Category Archives: Users

Pasture bank – a platform for pasture leasing

Summary

Pasture bank is a platform through which the landowners and the domestic animal herders can find each other and agree a land-tenure contract for leasing pastures or grazing animals. Increasing grazing of underutilized pastures can improve biodiversity, landscape and animal welfare. Besides a contract model, pasture bank offers information about pastures, herding animals (domestic sheep, cows, horses) and services available for all interested partners around the country. The amount and direction of money transferred varies case-by-case; either the animal herder pays for wild pastures, or the landowner who leases grazing animals pays for the herder. The contracts are made between private entrepreneurs, but also municipalities and other organizations can offer their land for animal herders. Pasture bank was initiated in 2005, and during this time the amount of written contracts has increased. There are around 150 announcement every year (including both animals and pastures).

Objectives

Increase co-operation between pasture owners and animal herders;
Increase biodiversity of the underutilized pastures;
Keep landscape open by grazing;
Promote animal welfare by using wild pastures.

Public Goods

Pasture bank - a platform for pasture leasing — Pasture bank – a platform for pasture leasing

Problem description

The amount of grazing animals has decreased locally, since the number of farmers has decreased and the amount of livestock of a single farmer has increased. Therefore, some domestic animal herders may need more pastures than they own. On the other hand, some of the pastures that have been developed during the hundreds of years in the rural areas have been abandoned and they have become covered with forest. The pastures that are still existing are underutilized and have declined in biodiversity (and at landscape levels). Increasing grazing would promote biodiversity, for example, the amount of plants, insects, butterflies and birds. Nowadays, pastures with grazing animals are wanted also for the landscape and recreation. Pastures around towns or cities provide recreation possibilities for the nearby citizens. In order to improve the pasture characteristics, the landowners could offer their underutilized areas for herders. However, there hasn’t been a platform through which the landowners and herders could meet. Also, there has been a great need for information about the contents of contract between landowner and herder. The pasture bank platform was initiated by Rural Women’s Advisory Organisation together with ProAgria which is a Finnish expert organization providing an extensive network of specialists and a wide range of services to rural entrepreneurs.

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Integrated production in the olive groves

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Summary

With the integrated production program, sustainable agriculture in Andalusia has been promoted. The statistics offered by the regional government show that participation in this measure has been increasing over the past few years. Specifically, in the olive grove sector, there is a lot of competition. “Integrated production” provides the farmer with a sustainability brand that is usually linked to a better market price. The contract can be made directly with the administration or through cooperatives that manage various farms (minimum 5). As added value, the use of earth observation techniques allow the monitoring of Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) under different crop management increasing the soil quality and the mitigation of climate change impacts.

Objectives

Preservation of soil conservation and biodiversity associated.
Monitoring Soil Organic Carbon under different crop management
Improving visibility of integrated production as a system provider of multiple lasting AECPGs.

Public Goods

Climate regulation - carbon storage — **Climate regulation – carbon storage**

Integrated production in the olive groves

Problem description

The regional administration provides information on the use and application of different amendments based on expert knowledge and pest risk forecasts. The objective was to obtain a product of both environmental and social quality by granting the integrated production brand. The different crop management have different impact on soil organic carbon. The evaluation process is based on Carbosoil model, developed with 16 soil types and more than 1600 soil profiles in order to predict the soil capacity for carbon sequestration in Mediterranean areas. The novelty in the present case study is developing a control-carbon soil map at a detailed scale for the 0-25 cm soil section, and identifying the impact of crop management on soil organic carbon through earth observation techniques.
For that, olive groves under different soil types and crop management will be selected and monitored for estimate the crop management impact on soil organic carbon.

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Agro-ecological transition pathways in arable farming

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Summary

In intensive arable regions like the Nienburg district in Lower Saxony the uptake of current agri-environment schemes is low and their performance unsatisfactory.

Nine arable farms are assessed using the participatory decision support tools SMART, Cool Farm Tool and COMPAS possible pathways of agro-ecological transitions and to co-construct practice-validatedstrategies and incentives for the promotion of improved agro-ecological practices. Agro-ecological practices are adopted on specific parts of the farm if and where such practices fit best with the business plan of the farm. Result oriented approaches will be developed on an experimental basis to foster farmland biodiversity and water protection using the toolkit to assess the environmental, economic and social performance of the innovative strategies at farm level (part of the German case study of H2020 project UNISECO).

Objectives

A local Multi-Actor Platform (MAP) is set up to:

Improve understanding of barriers and drivers of agro-ecological transitions;
Co-construct novel and effective market mechanisms and policy instruments to improve the sustainability of intensive arable farming systems;
Design result-oriented agro-ecological practices allowing to improve biodiversity and water quality while minimizing negative impacts on the economic viability.

Public Goods

Agro-ecological transition pathways in arable farming

Problem description

In the district of Nienburg, Lower Saxony a high pressure on ecological sustainability in general and biodiversity loss as well as water pollution in particular persists. Land use is dominated by highly market-oriented farming with a high share of rented land.
The experience with demanding agro-ecological practices is very limited. Cover crops are grown as greening measure and some farmers have established flowering strips, extensive field margins.

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Climate summit 2021

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From last Sunday until November 12th, one year late due to the COVID pandemic, the Glasgow (Scotland) Climate Summit is held (COP26).

