Ecosystem services: Adaptive EU policies for future EU regions

International Colloquium

September 30- October 1, 2013 Bratislava

The conservation of biodiversity provides human society with a vast diversity of benefits because genes, species and ecosystems support the provision of numerous services, which include food, fibre and fuel, the regulation of air and water quality, flood protection, pollination, pest control, recreation, and many more. The quality of these services results – among other things – from how individuals’ decisions affect each other and from how they are regulated by decentralized norms and centralized governance schemes, legislations, policies and various forms of economic incentives.

There are still major gaps in national and regional policies in addressing the importance of ecosystem services and their effects on well being of EU regions. Objective of the colloquium is to advance understanding of the effects existing EU legislation and policies on ecosystem services. The main focus will be put on institutional innovations and decision-making approaches to the assessment of the ecosystem services under the conditions of increasing market pressure. The extent to which existing EU legislation and policies (addressing both state and pressures) affect the ecosystems and the associated services. Moreover, the priority is the further integration of ecosystem services into regional policy and other policies closely interlinked with biodiversity and ecosystem services. Benefits of resilient ecosystems are often overlooked. There is a need to take more steps for the systematic involvement of other sectors in tackling the problems of biodiversity loss and degradation of ecosystems and their services.

Contact: cetip@cetip.sk, www.cetip.sk

Deadline for registration: September 10, 2013