ECNC

Nature as a provider of business opportunities

LIFESCAPE – YOUR LANDSCAPE: Landscape identity and economic development – INTERREG IIIB
LIFESCAPE – YOUR LANDSCAPE explored new ways to profit from the rural landscape while preserving its beauty and cultural and historical values. Fourteen partners in five European countries worked together and shared experiences to come to new approaches for long-term preservation of their landscapes. LIFESCAPE consisted of 20 projects implemented within the following four themes:
• enjoyment and learning in landscapes;
• exploring business opportunities;
• financing rural areas;
• involving local people and communities.

ECNC was technical coordinator and an active partner in the project, which was led by the Province of Noord-Brabant.

During the first months of 2008, a draft version of a product matrix was finalized, a branding guide was translated into Dutch, and the final LIFESCAPE event was held in Boxtel, the Netherlands, on 18 April 2008. 

The project was completed at the end of May 2008. 

Funding: Co-financing from the EU INTERREG IIIB Programme for North-West Europe to match the contribution from the partners; Province of Noord-Brabant (the Netherlands); ECNC core funding.
More details: www.ecnc.org/completed-projects_34.html?action=detail&id=55
www.lifescapeyourlandscape.org

Biodiversity Technical Assistance Units (BTAU) in Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria
The aim of this pilot project is twofold:
• to facilitate the creation of a new pro-biodiversity investment market for the business and banking sector;
• to deliver a pipeline of bankable projects for future investment loans for the benefit of biodiversity.
One of the primary tasks of the BTAU units is to accumulate information about pro-biodiversity businesses (PBBs) eligible for funding, thus creating a project pipeline that is attractive for banks/financiers. By the end of 2008 the project pipelines in the three countries were in an advanced stage of preparation and pilot projects for the implementation of first-stage investments had been selected in each country.
The parallel task is to identify opportunities for delivering biodiversity investments. Since the beginning of the project, discussions have been held with major European banks, such as EBRD and EIB, in order to clarify their readiness and commitment to deliver specific biodiversity investment facilities. Commercial banks also present an opportunity, so other options are being explored.
As part of the preparation of financial instruments, ECNC facilitated information and access to financial institutions and grant resources during 2008. In addition, ECNC’s work in 2008 included participation in a workshop on financial instruments held on 16 July 2008 in Budapest, Hungary, and preparation and holding of a workshop on ‘Branding and clustering of pro-biodiversity business opportunities’ to be held in Sofia, Bulgaria in 2009.

The BTAU pilot project started in February 2007 and will run until the beginning of 2010.

Funding: European Commission, Directorate-General for Environment.
Partners: Royal Society for Protection of Birds (UK; project leader); BirdLife partners in Poland (OTOP), Hungary (MME) and Bulgaria (BSPB).
More details: www.ecnc.org/ongoing-projects_33.html?action=detail&id=53
www.smeforbiodiversity.eu

European Biodiversity Finance Compendium and Clearing House Mechanism
The work done within the European Biodiversity Resource Initiative (EBRI) process has resulted in the preparation of the European Biodiversity Finance Compendium, published in 2008, and the setting up of the Biodiversity Financing Clearing House Mechanism (CHM). This CHM has become a reference for all aspects of biodiversity financing.

The production of the European Biodiversity Financing Compendium enlarges the scope of work that ECNC will be doing for the BTAU project (see above), and comprises a review of different biodiversity finance mechanisms and lessons learned from existing investment funds. It was designed to support entrepreneurs and NGOs as well as governments in their efforts to promote biodiversity finance initiatives.

The Biodiversity Finance Compendium is intended to facilitate the discussions on and practical implementation of biodiversity financing mechanisms and instruments. The information presented in the Compendium builds on the experience gained so far in the framework of the EBRI and related activities and projects.

The project was completed at the end of May 2008.

Funding: Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN).
More details:  www.ecnc.org/completed-projects_34.html?action=detail&id=57

The impacts of biofuel production on biodiversity in Europe
The aim of the project was to provide an overview of the positive and negative impacts of biofuel production in Europe, and to provide recommendations for European and national policymakers regarding sustainable biofuel production.

