Within the frame of the BiodivClim ERANET COFUND (2019) to support research on biodiversity and climate change, the BiodivClim partners set-up a Knowledge Hub. This Knowledge Hub will take the form of a dynamic 'community of practice' and will aim at enhancing research collaborations, data sharing, support science-policy and increase the impact of funded research.
The Knowledge Hub task force, formed by more than 30 experts from BiodivClim and Horizon 2020 funded projects, is hosting a launch event for the Hub, which is taking place on 8 and 9 February 2023 in Brussels, Belgium. The event will be attended by representatives of a large number of research projects, amongst whom will be the REST-COAST partner Grzegorz Różyński of the Institute of Hydro-Engineering of the Polish Academy of Science (IBW PAN). Grzegorz will present REST-COAST, our goals and links to biodiversity and ecosystem services restoration methods and solutions, with a specific focus on communicating vital observations regarding nature-based solutions in coastal systems, that is, difficulties in implementation of this concept in systems shaped by rare extreme events.
A variety of ecosystem services and activities, on an array of scales from local to global, are subsequently impacted by changes in biodiversity brought on by climate change. This includes effects on the mechanisms through which ecosystems assist to manage the climate, as well as the degradation of highly valued landscapes and the upsetting of ingrained notions about nature and stewardship. Climate change may be amplified or lessened as a result of feedback processes involving ecosystems and biodiversity, and societal responses to shifting natural systems and biodiversity may influence the range of potential actions and strategies for combating climate change and biodiversity conservation.
Against this background, in 2019 Biodiversa launched the ‘BiodivClim’ ERANET COFUND to support research on biodiversity and climate change. A joint research call was launched in this context, leading to the funding of 21 research projects on biodiversity and climate change. Building on these funded projects and where relevant other projects, BiodivClim partners joined forces in the establishment of a pan-European Knowledge Hub on biodiversity and climate change.
The BioDivClim workshop is intended to integrate the currently running three biodiversity restoration EU projects, which is one of the requirements of the Commission to fully exploit mutual synergies and interactions among these projects.
Stay tuned for updates from the event!
Photo: Lake image by David Mark, Pixabay