Contents:

1. Protecting Aquatic Biodiversity in Europe – Publication
2. Science Sips on Fisheries Policy – Event
3. SWITCH-ON Policy Briefs – Publications
4. Key Descriptive Statistics on the Consideration of Water Issues in Rural Development Programmes 2014-2020 – Publication
5. Guidance on "Good Practices" for Rural Development Programmes from a Water Perspective – Publication
6. Assessment of Eutrophication Abatement Measures Across Land-based Sources, Inland, Coastal and Marine Waters – Publication
7. Using Land Use (Change) for the Valuation of Soil Protection – Event
8. REFRESH Food Waste 2017 – Event
9. EU Climate and Energy Policy 2030 – Dinner Dialogue
10. Climate Change for Journalists – Summer School

1. Protecting Aquatic Biodiversity in Europe – Publication

   As part of the Horizon 2020 project AQUACROSS, Ecologic Institute and consortium members have published an article in the peer-reviewed journal Ambio examining the potential of Ecosystem-Based Management as an integrative policy concept for improving the integration of freshwater, coastal and marine policies. The article further examines synergies, barriers and opportunities between key European environmental policies to protect aquatic biodiversity across the three water realms. The article is available for download.

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2. Science Sips on Fisheries Policy – Event

   Science and civil society warn that we may be overfishing the seas. The national and European fisheries policy framework seeks to ensure sustainable fishing and the protection of oceans – but does fisheries policy achieve this? How does fisheries policy affect the food on our plates? What can an individual consumer do in response to these policies and ocean conservation? We will discuss these and other questions at the Science Sip "Fisheries Policy" on 19 July 2017 within the framework of the project "Taste of the Future of the Seas", which is part of the Science Year 2016*17 – Seas and Oceans, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research. Registration is still open.

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3. SWITCH-ON Policy Briefs – Publications

   Aiming to exploit the untapped potential of open data, SWITCH-ON has developed 14 open data products and services as well as collaborative tools for open science and business development. Ecologic Institute prepared four policy briefs showcasing the SWITCH-ON Market Analysis Framework, the SWITCH-ON Virtual Water Science Laboratory (focusing on Open Science), the SWITCH-ON approach to Open Innovation and the project's contribution to European environmental policy and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). All policy briefs are available for download.

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4. Key Descriptive Statistics on the Consideration of Water Issues in Rural Development Programmes 2014-2020 – Publication

   As part its on-going participation to a framework contract with the European Commission on supporting the implementation of European water policies, Ecologic Institute led an assessment of how Member States' current Rural Development Programmes (2014-2020) address agricultural pressures on water bodies and promote measures that can contribute to protect and restore the water environment, reducing flood and drought risk. The report is available for download.

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5. Guidance on "Good Practices" for Rural Development Programmes from a Water Perspective – Publication

   In the context of a framework contract with the European Commission focused on supporting the implementation of European water policies, Ecologic Institute has contributed to the preparation of a best practice overview report on how water management issues can be addressed within Rural Development Programmes. The report is available for download.

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6. Assessment of Eutrophication Abatement Measures Across Land-based Sources, Inland, Coastal and Marine Waters – Publication

   Eutrophication remains a major problem in Europe's waters despite substantial management efforts in the last decades. This report provides an overview of measures to reduce nutrient pollution from point and diffuse sources, as well as an analysis of the implementation of European policies for eutrophication abatement of inland, coastal and marine waters, in particular the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Examples of eutrophication abatement strategies in eight case study regions are presented. The case studies are analyzed in view of different aspects such as governance issues, the role of research, stakeholder participation and the choice of measures and funding instruments. The report concludes with an analysis of progress achieved and remaining implementation gaps. It's available for download.

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7. Using Land Use (Change) for the Valuation of Soil Protection – Event

   Despite extensive discussions, no agreement has been found regarding a common soil indicator for measuring Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) in Germany. Major obstacles include low data availability and the effort needed to measure physical soil conditions regularly. During an expert workshop on 27 March 2017 in Berlin, a new and simpler approach, developed by Ecologic Institute in cooperation with the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA), was discussed to determine its suitability for LDN. The core idea of the approach is to measure land use and land use change, directly referring to soil quality in the sense of LDN. The workshop minutes are available for download.

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8. REFRESH Food Waste 2017 – Event

   This multi-stakeholder conference, organized by Ecologic Institute, took place on 18 May 2017 in Berlin. It brought together leaders in food waste prevention, reduction and valorization and featured keynote addresses by Dr. Maria Flachsbarth (Parliamentary State Secretary of the German Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture) and Vytenis Andriukaitis (European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety). REFRESH partners presented the latest project results and ongoing work. Furthermore, the winners of the REFRESH Food Waste Solution Contest presented their projects. The Conference featured several innovative elements, including an innovator fair, two art installations, an improvisational theatre performance, two real-live pigs and a "Disco Chop" evening. A video summary, presentation slides and various project outcomes are available online.

   https://eu-refresh.org/conference2017

9. EU Climate and Energy Policy 2030 – Dinner Dialogue

   On 1 June 2017, Ecologic Institute hosted a Dinner Dialogue on the EU Climate and Energy Policy 2030 featuring guest speakers Artur Runge-Metzger (European Commission, DG CLIMA), Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf (Ecologic Institute) und Franziska Erdle (WV Metalle). Franzjosef Schafhausen moderated the discussion. The 22 participants discussed how the EU crisis and concerns around a loss of democracy impact the future of EU climate and energy policy.

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10. Climate Change for Journalists – Summer School

    Journalists, like the general public, often wrestle with the complex scientific foundations, politics and economics of climate change and its solutions. The Climate Change Summer School for Journalists addressed this very challenge with the primary aim of improving media coverage around the implementation of the Paris Agreement. Seventeen journalists from Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean participated in the ten-day training course. An overview of the articles and documentaries from journalists involved is available online.

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