The international organization was founded in 1982 in Piestany (Slovakia), in order to promote the transdisciplinary research and the exchange of experiences in the field of the landscape ecology as the scientific basis for landscape planning and environmental management. It is aspired to a close contact between nature and social sciences as well as to the connection of sciences and practice. On this basis theories, models and empirical data can be combined and united to improve the understanding of landscape, and a sustainable landscape management becomes possible.The young "IALE-regional group Germany" was founded in 1999 in Basel and still looks for engaged members, ideas and load-carrying structures. ... [Information of the supplier]
In Western and Central Europe, habitat and species diversity is declining due to agricultural intensification and land abandonment in marginal areas. To counteract the negative impacts of modern agricultural land use on species and habitat diversity payment schemes have been developed which compensate farmers for carrying out land use measures which have a positive impact on biodiversity. Such payments are often developed in the context of agri-environment schemes. Important criteria for the design of such payment schemes are that they are effective and cost-effective. With effective we mean that goals of the regulator are actually achieved (for example, the conservation of certain endangered species). With cost-effective we mean that these goals are achieved for as little financial resources spent on payment schemes as possible or alternatively formulated; that the available budget is spent in a way that maximizes the level of goal achievement. In view of many alternative conservation measures and goals as well as spatially and temporally differentiated effects of measures on costs and biodiversity, identifying effective and cost-effective payment schemes is a complex task which requires scientific decision support. Against this background the software Ecopay was developed as decision support. Ecopay serves to design effective and cost-effective payments for measures to conserve biodiversity in grasslands. The software is based on an ecological-economic modeling approach. ... [Information of the supplier]
European landscapes are being reshaped by the growth in renewable energies and the ongoing exploitation of fossil resources such as lignite (brown coal) and shale gas. These forces are at the heart of debates on the assessment, appropriate design and governance of the emerging energy landscapes. European and national policies for energy transitions challenge conventional ways of perceiving and thinking about landscapes as well as established planning routines. Key questions are: Perception – How is the character, perception, assessment and social construction of landscapes influenced by present and past uses of energy? Planning – Which types of landscape-related planning and governance regimes exist and how are they linked to landscape planning, spatial planning and energy policy? Participation – In the face of energy transitions, to what extent are landscape policies inclusive and participatory? Which actors are involved and who is constituted as an actor in this regard? Power – Which power relations shape the interplay of energies and landscapes? How can the workings of power be conceptualised and critically reflected? ... [Information of the supplier]
Wooded rural landscapes are an invaluable natural and cultural legacy of Central and Eastern Europe. A concentration on particular, strictly classified natural sites or plant communities, national and European conservation systems ignores, neglects or undervalues the meta-systems of dynamic rural landscapes dependent on the multiple traditional use of land. Intensive farming and modern forestry, accompanied by the development of conservation models based on segregated land-uses, mean that there are now ‘hard’ boundaries, both philosophically and physically, between spatial units of economic or conservation interest. Despite the increasing knowledge of the role of dynamic processes in the well-being of populations and ecosystems, these boundaries cause substantial reduction of horizontal movements of species. As a result, what had once developed as highly dynamic patchy landscapes, have started to shift towards mostly static and much simplified spatial patterns. In addition, the boundaries discourage researchers from seeing the landscape as a whole; instead, they may concentrate on just what happens inside one patch or type of patch. The conference aims at fostering interdisciplinary discussion and analysis. We seek to encourage the sharing of knowledge from researchers studying wooded rural landscapes and representing from across disciplines: from taxonomy and ecology, from paleo-ecology and environmental history, from ethno-ecology, from spatial planning and landscape architecture, from land use economy involving ecosystem services. We believe such a platform will provide a theoretical foundation for the development of a new management and conservation approach that is essential for sustaining the richness and values of wooded rural landscapes in Central and Eastern Europe. ... [Information of the supplier]
