scholarly journals Ecosystem services mapping and assessment for policy- and decision-making: Lessons learned from a comparative analysis of European case studies

One Ecosystem ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davide Geneletti ◽  
Blal Adem Esmail ◽  
Chiara Cortinovis ◽  
Ildikó Arany ◽  
Mario Balzan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Assessment Methods ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
Wide Range

This paper analyses and compares a set of case studies on ecosystem services (ES) mapping and assessment with the purpose of formulating lessons learned and recommendations. Fourteen case studies were selected during the EU Horizon 2020 “Coordination and Support Action” ESMERALDA to represent different policy- and decision-making processes throughout the European Union, across a wide range of themes, biomes and scales. The analysis is based on a framework that addresses the key steps of an ES mapping and assessment process, namely policy questions, stakeholder identification and involvement, application of mapping and assessment methods, dissemination and communication and implementation. The analysis revealed that most case studies were policy-orientated or gave explicit suggestions for policy implementation in different contexts, including urban, rural and natural areas. Amongst the findings, the importance of starting stakeholder engagement early in the process was confirmed in order to generate interest and confidence in the project and to increase their willingness to cooperate. Concerning mapping and assessment methods, it was found that the integration of methods and results is essential for providing a comprehensive overview from different perspectives (e.g. social, economic). Finally, lessons learned for effective implementation of ES mapping and assessment results are presented and discussed. Graphical Abstarcat in Fig. 1.

scholarly journals Mapping and assessing ecosystem services in the EU - Lessons learned from the ESMERALDA approach of integration

One Ecosystem ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Burkhard ◽  
Joachim Maes ◽  
Marion Potschin-Young ◽  
Fernando Santos-Martín ◽  
Davide Geneletti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Member States ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Service Mapping ◽  
Ecosystem Services Mapping ◽  
The Eu

The European Union (EU) Horizon 2020 Coordination and Support Action ESMERALDA aimed at developing guidance and a flexible methodology for Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES) to support the EU member states in the implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy’s Target 2 Action 5. ESMERALDA’s key tasks included network creation, stakeholder engagement, enhancing ecosystem services mapping and assessment methods across various spatial scales and value domains, work in case studies and support of EU member states in MAES implementation. Thus ESMERALDA aimed at integrating various project outcomes around four major strands: i) Networking, ii) Policy, iii) Research and iv) Application. The objective was to provide guidance for integrated ecosystem service mapping and assessment that can be used for sustainable decision-making in policy, business, society, practice and science at EU, national and regional levels. This article presents the overall ESMERALDA approach of integrating the above-mentioned project components and outcomes and provides an overview of how the enhanced methods were applied and how they can be used to support MAES implementation in the EU member states. Experiences with implementing such a large pan-European Coordination and Support Action in the context of EU policy are discussed and recommendations for future actions are given.

scholarly journals Postlaunch evidence-generation studies for medical devices in Spain: the RedETS approach to integrate real-world evidence into decision making

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Serrano-Aguilar ◽  
Iñaki Gutierrez-Ibarluzea ◽  
Pilar Díaz ◽  
Iñaki Imaz-Iglesia ◽  
Jesús González-Enríquez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Medical Devices ◽  
Real World ◽  
Policy Decision ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Political Commitment ◽  
Real World Evidence ◽  
Health Policy Decision ◽  
Regional Health Authorities

Abstract The Monitoring Studies (MS) program, the approach developed by RedETS to generate postlaunch real-world evidence (RWE), is intended to complement and enhance the conventional health technology assessment process to support health policy decision making in Spain, besides informing other interested stakeholders, including clinicians and patients. The MS program is focused on specific uncertainties about the real effect, safety, costs, and routine use of new and insufficiently assessed relevant medical devices carefully selected to ensure the value of the additional research needed, by means of structured, controlled, participative, and transparent procedures. However, despite a clear political commitment and economic support from national and regional health authorities, several difficulties were identified along the development and implementation of the first wave of MS, delaying its execution and final reporting. Resolution of these difficulties at the regional and national levels and a greater collaborative impulse in the European Union, given the availability of an appropriate methodological framework already provided by EUnetHTA, might provide a faster and more efficient comparative RWE of improved quality and reliability at the national and international levels.

scholarly journals Aerial Campaigns for Cal/Val purposes in the Context of Copernicus - Survey Results of the Project “Copernicus Cal/Val Solution (CCVS)”

