Building a resilient ecological network of conserved areas across Europe

NaturaConnect, an EU Horizon Europe funded project brings together 22 partner institutions from 15 EU countries and the United Kingdom to develop the Trans-European Nature Network (TEN-N). Their work encompasses projects at national, subnational, and transboundary level, with learnings from different case studies being applied to understand the nature conservation targets in EU. The project is jointly coordinated by the International Institute for Applied System Analysis (IIASA), the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU).

Highlights

• Creation of training and capacity building sessions to enhance collaboration among partners.
• Development of a methodological framework to map ecological connectivity at the regional, national and European scales.
• Framework for a multi-scale connectivity assessment to set targets and establish best practices in planning and assessment
• Restoration and conservation of ecological corridors, keeping in mind socio-economic impact on local stakeholders.

About the project

The European Union has developed a 2030 Biodiversity Strategy which aims to achieve the recovery of the biodiversity by 2030, and contribute to the European Green Deal goal of preserving and restoring Europe’s natural capital. As part of the Strategy, a key goal is the creation of a Trans-European Nature Network (TEN-N) to address gaps in the coverage of vital habitats and species, and to bring coherence to EU’s Natura 2000 sites and other protected areas.

NaturaConnect encompasses of 8 work packages covering tasks such as integration, corridor design, nature connectivity, socio-economic engagement implementation, and governance and financing of the TEN-N. Each work package is led by partner organisations as provides a comprehensive background of the problem, relevant stakeholders, and proposed solutions. The partner organisations span across Europe from various disciplines and areas of expertise