Rationalising Biodiversity Conservation in Dynamic Ecosystems
Rationalising Biodiversity Conservation
in Dynamic Ecosystems
(RUBICODE)
www.rubicode.net
Background & Project Structure
For further information contact Paula Harrison (email: paharriso@aol.com)
Funded under the European Commission
Sixth Framework Programme
Contract Number: 036890
Rationalising Biodiversity Conservation in Dynamic Ecosystems
www.rubicode.net
Partners
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Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford, UK
ALTERRA Wageningen UR, The Netherlands
Median SCP, Spain
Prospex bvba, Belgium
University of Lund, Sweden
University of Aegean, Greece
University of Edinburgh, UK
Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute for Forecasting, Slovakia
University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
Rothamsted Research, UK
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France
University of Salzburg, Austria
University of Tartu, Estonia
St. Istvan University, Hungary
NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, UK
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Germany
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden
University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
IMBIV, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina
Charles Sturt University, Australia
Lincoln University, New Zealand
Rationalising Biodiversity Conservation in Dynamic Ecosystems
Background
• Over the past 50 years virtually all of Earth’s ecosystems
have been significantly transformed through human actions
resulting in a substantial and largely irreversible loss in
biodiversity.
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• Drivers of biodiversity change are likely to exert increasing
pressure on ecosystems in the future.
• There is a need to translate threats to biodiversity into
tangible and quantifiable factors for use by policy-makers in
decision-making processes.
• RUBICODE will contribute to solving this by examining
what biodiversity does for us – focus on ecosystem services.
Rationalising Biodiversity Conservation in Dynamic Ecosystems
www.rubicode.net
Background
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Rationalising Biodiversity Conservation in Dynamic Ecosystems
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Rationalising Biodiversity Conservation in Dynamic Ecosystems
Rationalising Biodiversity Conservation in Dynamic Ecosystems
www.rubicode.net
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA)
• 60% of the ecosystem services
evaluated are being degraded or
used unsustainably.
• The degradation of ecosystem
services often causes significant
harm to human well-being and
represents a loss of a natural
asset or wealth of a country.
• The degradation of ecosystem
services could grow significantly
worse during the first half of this
century.
Rationalising Biodiversity Conservation in Dynamic Ecosystems
MA ecosystem service categories
Food production
Provisioning
services
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Water purification
Pest control
Regulatory
services
Rationalising Biodiversity Conservation in Dynamic Ecosystems
MA ecosystem service categories
Cultural
services
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Pest control
Supporting
services
Rationalising Biodiversity Conservation in Dynamic Ecosystems
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RUBICODE and the MA
• Scale – MA focus was predominantly global
– RUBICODE focus is local, national to European
• Both - Synthesis of information currently available.
• Both - Identification of major gaps in knowledge.
• Research needs identified by the MA which are being
addressed in RUBICODE:
– a robust theoretical framework to link ecological
diversity with ecosystem service provision;
– direct and indirect drivers of change in ecosystem
service provision;
– indicators of ecosystem services; and
– valuation of ecosystem services.
Rationalising Biodiversity Conservation in Dynamic Ecosystems
www.rubicode.net
RUBICODE research themes
1. Frameworks and concepts for the assessment
of ecosystem services in terrestrial and
freshwater ecosystems.
2. Approaches for linking ecosystem service
provision to functional traits.
3. Indicators for monitoring ecosystem services.
4. Socio-economic and environmental drivers of
biodiversity change.
5. Strategies for conserving and managing
biodiversity and the services it provides that
take account of drivers of biodiversity change.
6. Identification of current gaps in knowledge
and future research needs.
Rationalising Biodiversity Conservation in Dynamic Ecosystems
www.rubicode.net
RUBICODE structure
Rationalising Biodiversity Conservation in Dynamic Ecosystems
RUBICODE: Coordination Action
Coordination Actions aim to achieve improved integration
of European research through the coordination of existing
research initiatives or projects for a specific purpose.
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RUBICODE activities:
1.
To review relevant concepts, methods and results from previous and
ongoing projects, the literature, databases, experts and policy
documents.
2.
To organize workshops to evaluate the concepts and methods, raise
awareness and identify gaps in knowledge.
3.
To synthesize knowledge from (1) and (2), and further develop
various concepts, frameworks or strategies to address gaps in
knowledge and inform future research needs.
Rationalising Biodiversity Conservation in Dynamic Ecosystems
RUBICODE Workshops
Workshop 1: Assessing and monitoring ecosystems – concepts,
policies and indicators; 27 February to 1 March 2007; Germany.
Workshop 2: Linking threats to biodiversity with action in the
policy-making process; 15-16 May 2007; Belgium.
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Workshop 3: Ecosystem services and drivers of biodiversity
change; 25-28 February 2008; Sweden.
Workshop 4: Habitat management and conservation policy strategies for a new dynamic approach focussed on ecosystem
service provision; 29-30 April 2008, Slovenia.
Workshop 5: The way ahead in ecosystem service and biodiversity
research. Workshop on ecosystem services and biodiversity
conservation: knowledge gaps and roadmap for future research;
12-14 January 2009, Germany.
Rationalising Biodiversity Conservation in Dynamic Ecosystems
RUBICODE outputs
(i) A series of review papers (drivers, frameworks and
concepts for ecosystem service assessment, valuation,
indicators, traits and conservation strategies).
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(ii) Workshops to evaluate the concepts and methods and
identify gaps in knowledge.
(iii) A series of concept papers that synthesize knowledge
from (i) and (ii), and further develop various concepts,
frameworks or strategies to address gaps in knowledge.
(iv) Roadmap of future research needs.
All outputs available from the project website: www.rubicode.net