welcome   to the

Members N e w s ! ! !

October 2, 2002

• list of EoI's is available on CORDIS Expression of Interest Service (please, check for related EoI)
• and, more important, Report on the Analysis of Expressions of Interest 2002 is available now!
  
  We request your analysis and comments until October 16 !

August 2002

• the ERN newsletter in non-public area gives you current information on subjects of interest

• for the final EoI submitted to Brussels please visit Integrated project page in non-public area

Mission:

This website is an initiative of the Centre for Environmental Research and Technology (UFT), University of Bremen, Germany, and its departments of Applied Botany and Ecology to promote integrated projects and a network of excellence within the 6th framework programme of the EU (6th FP) in the field of research on

Ecological Restoration in Mediterranean Type Ecosystems

Additionally to the ecological aspects, socio economic problems have to be considered. The website is intended to be  a forum for discussions and a platform for building a consortium. Possible projects will be posted in a non-public area to be discussed and developed among the participants of the network.

The mission of this website is to bring together scientists, engineers, sme’s, local and regional administration, stakeholders and decision makers in the field of Ecological Restoration in Mediterranean Type Ecosystems.

The European Commission intends to fund projects within the 6th FP which encompass a so called critical mass of expertise in the described research fields. A two-step process is scheduled. The first is a call for expression of interest (EoI), the second is a call for submission of proposals on the base of the ideas submitted by the EoI’s and discussed with members of the EoI-consortia. The submission of EoI’s should already be made by pre-formed consortia (see Guide for Submitters).

The section EU documents of this website provides links to the respective documents of the EU for the 6th FP.

We do hope that you are interested in participating in the set-up process of an integrated project or a network of excellence. Please visit the registration site to receive further information for the process of building a consortium and get full access to the non-public area of  renaturation.net.

Relation to Priority Thematic Area of FP 6:
1.6 Sustainable development, global change and ecosystems

The necessity of ecological restoration of degraded areas has become widely discussed in the Mediterranean over the last years in view of the increasing degradation by forest fires, by the aban- donment of arable land, and by the increasing impact of climate change, especially with the recent increase of torrential rainfalls.

Many research projects in different scientific fields have resulted in basics of restoration ecology, erosion control, land management, climate change, and many others. It is about time to transfer these results, expertise and skills into an integrated and comprehensive effort to solve the problems of degradation and desertification on a greater landscape level and to mitigate the impact of climate change. Through the inclusion of sme’s and local authorities the implementation of adapted technolo- gies will be timely, with socio-economic and ecological benefits for the region.

The key questions in this attempt are

• identification and focussing of degradation problems and their relation to societal needs;
• the development and in situ testing of integrated technologies for the
  - ecological revitalization of degraded terrestrial ecosystems with use of plants, mycorrhiza
    and soil biota
  - erosion control by soil development and living landscapes
  - intelligent use and mitigation of torrential rainfalls;
• socio-economic assessment and timely implementation of developments.

An integrated project within FP 6 should address open key questions in the field of basic and applied research, technological development and innovation, and the field of regional and local implementation. Therefore interdisciplinary networking is required to address the open questions and scientists, engineers, sme’s, stakeholders and the administration body should be integrated.

Within the priority thematic areas of research in FP6 our request will focus on:

1.6.3 Global change and ecosystems - Biodiversity and ecosystems

where focus is emphasised on

• integrated assessment of drivers affecting ecosystems’ functioning and biodiversity, and mitigation options
• risk assessment, management, conservation and rehabilitation options in relation to terrestrial ecosystems

We hope to create a critical mass by starting this initiative in an attempt to establish a consortium of integrated working groups with scientific credibility and excellence. This effort of ours does not predetermine any leadership in the field or priority, but rather a starting point for trans-disciplinary approaches which require intensive collaboration.

Wolfgang Heyser, Prof. Dr., Head of the Centre for Environmental Research and Technology (UFT), University of Bremen, Dept. of Plant Anatomy and Applied Botany, Mycorrhiza research and phyto-remediation

Jürgen Warrelmann, Prof. Dr., Interdisciplinary Research Unit 'Remediation', UFT

Hartmut Koehler, Dr., PD, Dept. of Ecology, UFT, Soil Ecology

Hellmuth Lange, Prof. Dr., Research Centre Labour-Environment-Technology (artec), University of Bremen

Raimund Kesel, Dipl.-Biologist and Landscape Surveyor
KeKo – Kesel, Koehler & Associates Biologists, Revitalization of Vegetation, Soil and Water (eco-engineering)