The three-day event, organised under the framework of the LIFE Programme and hosted by LIFE IP B4B, brought together policymakers, practitioners, conservation experts, landowners, farmers and agricultural stakeholders to explore how RBaPS can be integrated into national agricultural policies to promote biodiversity-friendly farming. Through plenary sessions, expert panels, and case studies, participants discussed key challenges and opportunities for implementing these schemes at both local and European levels.
Key highlights included plenary sessions led by notable speakers like Humberto Delgado Rosa, from Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV) and Charlie McConalogue, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Ireland) alongside field trips showcasing successful LIFE-funded projects that have combined agriculture with biodiversity goals in Flanders and Wallonia in Belgium. Interactive working groups allowed participants to delve deeper into themes such as stakeholder engagement, biodiversity indicator selection, linking indicators for payment schemes, and scaling up sustainable practices, with the aim of developing concrete policy recommendations and practical solutions to be implemented across the EU.
At the event, fourteen key LIFE projects were featured:
- biodiversity | agricultural policy | environmental policy
- Wednesday 9 October 2024, 08:00 - Friday 11 October 2024, 16:00 (CEST)
- Belgium
Programme
- 9 Oct 2024, 09:00 - 11:00 (CEST)Plenary session 1: Inspirational Welcome and Introducing the RBaPS Panel
- Agriculture policy framework for nature friendly farming - Antonia LUETTEKEN, Policy Officer, Horizontal Unit for Environmental Sustainability, DG Agriculture, European Commission
- Ireland's RBaPS journey over the last 20 years - James MORAN Atlantic Technological University and the RBaPS Network (IE)
- Challenges of implementing RBaPS at the national level - Heinrich BELTING, Lower Saxony Water Management, Coastal and Nature Protection Agency (DE)
- Innovative Contract Approaches to Improve the uptake and Effectiveness of Agri-environmental Measures. H2020 - Sven DEFRIJN, Coordinator, Boerennatuur Vlaanderen and RBaPS Network (NL)
- Operating a results-based payment scheme in Spain LIFE Olivares Vivos - Carlos RUIZ LIFE Project Coordinator, SEO BirdLife (ES)
- RBaPS from a landowner perspective - Harm SCHOTEN, Director Eurosite – the European Land Conservation Network
- RBaPS - opportunities and challenges for farmers - Colm GAVIN, Wild Atlantic Nature farmer (IE)
- 14:00 - 14:30 (CEST)Plenary Session 3: Case Studies from across Europe
- Using RBaPS to Deliver Large-Scale Restoration in Ireland - Gary GOGGINS, Public Awareness Manager, LIFE Wild Atlantic Nature, (IE)
- Results oriented management (EBW) 2023 to 2029 in Austria - Erika DEPISCH, Project Manager, Suske Consulting, (AT)
- Pilot results-based agri-environment schemes at landscape scale in Transylvania HNV farmland - Christi Gherghiceanu, Fundatia Adept (RO)
- 16:00 - 17:30 (CEST)Plenary Session 4: Our Knowledge Market
- Speed Pitch 1 Mattis Cherdon RestPoll
- Speed Pitch 2 Tamara Koekkoek Peat Pals for LIFE
- Speed Pitch 3 Francois Salmon Biodiv Paysanne
- Speed Pitch 4 Caitriona Maher LIFE on Machair
- Speed Pitch 5 John Carey Corncrake LIFE
- Speed Pitch 6 Jorgen Bidstrup Life IP Natureman
- Speed Pitch 7 Luis Jardao LIFE SNAILS
- Speed Pitch 8 Katerina Tuharska LIFE SYSEL
- Speed Pitch 9 Paul Raiuier B4B
- Speed Pitch 10 Marie Kotasova.Adamkova LIFE in Salt Marshes
