Press Release, 16. April 2009
Tools for ex-ante Sustainability Impact Assessment for Land Use Policies
Media and Communications
Leibniz-Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF)
International Conference
Scientists from the integrated project SENSOR invite end users to join an interdisciplinary User Forum on ex-ante Sustainability Impact Assessment in Brussels. The conference will take place in the University Foundation on 22.-23. April 2009. The event will be used to discuss research results for impact assessment for land use policies in the EU.
The Integrated Project SENSOR was financed by the 6th Framework Research Programme of the European Commission. SENSOR has developed innovative Sustainability Impact Assessment Tools designed to measure future effects of land use policies in agriculture, forestry, tourism, nature protection, energy and transport infrastructure. Results from the four year project will be presented in Brussels on 22. and 23. April.
Combining a ‘Science Day’ with a ‘Policy Day’, this conference is specifically targeted at the interested experts involved in EU impact assessment as well as policy and decision makers on the national and international level. The “Science Day” offers insight into the extensive interdisciplinary research that stands behind the tools. The “Policy Day” will give conference guests the opportunity to discuss usability and application of the developed research outputs. Throughout both days, current and potential users will stand central when examining questions of risk assessment, methodological transparency and examples for integrated research.
The User Forum seeks to demonstrate applications of tools and methods for two concrete policy cases:
- the EU Budget Review associated with its most controversial topic being the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and
- the Bioenergy Case for EU27.
“SENSOR explicitly developed a broad view across policy arenas and land use sectors. This allows the user to simulate the impacts of fundamental changes of policy orientation, such as the complete reduction of CAP financial budgets. Such drastic scenarios might particularly help decision-makers find solutions in the face of fundamental problems such as the current financial crisis”, says Dr. Katharina Helming, the project coordinator.
The aim of SENSOR was to develop science based tools to support decision making on policies related to land use in European regions. The four year project brought together experts from various areas of expertise, such as land use, environmental economics, socio-economics and landscape research. The results now show an extremely broad range of data and a wide variety of potential applications, especially in the field of regional development in rural areas. IP SENSOR was financed by the 6th Framework Research Programme of the European Commission and was coordinated by the Leibniz-Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) in Müncheberg, Germany.
The Leibniz-Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) e.V. conducts integrated systems analysis of agricultural landscapes for sustainable management of land and water, conservation of natural and cultural resources and sustainable development of rural areas. ZALF is member of the Leibniz Association. For further information please contact Katharina Diehl, diehl@zalf.de
http://www.sensor-ip.eu
http://www.zalf.de |
