agricultural production, to provide a platform for exchange of knowledge and practical experiences between farmers, policymakers and scientists to enable fast and effective implementation of best practices and to promote sustainable agriculture in the 27 Member States of the EU, and in Norway and Switzerland.

The key outputs of the project during 2010–2011 will focus on:
• the ELN-FAB website, providing information on functional agrobiodiversity, examples of good practices and a register of projects from all over Europe, news and more;
• annual European seminars, bringing together representatives of the target groups from several countries and collecting and exchanging experience;
• communication and outreach activities, presentations at events;
• a series of awareness raising workshops about FAB throughout Europe to form working partnerships;
• a handbook on FAB to help the stakeholders to strengthen the role of FAB in their operations.

The European Centre for Nature Conservation (ECNC), the host of the ELN-FAB Secretariat, is very grateful for the contribution of numerous organizations, as this will enable us to continue the work in the next phase of broadening and intensifying the current activities of the Network.

For more information contact ECNC’s Communication Officer at email hidden; JavaScript is required or Veronica on email : email hidden; JavaScript is required