Büro Karl Holmer Sachverständiger für Kraftfahrzeuge - Echinger Forum

1
biodiversity
With increasing pressures on our
environment as a result of climate
change and anthropogenic impacts,
ECI’s Biodiversity Research aims to
increase understanding of complex
human-climate-ecosystem interactions.
The ECI’s Biodiversity research is at the
forefront of integrating and improving
techniques for the projection of the
impacts of environmental change on
ecosystems and species. We are using
increasingly sophisticated modelling
techniques to assess potential
changes in distributions of species
and ecosystems at local, regional and
European scales.
Species and ecosystems are important
for the services they provide to
humans and we are investigating
how climate change could
affect their ability to
fulfill this role.
Models show
that
Leader:
Dr Pam Berry
there could be some profound effects
over the course of this century as
species and ecosystems become more
vulnerable. So we are now exploring
possible adaptation actions across
a range of sectors and their impact
in offsetting some of the negative
effects. In all projects we are working
with stakeholders to influence the
conservation agenda at all levels.
Projects
RUBICODE - Rationalising
Biodiversity Conservation in
Dynamic Ecosystems
www.rubicode.net
A key problem in developing policies
to stop biodiversity loss is translating
threats into a tangible factor for
decision-making. RUBICODE will
contribute to solving this by defining
and evaluating those components of
biodiversity which provide specific
services to society, such as the
provision of food, fibre and fuel,
regulation of air and water quality,
flood protection, pollination,
control of pests, recreation
and ecotourism. This
will increase our
understanding of the
value of biodiversity
services and,
consequently,
of the cost
of losing
them.
This, in
turn,
will give decision-makers a more rational
base and will help the understanding
of the need for adequate conservation
policies.
The development of flexible and
effective conservation strategies and
their implementation will be essential
in order to halt the loss of biodiversity.
These should concentrate on managing
dynamic ecosystems for maintaining
their capacity to undergo disturbance,
while retaining their functions, services
and control mechanisms (‘ecological
resilience’). RUBICODE, an EU
Coordination Action Project involving
23 partners, will address these issues
through seven project objectives:
1. To develop concepts of dynamic
ecosystems and their services,
covering terrestrial and freshwater
ecosystems.
2. To explore relationships between
service-providing populations,
ecosystem resilience, function
and health, and socio-economic
and environmental drivers of
biodiversity change.
3. To improve and test indicators
for monitoring habitat ecological
quality.
4. To characterise biological traits
that lead to a population becoming
threatened, rare or invasive.
5. To develop habitat management
strategies that take account of
drivers of biodiversity change
in order to maintain threatened
populations or assist populations
to adapt.
6. To suggest priorities for
conservation policy on the basis
of dynamic ecosystems and the
services they provide.
7.
To propose a roadmap for
future research required to
develop innovative pan-European
conservation strategies.