The climate summit was attended by the leaders of 120 countries to try to respond to the climate emergency and prevent global warming, among which we highlight Joe Biden (United States), Xi Jinping (China) or Vladimir Putin (Russia). However, some summoned presidents did not attend, as is the case of the Mexican López Obrador or the Brazilian Jair Bolsonaro.

«Distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, it is my great pleasure to declare open the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change»
Carolina Schmidt, President of COP25.

Why do they meet?

COP26 is an expected appointment because the main themes of the Paris Agreement of six years ago must be developed. Among them, the increase in the commitments of each country to combat greenhouse gas emissions or the financing of the fight against climate change.

Let us remember that 196 countries signed the Paris Agreement (2015) and all of them undertook to limit the increase in the planet’s temperature to more than 1.5 ºC, as he highlighted British Minister for International Development, Alok Sharma.

Sharma alluded to the latest IPCC report, which we already published on the CONSOLE project blog, that last August confirmed that climate change is “undoubtedly” caused by human activity and pointed out that the study, signed by 195 governments, has set off alarms and shows that “the window is closing.”

OP26 President Alok Sharma says reaching agreements on 1.5C maximum global warming will be ”very very tough”. SOURCE: BBC NEWS

But politicians weren’t the only ones present

Activists have also mobilized in Glasgow with the objective of put even more pressure on politicians. This is the case of youth campaign members ‘Extinction Rebellion’ who manifested on Saturday, in parallel to the arrival of the young climate activist Greta Thunberg, who share a clear outrage at the climate emergency.

Protesters in Glasgow. Source:. SOURCE: Duna 89.7

Remembering the Paris Agreement

COP21, held in France in 2015, is considered the first meeting of the COP from which real and concrete commitments emerged from all signatory countries. There it was agreed that carbon emissions should be reduced to avoid global warming, so the temperature should be controlled and limited to less than 2 degrees, but ideally up to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as we mentioned earlier. The signatories also agreed on national targets to reduce greenhouse gases by 2030.

However, scientists have warned that if governments do not act now, it will be too late and impossible to achieve the first emission reduction goal by 2030 and, therefore, so much, achieve the objectives of zero emissions by 2050. So the Glasgow declaration is expected to pick up enough progress and a roadmap so serious that it is really a “tipping point”.

Conservation and restoration of grasslands in Strandzha and Sakar mountains for restoring local biodiversity and endangered bird species

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Summary

The project started in 2015 and is still ongoing. The main goal was to restore former high value pastures that have been turned into farmland and in this way to restore the natural habitats of important species – the European Souslik as a main food source for Imperial Eagle, Booted Eagle, Lesser spotted eagle, Long-legged buzzard. The contract is land-based and it includes around 20 farmers in the Strandzha Mountain. The leading organization is the Bulgarian Society for Protection of Birds, which is an NGO. Under a project financed partially by the LIFE + program the association purchased and leased out over 600 ha land to farmers with requirements to restore and maintain the pastures in the environmental way.

Objectives

Protect the local biodiversity in the area;
Restoration of the natural mosaic nature of the habitats in the region;
To encourage the involvement of farmers into contracts for biodiversity conservation.

Public Goods

Rewilding of detention basin in Massa Lombarda

Problem description

There is a tendency to plough and convert some of the most important grasslands for endangered bird species into arable land, vineyards and orchards. The main driving force for this contract was the high percentage of tilled pastures, which were turned into arable land in the Strandhza and Sakar mountains. The restoration of former high-value pastures will contribute to the conservation of endangered vulture birds and will also allow the restoration of the mosaic nature of the habitats – an important biodiversity feature.

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Flemish nature management plan

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Summary

Different owners and managers develop common and differentiated management goals for their respective territories for developing sustainable nature and forestry; integrated management, according to the Flemish Integrated Management Criteria (ecology, economy, social and heritage dimension aspects).

Objectives

The nature management plan describes the most important values of an area for its ecological, social and economic function and makes well-founded choices about the important objectives for this area. The plan must also clarify which measures are required for this, and how and where they are implemented. One also wants to know whether the area under management is actually evolving in the right direction and, where necessary, adjusting management is needed. A nature management plan has a term of 24 years, unless determined otherwise when approved. In addition, the nature management plan is an administrative document. It is a contract between the government and the manager in which certain fees stand against certain commitments. The nature management plan is also a way to test whether the planned goals and measures are in accordance with policy preconditions, such as N2000 management plans, species protection programs or protected landscapes. This requires that the goals and measures are formulated unambiguously and according to an agreed terminology.

Public Goods

**Recreational access / Improvements to physical and mental health**

Problem description

In the region of Flanders forests and nature legally are managed through one type of plan – the nature management plan. This plan replaces all previous management plans:
• basic forest management plan;
• extended forest management plan;
• management plan for forest reserves;
• management plan for nature reserves;
• management plan for verges;
• management plan for parks.
The nature management plan is a voluntary contract under administrative law between the Flemish government and the manager(s) of nature and forests.
Advantages of the nature management plan:
• single approval procedure for all types of nature (forest, heath, open green space,…);
• transparent and organized;
• linked to subsidies;
• nature and forest management plan is valid for 24 years – evaluation every six years, no further administrative approvals needed;
• public bodies, NGO‘s and private owners use the same system and get equal opportunities;
• a nature management plan is a constructive tool for the long term planning of a plot of forest or nature.

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