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefanie Holzwarth ◽  
Martin Bachmann ◽  
Bringfried Pflug ◽  
Aimé Meygret ◽  
Caroline Bès ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gap Analysis ◽  
Model Development ◽  
Metrological Traceability ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
Research And Innovation ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Data Policy ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Essential Contribution

<p>The objective of the H2020 project “Copernicus Cal/Val Solution (CCVS)” is to define a holistic Cal/Val strategy for all ongoing and upcoming Copernicus Sentinel missions. This includes an improved calibration of currently operational or planned Copernicus Sentinel sensors and the validation of Copernicus core products generated by the payload ground segments. CCVS will identify gaps and propose long-term solutions to address currently existing constraints in the Cal/Val domain and exploit existing synergies between the missions. An overview of existing calibration and validation sources and means is needed before starting the gap analysis. In this context, this survey is concerned with measurement capabilities for aerial campaigns.</p><p>Since decades airborne observations are an essential contribution to support Earth-System model development and space-based observing programs, both in the domains of Earth Observation (radar and optical) as well as for atmospheric research. The collection of airborne reference data can be directly related to satellite observations, since they are collected in ideal validation conditions using well calibrated reference sensors. Many of these sensors are also used to validate and characterize postlaunch instrument performance. The variety of available aircraft equipped with different instrumentations ranges from motorized gliders to jets acquiring data from different heights to the upper troposphere. In addition, balloons are also used as platforms, either small weather balloons with light payload (around 3 kg), or open stratospheric balloons with big payload (more than a ton). For some time now, UAVs/drones are also used in order to acquire data for Cal/Val purposes. They offer a higher flexibility compared to airplanes, plus covering a bigger area compared to in-situ measurements on ground. On the other hand, they also have limitations when it comes to the weight of instrumentation and maximum altitude level above ground. This reflects the wide range of possible aerial measurements supporting the Cal/Val activities.</p><p>The survey will identify the different airborne campaigns. The report will include the description of campaigns, their spatial distribution and extent, ownership and funding, data policy and availability and measurement frequency. Also, a list of common instrumentation, metrological traceability, availability of uncertainty evaluation and quality management will be discussed. The report additionally deals with future possibilities e.g., planned developments and emerging technologies in instrumentation for airborne and balloon based campaigns.</p><p>This presentation gives an overview of the preliminary survey results and puts them in context with the Cal/Val requirements of the different Copernicus Sentinel missions.</p><p>This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the grant agreement No 101004242.</p>

scholarly journals Facilitating spatially-explicit assessments of ecosystem service delivery to support land use planning

One Ecosystem ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk Vrebos ◽  
Jan Staes ◽  
Steven Broekx ◽  
Leo de Nocker ◽  
Karen Gabriels ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Spatially Explicit ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Time Investment ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

Since the early 2000s, there have been substantial efforts to transform the concept of ecosystem services into practice. Spatial assessment tools are being developed to evaluate the impact of spatial planning on a wide range of ecosystem services. However, the actual implementation in decision-making remains limited. To improve implementation, tools that are tailored to local conditions can provide accurate, meaningful information. Instead of a generic and widely-applicable tool, we developed a regional, spatially-explicit tool (ECOPLAN-SE) to analyse the impact of changes in land use on the delivery of 18 ecosystem services in Flanders (Belgium). The tool incorporates ecosystem services relevant to policy-makers and managers and makes use of detailed local data and knowledge. By providing an easy-to-use tool, including the required spatial geodatasets, time investment and the learning curve remain limited for the user. With this tool, constraints to implement ecosystem service assessments in local decision-making are drastically reduced. We believe that region-specific decision support systems, like ECOPLAN-SE, are indispensable intermediates between the conceptual ecosystem service frameworks and the practical implementation in planning processes.

scholarly journals Applying the ICAT Sustainable Development Methodology to Assess the Impacts of Promoting a Greater Sustainability of the Charcoal Value Chain in Mozambique

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 10390
Author(s):  
Sá Nogueira Lisboa ◽  
Rosta Mate ◽  
Américo Manjate ◽  
Almeida Sitoe
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Gender Equity ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
National Level ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
Wide Range

