Outline of forum activities
Current project: Integrate climate change into sectoral practices in Belgium
Scientists and sector representatives will be invited to reflect on the ways to adapt sectoral practices in order to reduce the impact of climate change on biodiversity in Belgium. A two-step approach will be followed. The first part of the project will focus on identifying adaptations and research required to make current nature conservation and management strategies climate proof. Contacts with relevant sectors (nature conservation, agriculture, forestry, freshwater management, etc) in order to envisage concrete/ technical measures aiming at reducing the impact of climate change on biodiversity will be carried out in the second step of the project.
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Step 1 - Integrate climate change into nature conservation and management strategies
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Step 2 - Adapt sectoral practices to climate change
Other proposed activities
The following activities could be developed in the framework of the forum. Some of them will be partly accomplished in the course of the ongoing project.
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Identify species and habitats that are most threatened by climate change (in Belgium) and develop appropriate management plans
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Propose procedures to evaluate the efficiency of adaptation measures in view of optimizing management plans (adaptive management)
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Compile arguments to the attention of policy-makers, putting forward the stakes of conserving biodiversity in the context of climate change (in Belgium), including evaluation of costs and benefits of action/inaction
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Assess the impact of climate change mitigation measures on biodiversity
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Provide a scientific support to the integration of measures aiming to reduce the impact of climate change on biodiversity in international nature conservation and/ or development cooperation projects
Integrate climate change into nature conservation and management strategies
Introduction
Historically, nature conservation practices have mainly relied on traditions. However, the context is changing. Human activities are exerting more and more pressure on the natural environment. In addition to habitat destruction and fragmentation, invasive species, pollution and over-exploitation, climate change now adds to the list of human-induced drivers of biodiversity loss. Climate change already has perceptible impacts on the geographical range, phenology, behaviour and genetic diversity of organisms. Particularly worrying is the fact that climate change combines and can exacerbate the effects of other threats to biodiversity. For example, species might not be able to adapt their ranges to track changing climatic conditions in a fragmented landscape or invasive alien species might find new opportunities under changing climate.
Traditional nature conservation tools were not designed to respond to these challenges and need to be revised in the light of these new threats, particularly climate change. Adaptations to the current conservation strategies require a good understanding of the interactions between climate change and biodiversity as well as between climate change and the other drivers of biodiversity loss. Some general lines of recommendations can already be drafted based on current knowledge but undoubtedly scientific research will be necessary to fill the knowledge gaps and allow for the development of scientifically sound climate-proof conservation strategies.
The aims of this project are to: (1) identify the new issues the nature conservation sector will have to face due to climate change and its interactions with other stressors, (2) propose general lines of adaptations to natural resources management practices based on the current knowledge of the interactions between climate change and biodiversity and (3) identify research priorities to allow for the development of scientifically sound climate-proof conservation strategies. The output of this project will be a recommendation document to the attention of nature conservation managers and policy makers, science policy representatives and the general public.
Course
Work packages
The project is divided in 3 work packages. The aims of these WP are as follow:
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WP 1: New threats and stakes in nature conservation (work package leaders: Etienne Branquart & Alain Hambuckers)
Identify the new threats and new stakes the nature conservation sector will have to deal with in the future in relation to climate change and its interactions with others stressors. This includes the identification of species and habitats that are most threatened by climate change, the potential impact of climate change on threatened species and invasive alien species, the issue of connectivity, etc
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WP 2: Adaptations to management practices (work package leader: Hans Van Dyck)
Propose general lines of adaptations to current nature management practices based on the current knowledge of the interactions between biodiversity and climate change (and other stressors).
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WP 3: Identification of research priorities (work package leader: Hendrik Segers)
Identify research that will enable (1) predicting the impact of climate change, in conjunction with other pressures, on species and ecosystems to facilitate adapting conservation management to climate change; (2) adapting biodiversity conservation and management strategies to climate change. (Part of) this research might be focused on species and habitats identified as most threatened by climate change in the first step of the project.
Work packages proceed independently but results of WP1 will serve as a basis for WP2 and results from WP1 and WP2 will serve as a basis for WP3.
Work packages deliverables
Each work package will produce a paper (about 5 pages long). The writing up will be done in English but the final document will be translated in national languages. The forum section of the website will enable discussions during the writing-up process.
Participants
Biology
- Luc De Bruyn (INBO)
- Marc Dufrêne (CRNFB)
- Boudewijn Goddeeris (RBINS)
- Sandrine Godefroid (NBG) *
- Alain Hambuckers (ULg) *
- Martin Hermy (KUL) *
- Erik Matthysen (UA)
- Ivan Nijs (UA)
- Alain Peeters (RHEA)
- Emmanuel Sérusiaux (ULg) *
- Hans Van Dyck (UCL) *
- Kris Verheyen (UGent)
Socio-economy
- David Aubin (UCL) *
- Kris Bachus (HIVA)
- Jeroen Buysse (UGent)
- Guido Huylenbroeck (UGent)
- Marc Mormont (ULg)
Atmospheric sciences
- Louis François (ULg) *
- Jean-Pascal Van Ypersele (UCL)
Administration
- Machteld Gryseels (IBGE/BIM)
- Els Martens (LNE)
- Marlène Moreau (UVCW)
- Dominique Perrin (DG5)
- Jacques Stein (DGRNE)
- Christel Termol (UVCW)
- Aline van der Werf (BelSPO) *
- Ines Verleye (DG5)
NGO
- Lionel Delvaux (IEW)
- Jos Gysels (Natuurpunt)
- Joëlle Huysecom (Natagora)
- Gérard Jadoul (IEW)
- Steven Vanholme (Natuurpunt)
Other
- Erika Baus (Belgian Biodiversity Platform) *
- Etienne Branquart (Belgian Biodiversity Platform) *
- Anne Franklin (CBD National Focal Point)
- Hendrik Segers (Belgian Biodiversity Platform) *
* Member of the scientific steering committee
Deliverables
Work package syntheses will be integrated into a final report which will serve as a reference document for Belgian actors in nature conservation. The aim of this document is to identify new threats and challenges and propose new strategic orientations for nature conservation/ management under changing climate. Specific research needs that would help design new approaches and tools for nature conservation and management will also be reviewed in this document.
Target audience
- natural resources managers and policy makers
- science policy representatives
- scientists
- general public
Timeline
- June 25th 2008: kick-off meeting
- September: mid-term evaluation meeting
- November: official release of the final document
Follow-up
The follow-up of this project will include contacts with relevant sectors (nature conservation, agriculture, forestry, freshwater management, etc) in order to envisage concrete/ technical measures aiming at reducing the impact of climate change on biodiversity.
