Healthy and resilient societies depend on giving nature the space it needs. The recent COVID-19 pandemic makes the need to protect and restore nature all the more urgent. The pandemic is raising awareness of the links between our own health and the health of ecosystems. (…) The five main direct drivers of biodiversity loss – changes in land and sea use, overexploitation, climate change, pollution, and invasive alien species – are making nature disappear quickly (EU
Biodiversity Strategy for 2030-May 2020).
“Biodiversity preservation in rural and maritime areas of EU islands” (BioIslands) project is focused on three of the main sectors related to biodiversity preservation. Increased land-use intensity in agriculture has caused an alarming decline in farmland biodiversity during the last century. Likewise, there is great concern over the degradation of pastoral landscapes by invasive species and soil erosion, the undermining of common property systems, and unsustainable land-use changes, such as mining, inappropriate afforestation and unsustainable agricultural practices.
Currently, nearly half of the Earth’s terrestrial surface is transformed by agriculture and pastoralism, and thus, the contribution of agricultural and pastoralism areas to biodiversity is critical for successful long-term conservation. In addition, biodiversity has many key roles in ecosystems, and many elements of biodiversity support fish species and therefore also fisheries. At the same time, cooperation fisheries also often affect seabed biodiversity. Furthermore, fisheries may also change the composition of fish communities, and changes in fish communities can matter to seabed biodiversity. Many ecosystems are affected by cumulative impacts. Although they may not be individually catastrophic, the combined effect of pressures can result in loss or fragmentation of habitats. Furthermore, it can result in ecosystem changes and shifts in biodiversity, associated with the removal of habitat-specific or functional important species. This preamble emphasizes an essential intervention in these three sectors and more specifically on the leading players (i.e. farmers, shepherds and fishermen) who should be enabled to actuate biodiversity preservation strategies and actions in their daily work.
Our results
O1
Foster biodiversity preservation in rural and maritime areas of European islands
O2
Provide an adequate and qualitative learning opportunity for farmers, shepherds and fishermen in biodiversity preservation
O3
Develop user-friendly digital instruments that can support farmers, shepherds and fishermen in preserving biodiversity in their daily work.
Objectives
To foster biodiversity preservation in rural and maritime areas of European islands;
To provide an adequate and qualitative learning opportunity for farmers, shepherds and fishermen in biodiversity preservation;
To develop user-friendly digital instruments that can support farmers, shepherds and fishermen in preserve biodiversity in their daily work.
Result O1
The e-Learning courses will focus on biodiversity preservation competences applied in agriculture, pastoralism and fishery fields. The e-Learning courses will answer the need of farmers, shepherds and fishermen for an up-skill programme on biodiversity preservation in their field of work. Due to their working hours, the up-skill pathway is delivered through a digital learning programme that can be completed in order to match the working schedule of the selected target group.
Web Platform e-Learning course section features:
> Target Farmers Shepherds Fishermen
> Access to register for a course the user will be asked to choose an ID name, but no personal data will be requested.
> Content On the interface page the user will choose one of the three courses and will be redirected to the modules divided into 3 macro areas as follows:
- Practices to manage biodiversity;
- Ecosystem approaches;
- Species-based conservation.
Result O2
The Biodiversity Analysis & Strategy system will be developed with the support of the professors and researchers involved in the transnational focus group, as a complementary instrument to the e-Learning courses (R1), which can be easily used from a phone or a tablet in order to match the target group working routine.
The system will be designed to provide an efficient analysis of elements and indicators to assess the environmental impact of the area, individualize the presence of potential alien species as well as providing a specific plan containing suggestion of crop diversification and/or rotation, measures, natural pest control, alien species deal, etc., based on the sector (i.e. agriculture, pastoralism, fishery). Through the acquired management practices, learners will ensure safe and sufficient product delivery as well as the sustainable maintenance of microhabitats.
The system will be an innovative and efficient instrument, integrating biodiversity conservation and sustainability analysis and management. Due to its features, the system can be translated into other sectors where biodiversity conservation is needed.
E-Learning platform
The aim of the course is this course is to answer the need of farmers, shepherds, and fishermen by offering an up-skill programme on biodiversity preservation in their field of work. The e-Learning course will focus on biodiversity preservation competences applied in agriculture, pastoralism, and fishery fields.
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Centro pa Desaroyo di Aruba
CEDE Aruba - Center for Development of Aruba - is a development and co-financing organisation that supports the development and financing of programs and projects in the welfare field in Aruba. CEDE Aruba promotes bringing together people and resources for sustainable development. In the fight against the socioeconomic and social problems in Aruba, we bring the target groups into contact with each other that they can strengthen each other whenever there is an opportunity for social and educational development. We contribute to a community where people of all ages and backgrounds can develop themselves. Sustainable development in the Aruban community is feasible.
Mine Vaganti NGO is a non-profit organisation established in Sardinia in 2009, whose services encompass Education and Training, Project Design and Development, Thematic Research, International Mobility, and Consultancy - in Youth, Adults, Education and Sports sectors. MVNGO has 3 offices in Sassari, Olbia and Tempio Pausania, impacting the North of Sardinia and reaching out with its operational branches to many other regions in Italy, around Europe and beyond. TEAMWORK The members of MVNGO operate in dedicated teams to create, develop, and implement international projects in research, innovation or exchange of good practices, sometimes reaching the target via seminars and/ or training
courses. Within the MVNGO working teams, trainers/facilitators (Salto accredited) enjoy a vast experience and are willing to be involved in the implementation of proposed projects.
Partners
Caribbean Education and Culture Foundation
in St. Maarten in 2017. Our institution provides wide range of activities for young people in the Caribbean and Europe to promote volunteering, intercultural dialogue and non-formal education opportunities. Our mission is to create intercontinental partnerships with EU institutions as well as other organizations around the World to promote the attractiveness of the Caribbean Islands.
We want to create awareness on the issues that the Caribbean Islands are facing and promote volunteerism and intercultural dialogue with and among Overseas Territories of the EU.
Centre for Social Innovation LTD
The Centre for Social Innovation (CSI) is a Research and Development organization that fosters social innovation that can bring about positive change to local, national, regional and global contexts. CSI believes that the four pillars of Social Interaction, Education, Development and Economic Rationalization, coupled with fundamentally sound and sustainable solutions and disruption to streamlined solutions to systemic social problems, can lead to creative solutions that impact significant change to the social fabric of every society.
Zadar County Rural Development Agency
Zadar County Rural Development Agency (AGRRA) is a public institution established by the County of Zadar (administrative subdivision of the Republic of Croatia). AGRRA coordinates and implements the activities related to Zadar County rural development and follows national and EU strategies with the aim to harmonize legislation on regional and local level with the agricultural and rural development policies. AGRRA researches and develops information and communication technologies in the frame of rural development, agricultural and fishery, as well as harmonizes the activities of all the institutions with the final aim to implement at best new programs and measures of rural development.
SMART IDEA
SMART IDEA Igor Razbornik s.p.
Smart Idea is a two years old SME, established especially for consulting and implementation of innovative practices into educational sector. Regardless of the age of the company, people involved in the project have long years of experience in education, development of training courses and curricula, implementation of management systems and methodologies into schools, programming/development of educational software and managing large scale project in education sector all across the Balkans (CARDS and IPA programmes).
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
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