This study assesses greenhouse gas emission (GHG) reductions and sustainable development impacts connected to the nationally appropriate mitigation action (NAMA) on sustainable charcoal production in Mozambique. The analysis covers the results of the ex-ante assessment of the NAMA potential contribution to the achievement of Mozambique’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target. The expected impacts show that the proposed actions tied to NAMA (e.g., introducing improved kilns, sustainable forest management, briquetting of charcoal waste and torrefaction) can cumulatively lead to emission reductions amounting to 314,521 ± 45,138 t CO2-eq (119% reduction) by 2025, and 442,706 ± 26,766 t CO2-eq (113% reduction) by 2030 at the national level, compared to a business as usual scenario. This shifting represents a transformation of the charcoal sector from a net source of emissions to net carbon sequestrating. The analysis also identifies a wide range of sustainable development cobenefits, including increased income, improved gender equity, job creation (23% increase by 2025, and 15% decrease by 2030), and increased revenue (USD 825,000 by 2025, and USD 1.6 million by 2030). The assessment process concluded that unless robust data collection, processing, and sharing is put in place, a full assessment of all direct and indirect environmental, social, and economic impacts cannot be comprehensively reported. Finally, we highlight the lessons learned and specific barriers for a robust monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) of the given policy under the current MRV set up and available capacities.

scholarly journals Researching the delivery of health and nutrition interventions for women and children in the context of armed conflict: lessons on research challenges and strategies from BRANCH Consortium case studies of Somalia, Mali, Pakistan and Afghanistan

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle F. Gaffey ◽  
Anushka Ataullahjan ◽  
Jai K. Das ◽  
Shafiq Mirzazada ◽  
Moctar Tounkara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Nutrition Interventions ◽  
Health And Nutrition ◽  
Research Challenges ◽  
Conflict Settings ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Women And Children

Abstract Background The BRANCH Consortium recently conducted 10 mixed-methods case studies to investigate the provision of health and nutrition interventions for women and children in conflict-affected countries, aiming to better understand the dominant influences on humanitarian health actors’ programmatic decision-making and how such actors surmount intervention delivery barriers. In this paper, the research challenges encountered and the mitigating strategies employed by the case study investigators in four of the BRANCH case study contexts are discussed: Somalia, Mali, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Discussion Many of the encountered research challenges were anticipated, with investigators adopting mitigation strategies in advance or early on, but others were unexpected, with implications for how studies were ultimately conducted and how well the original study aims were met. Insecurity was a fundamental challenge in all study contexts, with restricted geographical access and concerns for personal safety affecting sampling and data collection plans, and requiring reliance on digital communications, remote study management, and off-site team meetings wherever possible. The need to navigate complex local sociopolitical contexts required maximum reliance on local partners’ knowledge, expertise and networks, and this was facilitated by early engagement with a wide range of local study stakeholders. Severe lack of reliable quantitative data on intervention coverage affected the extent to which information from different sources could be triangulated or integrated to inform an understanding of the influences on humanitarian actors’ decision-making. Conclusion Strong local partners are essential to the success of any project, contributing not only technical and methodological capacity but also the insight needed to truly understand and interpret local dynamics for the wider study team and to navigate those dynamics to ensure study rigour and relevance. Maintaining realistic expectations of data that are typically available in conflict settings is also essential, while pushing for more resources and further methodological innovation to improve data collection in such settings. Finally, successful health research in the complex, dynamic and unpredictable contexts of conflict settings requires flexibility and adaptability of researchers, as well as sponsors and donors.

scholarly journals Data collection in urban drainage and stormwater management systems – case studies

2021 ◽  
pp. 415-469
Author(s):  
Alma Schellart ◽  
Frank Blumensaat ◽  
Francois Clemens-Meyer ◽  
Job van der Werf ◽  
Wan Hanna Melina Wan Mohtar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Data Storage ◽  
Stormwater Management ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Urban Drainage ◽  
Data Validation ◽  
Water Industry ◽  
Wide Range

Abstract Data collection in urban drainage systems comes with many challenges. However, many examples already exist, containing numerous useful lessons learned. This chapter therefore contains several urban drainage and stormwater management metrology case studies, selected to cover a wide range of scopes, scales, objectives, climates, data validation methods, and data storage approaches. The case studies are initiated by academics as well as by institutions from the water industry.

