In June 2019, researchers, scientists, decision-makers, and practitioners of all disciplines convened in Ghent for the 2019 ALTER-Net & EKLIPSE Conference. The purpose of this conference was to consider the post-2020 European Biodiversity Strategy and the role of research in shaping this strategy and its goals.

The primary output of this conference is a collection of 12 Key Messages, which have now been published and submitted to the European Commission.

These twelve Key Messages result from a multi-phased, iterative consultation survey among the network's scientists and other knowledge holders.

• Read the final Key Messages
• Look back on the Beyond 2020 ALTER-Net & EKLIPSE Conference

• Learn about the EU 2030 Biodiversity Strategy Roadmap

The 2020 AHIA Call for Proposals is OPEN

ALTER-Net is committed to supporting the work of researchers who are addressing the most pressing issues facing science and society. This year, we will be accepting proposals on the following subjects:

Thanks to all our partners for a great 2019. From the ALTER-Net EKLIPSE Conference in Ghent and official decision to manage the EKLIPSE mechanism to new AHIA publications and the election of our Vice Chair, this was a year of unprecedented productivity.

There's a lot to look forward to in 2020, from the 15th Summer School in Peyresq to continued contributions to the next European Biodiversity Strategy. Here's to another year of ALTER-Net!

"Marrying One Health with EcoHealth: Inclusive Nature-Based Solutions and Action Research Directions", the second AHIA project (led by Timo Assmuth and featuring researchers from SYKE, NINA, JHI, and INBO), founded collaborative networks between ecologists, veterinarians, human health specialists, and social scientists. This flagship AHIA project has already yielded a major impact, including numerous papers, workshops, project collaborations, interactions with policy and practice, and an excerpt featured in Nature.

Now, Assmuth and company are pleased to announce the publication of the latest paper to stem from this project, entitled "Integrative concepts and practices of health in transdisciplinary social ecology."

Published in the journal of Socio-Ecological Practice Research, this article explores "the interdependencies of the health of humans, other organisms and ecosystems, and of their importance to socio-ecological systems" and considers the evolution and adaptation of integrative concepts such as One Health and EcoHealth as they are applied in this interdependent socio-ecological context.

You can now read this high-impact paper on Springer Link.

The Department of Geography of the University of Namur is hiring a Postdoctoral researcher to work in the framework of the MAPPY project funded by AXIS/JPI-Climate (http://jpi-climate.eu/AXIS/Activities/MAPPY). This project aims to study the interactions between pollinators, plant diversity and crop yields, under climate and land use change. The work of the hired researcher will consist in developing an agent-based model (ABM) to derive high-resolution land use and land cover change scenarios for the future at the scale of the studied regions located in five European countries. Candidates must hold a PhD in geography, ecology, bioinformatics, bioengineering, or equivalent topics. They should have strong computer skills and be familiar with object-oriented programming, data modelling & integration, and agent-based modelling in particular. Knowledge of JAVA is a real plus. They are expected to be sensitive to environmental issues and sustainable development. Candidates should also have good abilities to work in a team, whilst capable of strong autonomy and creativity.

Profile

To be eligible, candidates must be in international mobility (having spent max 24 months in Belgium in the three last years before the start of the contract) and must not have obtained their doctoral thesis for more than 8 years if this is their first post-doctoral fellowship.

Additional information

The University (https://www.unamur.be/en) is located in the city center of Namur (https://www.namur.be), one hour from Brussels.

Offer:

• A postdoctoral position for 30 months (full time, ca. €2600 net per month)

• Start date is March 2020/April 2020 (to be discussed with the candidate)

• The candidate will join an interdisciplinary team of researchers at UNamur and will also evolve within an international research consortium.

For more info, please contact: [email protected]

Postion Website: http://jobs.unamur.be/emploi.2019-12-11.6902493223?fbclid=IwAR31L2rRdKMWEBgJfFjINO5SxExfoHbl7vBoeU7y9rAJFjfxIFuDwWlReks

Remarks

Applications, including a letter of motivation, curriculum vitae, a copy of the PhD diploma and at least 2 contacts of reference, should be sent to [email protected] before 25th January 2020.

The INPhINIT Doctorate Scholarships call is open now!

35 PhD fellowships for early-stage researchers of any nationality to pursue their PhD studies in research centres accredited with the Spanish Seal of Excellence Severo Ochoa. This frame is addressed exclusively to PhD research projects on STEM disciplines: life sciences and health, experimental sciences, physics, chemistry and mathematics.

Learn more: http://www.creaf.cat/becas-de-formacion

"Marrying One Health with EcoHealth: Inclusive Nature-Based Solutions and Action Research Directions."

This project, led by Timo Assmuth of SYKE, founded collaborative networks between ecologists, veterinarians, human health specialists, and social scientists. With numerous papers, workshops, project collaborations, interactions with policy and practice, and an excerpt featured in Nature, it's already yielding a major impact.

This call for experts from Eklipse: Knowledge and Learning Mechanism on Biodiversity is currently open.