- Speed Pitch 11 Girts Barabovskis Latvia Nature
- Speed Pitch 12 Suzanne Menzel Biodiversity CH
- Speed Pitch 14 Jan Hornik Prospective LIFE
- Speed Pitch Patrick McGurn Aran ACRES Scheme
- 11 Oct 2024, 09:00 - 16:00 (CEST)Working Groups
Working Group I: Effective Stakeholder Engagement
- LIFE NATUREMAN (DK) – Jørgen BIDSTRUP Project Coordinator, LIFE Natureman
- LIFE B4B (BE) – Stakeholder engagement at the scale of an integrated project - Pierre RAULIER, B4B Partner Natagriwal
- LIFE-IP LatViaNature (LV) – Optimising the governance and management of the Natura 2000 Protected Areas Network in Latvia - Girts BARANOVSKIS Compenstation Team Leader, LatViaNature
Working group II: Selecting meaningful indicators
- LIFE Atlantic Crex (IE) - Improving Corncrake conservation status in Ireland by enhancement of the SPA network and surrounding farmland- John CAREY Project Manager, LIFE Atlantic Crex, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Ireland
- LIFE HUNVIPHAB (HU) -Viability Improvement of Hungarian Meadow Viper Populations and Habitats in the Pannonian Region - Balint HALPERN Project Coordinator, MME Kétéltű- és Hüllővédelmi Szakosztály
- LIFE IP All4Biodiversity (NL) - All together for Biodiversity - Biodiversity recovery approach for N2000 sites and surrounding, in cooperation with agricultural and other land users- Francisca DEMMENDAL-WIT and Marjon KROL Project Manager, Provincie Zuid-Holland and ZLOT
Working group III: Linking payments to indicators
- LIFE SYSEL (SK) – Conservation of the European Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus citellus) at the northwestern border of its range- Katarina TUHARSKA Project Coordinator, LIFE Metamorphosis, BRATISLAVSKE REGIONALNE OCHRANARSKEZDRUZENIE
- LIFE Lough Carra (IE) - Improving ecosystem resilience & reducing nutrient pollution in Louch Carra, one of Europe's premier SAC marl lakes - Siobhan Ward Farm Advisor, Lough Carra LIFE, Mayo County Council
- LIFE PAF-NATURALIT (LT) - Optimizing the management of Natura 2000 network in Lithuania- Žymantas MORKVĖNAS and Justas GULBINAS Baltic Environment Forum
Working group IV: Critical resources for upscaling
- Irish Acres Scheme - Hen Harrier Programme Ltd - Fergal MONAGHAN ACRES Manager. Hen Harrier Programme Ltd (IE)
- LIFE-IP ForEst&FarmLand project - Adaptive community-based management of forest and farming landscapes to improve the conservation status of Natura 2000 habitats and species - Annaliisa KAAREMAA Project Coordinator, Ministry of Climate (EE)
- EIP project - Farming for the Conservation of Species-Rich Grasslands with Knowledge Transfer to Farmers - Nika DEBELJAK RBaPS contact point, Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for nature conservation (SV)
Working group V: Indicators, Payments and Upscaling
- LIFE-IP LatViaNature – Optimising the governance and management of the Natura 2000 Protected Areas Network in Latvia - Maija MEDNE Grassland Habitat Expert, Nature Conservation Agency, (LV)
- LIFE IP GrassBirdHabitats - conservation of wet grassland breeding bird habitats in the Atlantic region - Heinrich BELTING Lower Saxony Water Management, Coastal and Nature Protection Agency (DE)
- The Irish Acres Scheme – Burren Aran - Speaker: Patrick MCGURN Regional Manager, ACRES Burren Aran (IE)
Practical information
- When
- Wednesday 9 October 2024, 08:00 - Friday 11 October 2024, 16:00 (CEST)
- Where
- Diestsepoort 6, 3000 Leuven (Dirk Boutsgebouw)Belgium
- Languages
- English
- Website
- LIFE Platform Meeting: Agriculture for the Benefit of Biodiversity