Eklipse Eklipse

This new episode is based on the handbook entitled "Evaluating the impact of nature-based solutions: a handbook for practitioners", which was published by the European Commission Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, with the participation of the two co-authors of this document, Dr. Adina Dumitru and Dr. Laura Wendling; and Gillian Dick, spatial planning manager within the development plan group at Glasgow City Council.

Guests: Adina Dumitru, Laura Wendling, Gillian Dick

Keywords: Nature-Based Solutions, NBS, handbook,  nature,  indicators, biodiversity, impact,  benefits,  measure,  evaluation,  ecosystem services, space.

Protection of nature has a crucial role in preventing the emergence of future pandemic outbreaks. Our current destructive relationship with nature that has led to habitat modifications and landscape transformations such as deforestation and agricultural expansion have increased the risks of emerging diseases. Moreover, pandemics are more likely to occur due to the exponential increase of human activities related to farmed and domestic animal populations. Listen to our podcast and learn more about the role of biodiversity loss in the outbreak of pandemics.

Guests: Thomas Mettenleiter, Serge Morand

The increase of renewable energy use in Europe is a crucial element of EU policy to meet the Paris agreement goals lowering its contributions to climate change. Despite the relevance of renewable energy technologies towards a clean energy transition, they could also have diverse positive and negative effects on the environment and society that need to be taken into consideration to avoid unforeseen consequences such as habitat loss, overseas impacts. Seeking a better understanding of existing mechanisms by which energy policy interconnects with biodiversity and ecosystems services, an Eklipse Working Group analysed the current evidence, identifying challenges and highlighted ways to overcome and/or mitigate the impact of potential challenges. Listen to our podcast and learn more about the impacts of EU renewable policy in Biodiversity, Ecosystem services and Sustainable development goals.

Guests: Henri Rueff, Miriam Grace

The benefits of urban green and blue areas for our mental health and well-being have become more and more evident during the current pandemic. Despite their relevance and considering the fact that urban areas are home to half the world’s population, we don’t have enough information about how these areas should be designed in order to have a real contribution to our mental health and well-being. One of our Expert Working Groups analysed what we currently know and how these areas can improve our mental health and well-being. Listen to our podcast and learn more about what we currently know and how we can do more to enhance the contributions of urban and peri-urban Blue & Green areas to our well-being.

Guests: Sjerp de Vries, Maria Beatrice Andreucci, Dorota Jarosinska, Carole Pourchez

Our food production systems depend on biodiversity and ecosystem services. This fact is more and more recognised by the whole society. However, we still do not manage to integrate the resources that nature freely provides to us in the value of products we daily consume. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) such as farmers and other food producers are currently struggling with market prices for their products and at the same time produce more sustainably.

Listen to our podcast and learn more about how environmental regulators can support SMEs to enhance environmental sustainability.

Guests: Lisa Biber-Freudenberger, Janina Grabs

According to the European Environment Agency, the current agricultural practices remain one of the main causes of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation across the continent. But on the other hand, ecological diversity ensures the functions for agricultural productivity: the health of the soil, for example, depends on the presence of a lot of particular species. Listen to our podcast and learn more about the recommendations developed by an Eklipse Expert Working Group, on how the European Union policies and foremost the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) must encourage farmland biodiversity.
Guests: Eszter Krasznai Kovács, Alberto Arroyo Schnell

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