BID-REX
From Biodiversity Data to Decisions: enhancing natural value through improved regional development policies
Project summary
Matching conservation priorities with regional development policies while paying special attention to ERDF fund availability is a critical challenge to deploy robust and effective biodiversity conservation strategies at European and regional levels. However, the development of conservation priorities requires the adequate mobilisation of consistent, relevant and structured biodiversity information aimed at feeding and eventually guiding decision-making.
Better prioritization of biodiversity conservation efforts using evidence-based methodsBID-REX aims to enhance natural value preservation through improved regional development policies by creating/reinforcing the link between relevant biodiversity data and conservation decision-making processes. More specifically, it aims to facilitate the use of biodiversity information and increase the impact of ERDF allocation in the preservation of the European natural heritage by providing decision-making processes with appropriate biodiversity information.
What did this project achieve?
The BID-REX project develops an interactive interregional learning process aimed at facilitating the exchange of approaches, tools and methods that have proven useful for bridging the existing gap between environmental information availability and decisions. More specifically, the work plan has been designed to allow a logically planned interregional and local learning process organized around conferences, workshops and more in depth visits to explore and exchange best practices. The planning of these activities has allowed for a progressive integration of the knowledge gained.
Thematic workshops, as main exchange activities, were the principal axis of the project work plan. The knowledge exchanges on good practices and discussion around regional challenges and potential solutions has been based on the experiences and background of each partner and local stakeholder group. The topics of the exchange activities followed a clear linear and interrelated flow starting from the needs of the regions, going through the tools and methodologies and ending with the impacts on policies.
Interregional thematic workshops: the cornerstone of the learning process
Semester 104/2016
09/2016LAUNCHING THE PROJECT
Catalonia (Spain)Semester 2
10/2016
03/2017INFORMATION NEEDS FOR DECISION MAKERS
Wallonia (Belgium)Semester 3
04/2017
09/2017MATCHING INFORMATION TO NEEDS
Basque Country (Spain)Semester 4
10/2017
03/2018IMPROVING DATA FLOWS
North Great Plain Region (Hungary)Semester 5
04/2018
09/2018CAPACITY BUILDING FOR DECISION MAKERS AND DATA PROVIDERS
Site visit to different UK institutions
Norfolk County (United Kingdom)Semester 6
10/2018
03/2019HOW LEARNING PROCESS HAS IMPACTED OUR ACTION PLANS
Ljubljana Marsh (Slovenia)
An Action Plan for each region have been prepared providing details on how the lessons learnt from the workshops could be implemented in order to improve the policy instrument that is addressed within each region. Regular meetings with the regional Local Stakeholder Groups have been organized to identify the most useful outputs for each region to be included and adapted into their respective Action Plan. Furthermore, technical documents resulting from the corresponding thematic workshop have also been published to expand the impact of the results beyond the partnership.