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Rationalising Biodiversity Conservation

in Dynamic Ecosystems

(RUBICODE)

Background & Project Structure

Funded under the European CommissionSixth Framework Programme

Contract Number: 036890

For further information contact Paula Harrison (email: paharriso@aol.com)

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Partners• 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

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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.

• 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.

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Background

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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.

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MA ecosystem service categories

Provisioning

services

Regulatory

services

Pest control

Food production

Water purification

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MA ecosystem service categories

Cultural

services

Supporting

services

Pest control

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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.

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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.

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RUBICODE structure

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RUBICODE: Coordination Action

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.

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 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.

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.

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RUBICODE outputs

(i) A series of review papers (drivers, frameworks and concepts for ecosystem service assessment, valuation, indicators, traits and conservation strategies).

(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