Biodiversity thematic networks to compile and share knowledge ready for practice

Proposals should address the following activities:

• Tackle the most urgent needs of farmers and/or foresters related to biodiversity, including those relevant for climate change mitigation and adaptation, by summarising, sharing and presenting - in a language that is easy to understand and is targeted to farmers and foresters – the existing best practices and research findings that are ready to be put into practice, but not sufficiently known or used by practitioners. The specific objectives of the networks can be chosen in a 'bottom-up' way on condition that they tackle biodiversity issues.
• The network should cover at least the following aspects:
  • Incentives from farmers and foresters to improve biodiversity on farms/forests or across farms/forests in a collaborative way
  • EU requirements for biodiversity protection in agricultural and forest areas (Birds and Habitats Directives).
• Compile a comprehensive description of the state of current farming practices on biodiversity, including those relevant for climate mitigation or adaptation, to explain the added value of the proposal and the relevance of the theme.
• Proposals should focus on the cost/benefit aspects of the practices collected and summarised, and clarify how the project avoids duplication with ongoing or completed projects and networks.
• Deliver an extensive range of useful, applicable and appealing end-user material for farmers and foresters. This info should be easy to access and understand, making use of audio-visual material wherever possible, including also materials serving education and training;
• This range of material should feed into the existing dissemination channels most consulted by farmers and foresters in their countries.
• As many “practice abstracts” in the common EIP-AGRI format as possible, as well as other type of materials should be provided to the European Innovation Partnership (EIP-AGRI) 'Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability', as well as to national/regional/local AKIS channels and to the EU-wide interactive knowledge reservoir (HORIZON-CL6-2021-GOVERNANCE-01-24);
• Besides giving the details on the EIP Operational Groups whose involvement is strongly recommended[[ According to the requirements of the multi-actor approach.]], wherever possible and relevant to biodiversity, provide also details on how further synergies will be built with future EIP Operational Groups and interactive innovation groups operating in the context of the EIP-AGRI.
• Proposals must implement the 'multi-actor approach', with a consortium based on a balanced mix of actors with complementary knowledge clearly building on farmers/foresters, farmers' groups and advisors; and run for a minimum of 3 years.
• In order to better reach and capture knowledge from the targeted farmers/foresters, the networks may organise 'cross-fertilisation' through sub-networks covering, for example, a region, a language or a production system.