Request for Expert Input on Guidelines for Connectivity Conservation Planning in Europe

Green infrastructure is key for long-term conservation of biodiversity and better connection of protected areas. The European Horizon project NaturaConnect “Designing a resilient and coherent Trans-European Nature Network for Nature and People” strives to support the development of a coherent Trans-European Nature Network (TEN-N) linking conserved areas. 

The NaturaConnect team has compiled the Guidelines for Connectivity Conservation and Planning in Europe and is now in the process of collecting feedback on the Connectivity Guidelines. These Guidelines will provide information and guidance for planning ecological connectivity conservation and restoration, include methodologies and discuss opportunities and challenges for connectivity planning. It aims at supporting the implementation of biodiversity conservation and restoration policies. 

The NaturaConnect team invites experts to review the guidelines ahead of its publication using the form below. Such inputs will further improve and tailor the Guidelines to the needs of the end-users: practitioners and individuals involved in the management and administration of protected areas and ecological connectivity projects across Europe. Inputs will also refine the online module for the NaturaConnect Learning Platform, ensuring its relevance and effectiveness for all users.

The review process is open until 31 May 2024. If you have any questions, reach out to naturaconnect@iiasa.ac.at.

The Guidelines are based on the NaturaConnect online survey on connectivity projects in Europe and the “Assessing ecological connectivity in Europe: conservation goals and information gaps” workshop, held on October 23-24, 2023.

The NaturaConnect team will discuss the provided feedback and suggestions at the next Biodiversity Working Group Meeting in Vienna, Austria, from 17-18 June 2024. The received inputs will be integrated into the Guidelines.

The Carpathian Convention Secretariat is cooperating with NaturaConnect led by the Institute of Applied System Analysis (IIASA, Austria), to promote ecological connectivity. 

The NaturaConnect project unites 22 universities and research institutes, government bodies and non-governmental organizations, working together with relevant stakeholders. Developing a coherent TEN-N linking conserved areas follows the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 as well as in the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Global Biodiversity Framework.

Categories: General news