The findings of the study indicate that bioenergy crops, such as willows, poplars, Miscanthus species and reed canary grass, are the most promising species, with the potential to supply large amounts of biomass for the production of second generation biofuels. The impacts they may have on biodiversity can be negative as well as positive. If established in existing areas of value for biodiversity (e.g. semi-natural grasslands or forests) they will have a direct negative impact; however, willow or poplar plantations, in particular, could contribute positively to biodiversity if they are planted in less diverse, intensively farmed landscapes.

The study was finalized and distributed to a wide range of researchers and policymakers at the end of October 2008. It is expected that the report will serve as an important contribution to the current policy debate on bioenergy and will promote more sustainable bioenergy production in Europe and beyond its borders.

Funding: Manfred Hermsen Stiftung.
More details: www.ecnc.org/ongoing-projects_33.html?action=detail&id=54

Promoting the business case for biodiversity in Europe
The project aims to promote the business case for biodiversity in Europe by mainstreaming biodiversity concerns in the business operations of selected companies and disseminating biodiversity conservation knowledge to selected Swiss companies.

The project strives to achieve increased commitments of companies to biodiversity conservation, which will be demonstrated to the broad range of stakeholders, as well as reflected in internal and external reporting and environmental policies of companies.

Throughout 2008 ECNC, in close cooperation with IUCN Regional Office for Europe/Countdown 2010 Secretariat, initiated successful cooperation with a number of Swiss companies. Given this promising start and the long-term nature of involvement with companies, in November 2008 the Swiss Government approved an extension to the project, thus allowing ECNC and IUCN/Countdown 2010 to take the involvement of companies to the next level during 2009.

Funding: Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN).
More details: www.ecnc.org/ongoing-projects_33.html?action=detail&id=73

Scenar 2020 II – Update of analysis of prospects in the Scenar 2020 study
ECNC, together with the Agricultural Economics Research Institute (LEI) in the Netherlands and the Center for Agricultural Landscape and Land Use Research (ZALF) in Germany, commenced work on the second phase of the Scenar project in October 2008.

The first Scenar 2020 study, finalized in December 2006, developed three scenarios identifying the impact of Common Agricultural Policy on agricultural and rural regions, and identified the resulting opportunities and challenges for European agricultural and rural economy on the horizon of 2020.

The follow-up project will provide an additional analytical input into the debate on the future of the Common Agricultural Policy with the further development and refinement of the Scenar 2020 study.

The project is funded by the European Commission Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development and will be completed in June 2009.

Funding: European Commission, Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development.
Partners: Agricultural Economics Research Institute (LEI; the Netherlands); Center for Agricultural Landscape and Land Use Research (ZALF; Germany).
More details: www.ecnc.org/ongoing-projects_33.html?action=detail&id=71

Promoting pro-biodiversity business in Bulgaria and Croatia
The aim of this project is to work with small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and local financial institutions to create appropriate financing opportunities for companies so that they can benefit from the positive financial gains of working on biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of natural resources generally.
 
The project started with the collation and analysis of existing knowledge about the challenges of ecologically responsible entrepreneurship in Croatia and Bulgaria. This was done through interviews with government officials who are knowledgeable about biodiversity priorities and with entrepreneurs who are already operating in environmentally sensitive areas. Interviews were also conducted to assess the awareness of the financial sector (banking and social investment funds) regarding the potential for biodiversity-related investments to be profitable, and to learn about their reasons for not supporting such types of investments. A SWOT analysis for the true potential for encouraging pro-biodiversity business in the two countries was carried out. The end result was the design of a Finance Facility that will be suitable for countries such as Croatia and Bulgaria, with the broader objective that this model could be used by both national and international financial support sources, not only in the target countries but elsewhere in the region.

The main activities during 2008 were the preparation of the Finance Facility, and the final seminar, held in Zagreb, Croatia, on 14 March 2008.

Project activities were completed at the end of March 2008.

Funding: Netherlands Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (BBI-Matra).
Partners: Fieldfare International (UK); Eco-Innovation (Bulgaria); Green Action (Croatia).
More details: www.ecnc.org/completed-projects_34.html?action=detail&id=58