Multi-criteria decision-making toward supplier selection: exploration of PROMETHEE II method

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nishant Agrawal
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Supplier Selection ◽  
Multi Criteria Decision Making ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Promethee Ii ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Managerial Implications

PurposeSupplier Selection (SS) is one of the vital decisions frequently executed by numerous industries. In recent times, the number of suppliers has increased enormously depending on a wide range of criteria. A selection of suppliers is a sensitive process that may impact various supply chain activities. The purpose of this research is to explore an underutilized technique called PROMETHEE II method for SS.Design/methodology/approachVarious tools and techniques are available under multi-criteria decision-making tools, which sometimes creates confusion in researchers' minds regarding reliability. PROMETHEE II was the most prominent method for ranking all available alternatives that ultimately avoid decision-making errors. To execute this equal and unequal weights approach has been used with three case studies.FindingsIn this research, three case studies have been used and soved with the help of the PROMETHEE II approach. The study also provides fundamental insights into the supplier's ranking on different criteria using sensitivity analysis. Further, criteria were divided as per benefits and non-beneficial to get a robust result. The pros and cons of PROMETHEE II approaches are also highlighted compared to other MCDM tools in this study.Originality/valueMost of the SS research uses either AHP or TOPSIS as per existing literature. There are very few attempts highlighted in the literature that use PROMETHEE II for the SS problem with sensitivity analysis. The proposed method is probable to motivate decision-makers to consider using a more sophisticated method like PROMETHEE II in supplier evaluation processes. This study opens a new direction for the ranking of suppliers in the field of the supply chain. The study also bears significant practical as well as managerial implications.

Assessment of on-line and off-line instruments for the measurement of polyfunctional oxygenated organic volatile compounds (OVOCs) under controlled conditions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amalia Munoz ◽  
Mila Rodenas ◽  
Alexander Brenan ◽  
Inmaculada Colmenar ◽  
Julian Dellen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Compounds ◽  
Project Work ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Instrumental Performance ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
Research And Innovation ◽  
Controlled Conditions ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
On Line ◽  
Advanced Analysis

<p>The photooxidation and ozonolysis of a wide range of anthropogenic and biogenic compounds results in the formation of polyfunctional oxygenated organic volatile compounds (OVOCs), which are ubiquitous intermediates and important source of radicals, as well as a significant contributor to the organic fraction of aerosol, playing an important role in the air quality and in the health.</p><p>With the aim of ensuring a good quality of the measurements, an intercomparison campaign on instruments and techniques to measure OVOCs was held at the EUPHORE atmosphere simulation chamber (Valencia, Spain), allowing the simultaneous sampling from the same air mixture under controlled conditions and facilitating the characterization of the instrumental performance. This intercomparison is part of the activities within the EUROCHAMP-2020 project (www.eurochamp.org) and is aligned with the ACTRIS objectives.   </p><p>On-line and off-line techniques were employed. These comprised different approaches of mass spectrometers and optical devices as on-line systems and a suite of commercial and non-commercial cartridges as off-line. Some of the experiments were also modeled. The intercomparison included three types of scenarios, the two later simulating typical urban and semi-urban conditions: 1. Synthetic mixture of carbonyls, 2. Products from photooxidations of biogenic and anthropogenic VOCs and 3. Products from ozonolysis of biogenic VOC and monoterpenes, under different relative humidity conditions.</p><p>This work represents a step forward in the evaluation and conclusions of the data obtained. An overall good agreement was found among the techniques with good correlations, especially in the synthetic mixtures, as expected, while these parameters worsen under more realistic conditions with complex gas samples. Regarding off-line techniques, good practices on sample storage and use are discussed. Advanced analysis using clusters was also applied to group instruments with similar behaviour, indicating similar performance among the on-line instruments although partitions revealed certain discrepancies. The role of the gas mixture, the calibration set-up and the humidity conditions are discussed in this work.</p><p><strong>Acknowledgements</strong></p><p>This project/work has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme through the EUROCHAMP-2020 Infrastructure Activity under grant agreement No 730997. CAPOX from the Spanish R+D program, Ref RTU2018-097768-B-C21 and PROMETEO from the GVA excellence R&D program, Ref PROMETEO (2019/110) are acknowledged. F. CEAM is partly supported by Generalitat Valenciana.</p>

scholarly journals Assessment of marine ecosystem services indicators: Experiences and lessons learned from 14 European case studies

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 726-734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana I Lillebø ◽  
Francesca Somma ◽  
Katja Norén ◽  
Jorge Gonçalves ◽  
M Fátima Alves ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Marine Ecosystem Services
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