Economic assessment of measares for sustainable use of biomass.

The pressure on agricultural land exploitation is ever increasing at present, whether for growing of fodder, energy biomass or food production, resulting in conflicts among these differing interests and uses. The problem is further aggravated by the climate change in progress, which manifests itself by more frequent and longer droughts among other things. Support to renewable sources of energy, including biomass, has a substantial influence as well. The project therefore strives to identify suitable methods for optimization of biomass use with respect to economic efficiency, food self-sufficiency (need to grow food and fodder) and consideration of requirements for soil protection, notably limits on soil exploitation and prevention of soil degradation.
The project follows up and expands on the IS RESTEP tool for optimization of biomass use. The principal objective of the follow-up project is to add an ECONOMICS module to the tool, enabling regional sustainable energy planning. It will thus enable economic analysis of not only agricultural biomass production with a focus on both crops and techniques. In addition, it will enable analysis of subsequent energy use. The project will involve an expansion of the information tool with new sources of information for decision making.
Economic analysis involves not only direct costs of and revenues from growing and use of agricultural biomass for energy purposes. The IEEP team will focus in the project on assessment of externalities associated with biomass production. A choice experiment will be made in this connection. The ecosystem service concept will also be applied. The project will involve an interlinking of our team’s activities in the area of air, energy and ecosystem services.
The implementation of the four-year project as part of the sub-programme “Support to innovative agriculture and forestry by means of advanced procedures and techniques” involves 6 national partners; the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague is the consortium leader.

Supporting the climate change adaptation of cities Prague, Brno, Plzen and Ustí nad Labem by promotion of nature-based solutions.

Three quarters of Europe’s inhabitants live in cities that are often vulnerable and poorly prepared for the effects of climate change (heat waves, water scarcity, drought, floods). The IPCC Fifth Assessment Report states that adaptation measures in cities are crucial successful adaptation to climate change. The aim of the project is to support decision-making processes and the development of climate adaptation measures and strategies in pilot cities (Prague, Pilsen, Ústí nad Labem, Brno). Research is based on the methodical approaches of economic valuation, analysis of existing climate adaptation policies (barriers and opportunities), and assessment of the possible implementation of nature-based measures.

Supporting the climate change adaptation strategies development of Prague, Brno and Pilsen with respect to the potential of green and blue infrastructure enlargement.

The aim of the project is to launch and develop the preparation process of adaptation strategy of cities, and to design and evaluate suitable adaptation measures in selected urban areas (Prague, Brno, Pilsen) in the Czech Republic, with the support of ecosystem based approaches. Partial goals of the project are: to perform the risk and vulnerability assessment connected to the climate change on local urban level in cooperation with stakeholders, to identify relevant adaptation measures, to quantify costs and benefits of preferred adaptation measures, to prepare and formulate adaptation strategies of cities following on “Strategy on adaptation to climate change in the conditions of the Czech Republic“, and to launch the process of an implementation of adaptation strategy and related measures. An important part is also the incorporation of the elements of “green and blue infrastructure“ and ecosystem services into the adaptation cycle and into single measures and adaptation alternatives.

Pilot use of the concept of ecosystem services to support business enterprise at regional level and to optimize their impact on the environment.

The project builds on the “Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services and Regional Value Chains” project and deepens the analysis of current use and future potential of using the ecosystem services concept, this time focusing on the business sector (especially in the food industry, agriculture, forestry, tourism and beekeeping). Within the project, research of companies in the border area (aiming at the Usti nad Labem region and the Liberec region) is performed with the goal to identify both the selected economic sectors, and particular businesses, where it will be able to apply the concept of ecosystem services and biodiversity within the standard activities of these businesses. A broader goal of this project is (in model companies) to integrate a system of indicators following the quality of biodiversity and the flow of ecosystem services, and to use these indicators both for nature and biodiversity protection, respectively; and to increase the additional value of the output of single companies. The research within the project will also be focused on the analysis of the potential of a cross border cooperation of subjects to increase the additional value of companies´ outputs. On this project, experts from Poland, Saxony and Bohemia will participate.

Analysis of existing experience with the use of the concept of ecosystem services in the academic and political spheres in the Czech Republic.

This project focused on the description of the current state of knowledge on the ecosystem services and biodiversity in the Czech Republic and its use in practical environmental politics. Emphasis was put on the analysis of the currently existing knowledge on the management of ecosystem services in the Czech Republic, both at the academic level (published articles and monographies, realized projects) and at the political level (what political strategic documents concerning the biodiversity and ecosystem services in the Czech Republic exist, what support programs, etc.). A broader goal of the project was to identify the benefits and opportunities, which can be brought by the concept of ecosystem services to the regional chain (creation of added value). Within the project, a trilateral Czech-Polish-Saxon cooperation was established.

Valuation of recreational benefits provided by the Eastern Ore Mountains landscape that lead to the welfare increase of local residents and visitors.

Czech-German project was concerned with the mapping of ecosystem services (i.e. utilities which result from the biological diversity and virgin ecosystems) in the Eastern Ore Mountains. Its aim was to quantify and introduce their value to inhabitants of the region and to discuss local instruments for further development or conservation. Within the project investigation, we managed to especially evaluate the esthetical values resulting from the existence of nature related mountain creeks, maintained clearance cairns and regularly mowed mountain meadows.