More information
Description
Programme outcome the project contributes to: “Environmental status of ecosystems improved"
The project will contribute to improved knowledge about «ecosystems services» in Poland and improved expert capacities, in line with the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 and corresponding "Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems Services" (MAES)-process.
The pre-defined project will include, inter alia, the following main activities:
- Transfer of applicable knowledge from available research about ecosystem services, examples of cases and research/knowledge elaborated in the framework of the EU MAES Working Group into Polish conditions/context;
- Development of operational indicators/measures as basis for assessment of services provided by ecosystems in Poland;
- Case studies;
- Development of an approach and handbook that allows the inclusion of ecosystem services assessment into processes involving environmental management;
- Skills and capacity building of experts;
- Development of officials'' awareness of the potential of an ecosystem services approach from the political, social and ecological point of view;
The role of NINA is to contribute to experience-sharing and training-related activities.
Summary of project results
The project focused on identifying and assessing the services provided by the main types of ecosystems in Poland, taking an applied approach. Its implementation addressed the need to improve the mapping and assessment of ecosystem services within the country. The project contributed to transferring scientific knowledge on ecosystem services existing in Europe to Poland, while also strengthening the scientific potential and capacity of public administration and interested social groups to apply this approach in environmental management.
The research conducted allowed for the adaptation of existing scientific knowledge on ecosystem services to the specific conditions in Poland, thereby addressing barriers related to the lack of methodological frameworks for mapping and assessing ecosystem services, as well as limited availability of data sources. The involvement of leading research institutions in their respective fields helped establish new standards in ecosystem services research. his enabled an interdisciplinary and detailed approach to the analyzed issues, enhanced the practical applicability of the results, and acted as a catalyst for applied research.
Thematic workshops and seminars focused on various ecosystem types and their services played a pivotal role in disseminating the acquired knowledge. These events were targeted at representatives of public administration and expert-practitioners.
The project contributed to transferring general and specific scientific European knowledge about ecosystem services to mapping and assessing ecosystems and their services in Poland. It also supported capacity building for the broader implementation of this approach.
The main activities of the project were:
- Transferring knowledge from the global bibliography on ecosystem services (ES), including case studies, as well as application-oriented insights developed within the EU Working Group MAES (Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services), to the Polish context.
- Developing operational indicators to serve as a basis for mapping and assessment of ecosystem services in Poland at the national scale.
- Formulating an approach to integrate ES mapping and assessment into environmental management processes and enhancing the skills of experts involved in these procedures.
- Raising awareness among officials about the potential of the ES approach from political, social, and ecological perspectives.
- Strengthening the capacity of Polish scientific institutions focused on key ecosystems to adopt and advance the ES approach.
The project impacts can be summarized as follows: enhancing the competencies of leading Polish research teams in the mapping and assessment of ecosystem services; increasing the capacity of the administration and interested social groups to implement ecosystem services in environmental management.
The actions undertaken allowed for the achievement of the objectives set for various target group:
- Scientists – the project contributed to the development of knowledge about ecosystem services in Poland and increased scientific potential in the mapping and assessment of ecosystem services from an applied perspective.
- Representatives of the administration at the national, regional, and local levels, as well as expert-practitioners – the project supported raising the awareness of these stakeholders in environmental management regarding the socio-political significance of the recognition and assessment of ecosystem services.
- Interested social groups, including activists – the project contributed to expanding knowledge about the benefits that nature can provide to humans if properly managed.
The applied-oriented research activities included: selection of relevant ecosystem services (ES) and their indicators for the main ecosystem types in Poland; mapping and assessment of ES at national, regional, and local scales; cross-cutting analysis of the ecological, cultural, and economic values of ES; identification of significant ES synergies, trade-offs, and relevant ES bundles.
The organization of thematic workshops and seminars, targeted at representatives of the administration and expert-practitioners, played a key role in sharing the acquired knowledge related to specific ecosystem types and the relevant ecosystem services they provide. The project results were published and presented at international and national scientific conferences and seminars. In addition, a significant way to increase the potential for implementing ecosystem services in Poland was the distribution of 500 printed copies of the handbook summarizing the project''s research results to government bodies and institutions, research units, universities, and representatives of practitioners. The handbook was also released in an electronic version on a publicly accessible website https://ecoservpol.amu.edu.pl/podrecznik/
Summary of bilateral results
The collaboration between research teams from Poland and the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) involved sharing experiences and NINA''s participation in training activities. Representatives from NINA provided insights from their research on mapping and assessing ecosystem services, as well as their experiences collaborating with research communities, governmental agencies, and practitioners. As part of the collaboration, representatives of NINA:•Prepared comments on the delivered maps presenting the main ecosystem service values for the specified ecosystem types.•Shared their experiences in mapping and assessing ecosystem services during the kick-off meeting and five workshops focusing on the specified ecosystem types.•Conducted and presented a comparative study on the state of the art in Norway and Poland at the final conference. Additionally, a study visit by representatives of the project promoter to Norway provided an opportunity to explore in detail and discuss the ecosystem services work being conducted by NINA in the Oslo and Trondheim regions.Future collaboration may focus on multilateral work within the European Union funding program to offer guidance for evidence-based decision-making to protect and sustainably use ecosystems and their services. This approach will facilitate the transformative societal changes necessary to meet the European Biodiversity Strategy 2030 goals and the Green Deal.