Research Institute for Nature & Forest (INBO)

MAES Workshop

21-22 November 2012

Research Institute for Nature & Forest (INBO),

Kliniekstraat 25, 1070 Brussels

Draft Programme (version 26 Oct. 2012)

Participants: 2 Representatives per Member State with both policy and technical/scientific expertise, EU stakeholders and selected experts.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the workshop is to allow all Member States and stakeholders to be updated on what the Working Group on Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES) has achieved so far and discuss how this process could be supported and strengthened at EU and national level.

More specifically, the workshop will provide an opportunity to:

1-  Inform all Member States about the MAES working group and its first results;

2-  Discuss how Member States can contribute to MAES and also how MAES can support the work and priorities of the MS;

3-  Collect priorities for MAES from the national perspectives for the coming years;

4-  Discuss and identify the type of support needed from institutions at national and EU level for the implementation of MAES;

5-  Discuss and identify co-benefits of MAES at EU level with other policy sectors and with stakeholders.

These objectives will be addressed through plenary talks and presentations and through interactive round table discussions in break-out groups. These discussions will engage diverse stakeholders particularly at European level to include their perspective and thus better understand potential uses of MAES.

MAES Workshop

Draft Agenda

Wednesday 21 November, morning session

10:30-12:30 Plenary Session I – MAES - Context, Importance, Achievements

This session will be divided into 2 parts (before and after lunch) and explain how the recently launched initiative on mapping and assessment of ecosystems and their services in Europe (MAES) is contributing to the development of actions under Target 2 and to the EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy as a whole. It will briefly present the MAES working group and current achievements, and illustrate what MAES could produce with examples at EU and MS level. It will consist of plenary presentations followed by moderated Q&A session including all speakers.

1-  Introduction: Welcome address and objectives of the workshop, presentation of participants’

2-  Policy context: (EU BD 2020, Action 5, CIF)

3-  MAES Working Group: Presentation of the MAES working group, what it has achieved so far including the analytical framework etc.

a.  The MAES working group mandate, scope, governance

b.  The MAES Conceptual model

c.  Broad ecosystem classes and status of Ecosystems

d.  Classification of ecosystem services

4-  Q and A (30’)

This Q&A session will give opportunities to participants to address strategic issues such as the way the different actions under Target 2 of the EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy fit together, and how the results from the MAES initiative can inform policy decisions and implementation in many policy areas dependent on ecosystem services (with representatives from other Commission services); it will also allow to clarify diverse aspects related to current results of the MAES working group (e.g. mandate, proposed conceptual model). In the afternoon, the break-out groups will provide further opportunity to clarify, propose ideas and go into detail.

12:30- 13:30 Lunch

13:30 – 14:45 Continuation of Session I - MAES-potential lessons from Member States.

5-  Presentation of what MAES could produce - example from PRESS Project

6-  Presentation of concrete examples from the Member States

7-  Questions & Answers/discussion 30’

Wednesday 21 November, afternoon - Break-out group discussions

Participants will choose one group for an initial session of 60 minutes and then change and visit 2 further groups for 20 minute each to add on to the results of the discussion there.

14:45 – 15:10 Coffee

15:10-16:30 Break-out group session 1 – What MAES can do for you and what you can do for MAES

Three groups will focus on MS involvement and priorities

Ø  Group 1: Share experiences from your MS and identify/anticipate what works and what does not work, what concrete contribution could MS provide (e.g. case-studies from ongoing or previous work)

Ø  Group 2: What are the challenges you can identify/anticipate in implementing the proposed conceptual framework in your country and what are possible ways to overcome them

Ø  Group 3: What are your national priorities in terms of ecosystem and ecosystem services, where would you be willing to take a lead ('champion')

Five groups will focus on benefits of MAES for policy-making

Ø  Group 4: How can a national and EU MAES support the implementation of the EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy and national BD strategies (including implementation of and reporting obligations under the nature directives)

Ø  Group 5-7: How could a national and EU MAES support other policies: What key questions in these sectors could MAES help address?

- Group 5 on agriculture

- Group 6 on marine issues

- Group 7 on other policy processes.

Ø  Group 8: How could an EU MAES contribute to target 6 of EU Biodiversity strategy, the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity, 2011-2020 and its related Aichi targets (Julian),

16:30 – 16:45 Short coffee break

16:45 – 18:00 Plenary to present break-out group results

19:30 Dinner at restaurant 'Le Cap', place de la Vieille Halle aux Blés, 28 – 1000 Bruxelles (tel. 02/512 93 42) offered by the Commission

Thursday 22 November, 08:30 – 15:00

08:30 Summary results of Day 1: Policy needs and opportunities for

assessments

09:00h-12:00 Plenary session II: Support for implementing MAES.

9:00 – 10:00 Presentation of opportunities for support

-  How to engage science? (RTD, 10')

-  Options via LIFE+ programme (ENV.E3 10')

-  Presentation from REGIO, EAC (?) 10' each

-  Short update on GMES for riparian areas

-  Presentation of the BISE MAES exchange platform

-  Q and A

10:00 Coffee

10:30 – 12:00 Break-out group discussions

6-8 groups, each participant can visit 3 sessions in total

-  Group 1: What could the EU level bring as support to Member States to better carry out their ecosystem assessment

-  Group 2: What opportunities, potentially interested partners, funding options could be helpful at national level

-  Group 3: What can Member states offer to MAES work, (case studies, champions, pilot cases) what are upcoming opportunities?

-  Group 4: How to involve science in MAES processes at national level?

-  Group 5: How to involve science in MAES at the EU level?

-  Group 6, 7 and 8 will be open groups to tackle any remaining key aspects from the previous day or the morning plenary

12:00 – 13:00 Lunch break

13:00 – 15:00 Final Plenary session

13:00 – 13:30 Presentation of results from break-out groups

13:30 – 14:30 Take-home messages

1.  DG ENV (short statement on what to take home from the workshop for the further process).

2.  Some Member State participants (we will invite particularly those not yet involved in the process)

3.  Regarding the science-policy interface in the MAES context (summary and reflection of discussions particularly in the break-out groups)

14:30 – 15:00 Identification of next steps, close of workshop

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