The recent “EU Pollinators’ Initiative” sets strategic objectives and a set of actions to be taken by the EU and its Members States to address threats to pollinators. One action under this EU Pollinators’ Initiative is the development of a guidance document on land management practices that benefit pollinators, which is aimed at managing authorities, advisory services and farmers. Part of this guidance will cover pollinator conservation measures, such as management of field margins, hedgerows or other non-cropped habitat.

In this context, Pollinis a European non-for-profit organization has submitted a request to EKLIPSE to explore current knowledge and understanding of the impact of pesticide (including herbicide) and fertilizer use in the wider environment on these pollinator conservation measures. In particular, there is a need to determine the impact of pesticides and fertilisers in farmland on adjacent pollinator conservation measures, in order to develop guidelines on the most effective pollinatorfriendly agro-infrastructure. (For more details see the EKLIPSE document of work). Please note that this request is not about the impact of pesticides and fertilisers on pollinators generally. These impacts are widely discussed and well-known. It is about the impact of pesticide and fertiliser use on the effectiveness of other pollinator conservation measures.

To implement this request, EKLIPSE is inviting experts from relevant fields and sectors to join a shortterm expert working group (EWG), who will work from November 2019 to January 2020:

1) to frame the scope of conservation measures that will be considered
2) to identify and provide access to the current relevant evidence (including scientific studies, grey literature and other types of knowledge).

A research assistant will make use of these sources to prepare a draft knowledge review on the impacts of pesticide and fertiliser use in farmland on the effectiveness of adjacent pollinator conservation measures such as flower strips and hedgerows. 3) to participate in a face-to-face workshop (9-10 of January 2020) that aims at discussing the proposed knowledge review and forecasts, and develop common assumptions and informed opinions. In terms of knowledge gaps and research priorities.

Key Dates and Important Information

• Interested experts should apply before midnight on the 3rd of November, 2019, following the rules and procedures detailed below.
• The Experts Working Group (EWG) will be selected by 8thNovember 2019 -We will aim to have a first expert group meeting in the week of the 11th of November, 2019.
• All experts of the EWG are expected to attend the multi-stakeholder workshop that will be held on the 9-10 of January 2020 in Brussels.
• Please find more information on expectations of and support to EKLIPSE Expert Working Groups on the EKLIPSE website

Urban Algae is a young researchers project with participants from all over Europe aimed at generating new knowledge about ecosystem services and the ecological status of ponds in urban areas, as well as citizens’ perception of urban ponds and the ecosystem services they provide. It is funded by the European Federation of Freshwater Sciences, the European Fresh and Young Researchers, and representatives of the Fresh Blood for Fresh Water meetings, aiming to foster interdisciplinary collaboration among young scientists.

After a successful field campaign in the summer of 2018 in which the 30 teams of young freshwater scientists sampled ponds in 28 European cities, the researchers of Urban Algae are now starting the second part of the project: the citizens’ survey. This is where you come in:

Please help us by filling out and passing along our survey!

Link to survey in 14 languages: https://www.soscisurvey.de/urbanalgae2018/
Project webpage: https://freshproject-urbanalgae.jimdo.com

During recent years, novel research has shown the wide spectrum of connections between biodiversity and human health: from mental to physical health, from microbial to the landscape level, from rural to urban contexts, from children and young adults throughout the lifespan into old age, and from individuals to groups of people – indeed, to humanity as a whole.

Recognized as a broad and well established research network with high-quality, societally relevant biodiversity research, ALTER-Net was invited by the UN Independent Group of Scientists to produce a Global Sustainable Development (SDG) background report on the state of the art on biodiversity-human health relationships. This report was spearhead by NINA, the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research.

This background report discusses the direct and indirect linkages and focuses the scattered knowledge through concrete cases where the biodiversity-health link has shown its power.

Abstract:

The key findings and key messages from the regional assessment for Europe and Central Asia of the inter-linkages between health and biodiversity are given in this background paper, as an overview of the main conclusions in this field. In addition, this paper highlights the links between biodiversity and health at various spatial and temporal scales, further elaborated upon in a diversity of cases. These cases, ranging from issues around microbiota, Asian bush mosquitos, forest and marine ecosystems, and biodiversity and health issues at a national scale, emphasise not only the diverse range of ways by which biodiversity can have an impact on health and social well-being, but also the importance of integrating the issue of biodiversity and health into our efforts to meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. The first case on microbial biodiversity is directly linked to human health issues, and is also expected to have implications for the next generation.The current invasion of the Asian bush mosquito in Europe impairs physical health as the mosquito is a vector of various pathogens. Both forest and marine biodiversity are shown to affect a combination of physical and mental health, as well as social wellbeing and the‘OneHealth/EcoHealth’ approach is described in the national case from as a transdisciplinary effort to implement actions that promote adaptive health management across human, animal and ecosystem interfaces.

