Project description
Restoring biodiversity in EU farmland
Intensive farming in the EU has caused a serious decline in landscape features (LF), which are vital for supporting biodiversity and providing ecosystem services. These features, such as hedgerows and ponds, help maintain healthy ecosystems but are disappearing from agricultural lands. The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 aims to restore LF to cover 10 % of agricultural areas. However, various challenges, including technical and economic barriers, make this goal difficult to achieve. In this context, the EU-funded LAFERIA project is designed to tackle these issues. It will identify the key factors that can help reintroduce LF in intensive farming areas and develop strategies and business models to overcome barriers to their reintroduction.
Objective
Agricultural intensification in EU farmland led to the loss of landscape features (LF) which provide ecosystem services (ES) and support for biodiversity. To tackle this, the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 aims to increase the prevalence of LF to 10% of the agricultural area, but there are several technical, administrative, economic and social barriers to achieve this. The overall goal of LAFERIA is to identify the key factors that can promote the reintroduction of LF in intensive agricultural areas, and develop strategies to overcome key barriers to achieving the EU objective. Specific objectives include: (i) Quantify LF coverage and connectivity across different agricultural systems; (ii) Establish a comprehensive picture of the benefits and costs of LF for biodiversity, ES, climate change adaptation, yields, incomes, and society at large; (iii) Explore the drivers and challenges for the reintroduction of LF; (iv) Develop strategies and business models to reintroduce LF. The research plan is organised around three major thematic blocks: A first block focuses on environmental sciences, and addresses the current prevalence of LF across distinct agricultural systems in the EU, their importance for ecological connectivity, and their potential for biodiversity and ecosystem benefits. A second block builds on social sciences, and focuses on the key factors which may lead to the reintroduction of LF in areas of intensive agriculture, through a co-learning process with stakeholders, analysing factors of success and failure in existing initiatives, complemented with detailed research at regional (case study) level. In a final block we will translate the results into the design and development of strategies, encompassing the identification of priority regions and agricultural systems to reintroduce LF, the maximisation of the biodiversity and ES potential from LF, and the development of policy tools, business models and market-based solutions taking advantage of LF.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.2.6 - Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-CL6-2024-BIODIV-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
4485-661 Crasto
Portugal
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.