Topic / Target
>KBBE.2012.1.2-02 Managing semi-natural habitats and onfarm biodiversity to optimise ecological services
In agricultural landscapes, semi-natural habitats such as hedgerows, field margin vegetation, wild flower strips, cover crops, or fallows provide important benefits and services to farmers and society at large e.g. through prevention of nutrient leaching, water regulation, control of soil erosion, landscape features and enhanced in-situ biodiversity.
The latter one is considered to be a particularly important ecosystems service for agriculture due to its relevance for the
enhancement of pollination and pest control.
Despite the above named benefits, there is a continuous loss of semi-natural habitats and levels of functional biodiversity in European
landscapes resulting from agricultural intensification, land abandonment and degradation of the landscape infrastructures.
The project will increase knowledge and awareness on the agronomic and ecological importance of semi-natural habitats as well as on farm management practices to increase functional biodiversity and improve farm productivity by:
- Identifying farming systems and landscape patterns likely to enhance biodiversity and other ecological services, where possible taking into account climate change scenarios;
- Describing spatial and temporal interactions between production and semi-natural habitats in relation to farming system intensity (e.g. conventional, integrated, organic);
- Providing management and policy recommendations on appropriate rates and quality of semi-natural habitats, linking the biodiversity to specific functional services (e.g. pollination, pest control, nutrient cycling, soil fertility);
- Designing and demonstrating on-site measures to enhance and use ecological services based on the novel concept of eco-functional intensification. These shall take into account both, the level of diversity in the farming design (productive/non-productive areas) as well as in cropping and grassland systems (intercropping, crop rotations and companion plants). These measures at farm level shall go beyond cross-compliance and contribute to the greening of the Common Agricultural Policy (e.g. permanent pasture, green cover, and ecological set-aside).
Overall, the project shall produce scientific evidence of the different benefits that appropriate management of semi-natural habitats can bring to various types of agricultural production
systems (organic, low-input, conventional) taking into account representative landscapes across Europe.
Tasks will require a highly interdisciplinary approach including expertise from the areas of (landscape) ecology, modelling experimental crop sciences, farming systems and rural sociology.
Start date: 20/07/2011
End date: 15/11/2011
for this call: 304.570.000
Number of proposals to selectUp to 2 proposals
Requested EU contribution per project: Max.: € 3 Million
TOPIC INCLUDED IN...
In general, support for research projects carried out by consortia with, at least, 3 independent legal entities from 3 different Member States or Associated Countries, ranging from € 1,5 to 5 million and aiming at developing new knowledge, new technology, products, demonstration activities or common resources for research.
Size, scope and internal organisation of projects can vary from field to field and from topic to topic.
Projects will also be targeted to special groups such as SMEs and other smaller actors. (CP - STREP) FP7-KBBE-2012-6-singlestage Small or medium-scale focused research projects
Increased sustainability of all production systems (agriculture, forestry, fisheries and acuaculture); plan health and crop protection
Increased sustainability and competitiveness, while safeguarding consumer health, decreasing environmental impacts and taking account of climate change, in agriculture, horticulture, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture through the development of new technologies, equipment, monitoring systems, novel plants and production systems, crop management through selected plant breeding, plant health and optimised production systems, the improvement of the scientific and technical basis of fisheries management, and a better understanding of the interaction between different systems (agriculture and forestry; fisheries and aquaculture) across a whole ecosystem approach. Research into maintenance of autochthonous ecosystems, development of biocontrol agents, and microbiological dimension of biodiversity and metagenomics will be undertaken.
For land based biological resources, special emphasis will be placed on low input (e.g. pesticides and fertilisers), and organic production systems, improved management of resources and novel food and feeds, and novel plants (crops and trees) with respect to their composition, resistance to stress, ecological effect, nutrient and water use efficiency, and architecture. This will be supported through research into biosafety, co-existence and traceability of novel plants systems and products, and monitoring and assessment of impact of genetically modified crops on the environment and human health as well as the possibility of their broader benefit for society. Plant health and crop protection will be improved through better understanding of ecology, biology of pests, diseases, weeds and other threats of phytosanitary relevance and support to controlling disease outbreaks and enhancing sustainable pest and weed management tools and techniques. Improved methods will be developed for monitoring, preservation and enhancement of soil fertility.
For biological resources from aquatic environments, emphasis will be placed on essential biological functions, safe and environmentally friendly production systems and feeds of cultured species and on fisheries biology, dynamics of mixed fisheries, interactions between fisheries activities and the marine ecosystem and on fleet-based, regional and multi-annual management systems.
Sustanaible production and management of biological resources from land, forest and aquatic environment
Food, Agriculture and Fisheries and Biotechnology
The objetive of this theme is building a European Knowledge Based Bio-Economy by bringing together science, industry and other stakeholders, to exploit new and emerging research opportunities that address social, environmental and economic challenges:
the growing demand for safer, healthier, higher quality food and for sustainable use and production of renewable bio-resources, the increasing risk of epizootic and zoonotic diseases and food related disorders;
threats to the sustainability and security of agricultural, aquaculture and fisheries production;
and the increasing demand for high quality food, taking into account animal welfare and rural and coastal context and response to specific dietary needs of consumers.
|Total|| 2012 € || 2011 € |
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