Citation:

Van Dijk, J., Carss, D., Keune, H., Vikström, S., Flandroy, L., Rook, G., Haahtela, T.,Mehring, M., Birzle-Harder, B., Reuss, F., Müller, R., Luque, S. & Rodrigues, J.G. 2019.Invited background document on biodiversity and health for the Global SustainableDevelopment Report 2019 drafted by the Independent Group of Scientists. NINA Report1555. Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. ISBN: 978-82-426-3293-7

1. eLTER has received funding approval from the European Commission for two transdisciplinary projects
2. The 2019-2020 BiodivERsA call for proposals has officially been launched

eLTER: New Projects, Next Steps

With the approval of two projects totalling 14 million euros for eLTER, the EU is opening another important chapter in the development of a permanent infrastructure for long-term ecosystem, critical zone and socio-ecological research in Europe

The Preparatory Phase project, eLTER PPP, coordinated by the Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) in Germany, will further the operational, technical and strategic development at the existing sites in Europe to meet the current challenges of global change with holistic, systemic observations and analysis of environmental trends. Harmonized methods and research approaches will be applied, access to data will be facilitated and a wide range of user groups, from research to policy, will receive comprehensive support.

The Advanced Community Project, eLTER PLUS, coordinated by the University of Helsinki in Finland, will conduct a performance test of the emerging eLTER RI, challenging, assessing and strengthening its operations. Selected sites and platforms in terrestrial, freshwater and coastal ecosystems will be used to study ecosystem integrity, impacts of climate change, and endangered ecosystem services at a pan-European scale.

Read the full CORDIS press release or the UFZ press release on these projects.

BiodivERsA: Call Launched

As of 3 September, the BiodivERsA international 2019-2020 COFUND Call for transnational research proposals on “Biodiversity and Climate Change” is open.

This call will cover the following four non-exclusive themes:

• Consequences of climate change on biodiversity and nature’s contributions to people
• Climate-biodiversity feedback processes
• Potential of nature-based solutions for mitigating and adapting to climate change
• Synergies and trade-offs between policies on biodiversity, climate and other relevant sectors, and the role of agents of change

Research teams will be invited to form transnational research consortia with eligible partners from minimum 3 countries participating in the call (including minimum two from EU Member States or EU Associated Countries). The deadline for pre-proposal submission is 5 November 2019, 16:00 CET and the deadline for full-proposal submission is 10 April 2020, 16:00 CET.

Learn more on the BiodivERsA call webpage.

Do you want to help raise the profile of ALTER-Net within your institute? We freely encourage all members to download and print these posters for display and distribution.

Metadata on different levels are important to enable not only the discovery but also the reuse of resources. DEIMS-SDR (Dynamic Ecological Information Management System - Site and dataset registry) contributes to this task. The adaptation to user needs as well as to changing requirements for information collection is an important aspect in the life cycle of DEIMS-SDR. With the migration of DEIMS-SDR to a new system architecture the underlying data models are evaluated. This survey is an important step in this workflow by collecting user expectations and feedback on the information and data collected. The results will be fed into the discussion process on the data model for research sites, data products, datasets and sensors.

We Want Your Input!

Please fill in the online survey. It will take approximately 20 minutes to complete the questionnaire. The survey (first round) will be open until the end of August. If needed, it can be kept open later upon request.

For the survey no personal information (e.g. IP address) will be stored. For statistical purposes some questions about your background are asked but provision of this additional information is voluntary.

What elements of ALTER-Net are most beneficial? Which network activities have you not yet participated in--or, perhaps, are unaware even exist?

As an ALTER-Net member, we want to hear your thoughts on our network and what could be done to improve it. To assess added value, ideas for developing network activities, and any changes that may be needed, we've prepared a short questionnaire for all members to take part in.

The results of the questionnaire will be presented to the ALTER-Net Management Board which then will consider whether and which actions suggested on the basis of the findings of this evaluation could be taken forward and proposed to ALTER-Net council to make a decision on how to further develop the ALTER-Net network working programme.

Fill out the questionnaire here!

The questionnaire will be available through 13 September 2019.

Note: If you wish to receive news from the ALTER-Net network, please take a few seconds to subscribe to our newsletter.

Human wellbeing supporting ecosystem services along urban gradient (urban-rural-wilderness) and green infrastructure.

This PhD position is aimed at determining and assessing ecosystem functions, services and values supporting human health, and wellbeing on urban-wilderness gradients in the context of De Groot’s cascade model. The full scope of values (services-disservices) and multifunctionality (bundles) will be observed. Alternative spatial models will be considered to find optimal plans for green infrastructure integrated planning.

• Applications are currently being accepted
• Deadline for applications: 1st August 2019
• Priority will be given to Central and Eastern European candidates
  
  

Anticipated proficiencies: ecosystem services assessment and mapping, sustainable land-use planning, green infrastructure policies, extra proficiencies in political sciences and public administration would be supportive.

Additional info:

• http://www.studyinestonia.ee/en/study/programmes/doctoral
• https://www.emu.ee/en/studies/study-information/study-allowances-loans-and-scholarships/#Doctoral

Contact:

Mart Külvik, PhD | Email: [email protected]​
Professor in Biodiversity and Environmental Planning
Chairs of Landscape Management and Nature Conservation/Landscape Architecture
Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Estonian University of Life Sciences
Kreutzwaldi 1, Tartu, 51014
Estonia