Biodiversity

The European Birds and Habitats Directives - jointly referred to as the Nature Directives (ND) – are central regulatory instruments to achieve the EU Biodiversity Strategy’s main target: ‘halt the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the EU and help stop global biodiversity loss by 2020’. A recent evaluation by the European Commission has concluded that while the ND remain highly relevant, their implementation needs to be improved to successfully achieve sought objectives. The project Evidence‐based improvements in the Birds and Habitats Directives (BHD) implementation: a systematic review (E-BIND) responds to this need by gathering evidence and developing recommendations for key stakeholders on how to better use scientific knowledge and networks to more effectively implement the Directives.Read more

With three quarters of the European Union's population living in cities and further increases expected, societies are increasingly facing socio-political shifts and marginalization. Limited availability of physical space, changing urban demographics, and increasing cultural diversity compound these challenges and create issues like high crime rates, social inequality, poverty, health threats, and unemployment. Some areas are particularly vulnerable, such as economically deprived, abandoned and neglected urban areas with a low share of green spaces. The Horizon2020 funded project “CLEVER Cities” responds to these challenges by designing and implementing locally tailored nature-based solutions (NBS) to foster sustainable and socially inclusive urban regeneration.Read more