Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) can be an important source of income for rural inhabitants of Laos. One such NTFP, which has been promoted by the government of Laos, is the paper mulberry tree (Broussonetia papyrifera (L) Vent). This study was performed to understand the factors influencing the commercialisation of paper mulberry bark in Oudomxay province (Northern Laos) and to investigate the potential of the paper mulberry tree as a source of steady income.

<p>&#13; On 5 November 2009, the Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F) in Frankfurt/Main hosted a workshop focusing on “Opportunities and limits of the ecosystem services concept.” Holger Gerdes, Fellow at the Ecologic Institute, gave a presentation on the application of the ecosystem services concept in policy consultancy.</p>&#13;

In a seminal online article in Internationale Politik, Germany's leading foreign policy magazine, Sascha Müller-Kraenner, Senior Policy Advisor of Ecologic Institute, and Martin Kremer address the newly appointed German Minister of Foreign Affairs with six recommendations for the development of an active climate foreign policy (in German).

<p>The overall purpose of this study is to clarify which models and scenarios are being used and can be used to explore the developments of biodiversity and ecosystems in light of different assumptions of drivers and policies. The results feed into the second phase of the wider Review on The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB).</p>&#13;

The role of agriculture in future climate policies and different bioenergy applications were discussed at an Ecologic Transatlantic Riverside Chat that took place on the Potomac River in Washington DC on 10 July 2009. The event was part of the second transatlantic farmer-to-farmer exchange that brought together farmers from Germany and the US, as well as scientists and journalists with an agricultural background.

<p> The final event of the 13th Hessian Climate Protection Forum was a high level panel discussion on the international climate negotiations in Copenhagen. Panelists included the Hessian Secretary of State Mark Weinmeister, Wintershall Board Member Dr. Gerhard K&ouml;nig, Franzjosef Schafhausen from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, and Dr. Camilla Bausch from the Ecologic Institute. Journalist Thomas Hanke (Handelsblatt) moderated the panel.</p>

Srebotnjak, Tanja; Holger Gerdes; Aaron Best et. al. 2009: Evaluation of Indicators for EU Policy Objectives. Research note (D 2.1)

<p>&#13; Emissions trading systems emerging in the United States offer the opportunity of a future trading link to the European carbon market. While such a link promises more efficient allocation of resources in a larger and more liquid market, differences in the design of trading systems can undermine the effectiveness of the linked trading systems. In a presentation at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, Michael Mehling and Jason Anderson provided legislators and their staff with an update of recent policy developments in the US and identified the prospects of an eventual market link across the Atlantic. This presentation and a series of commissioned background studies helped brief EU parliamentarians visiting the US in 2009.</p>&#13; <p>&#13; </p>

Biomass use and the production of biofuels face several international challenges. The main tasks of the project are to describe and compare national and international support programmes and framework conditions for the production of biofuels as well as to accompany discussions on EU Directives in the field of bioenergies and the sustainability of biofuels.