United Kingdom
T4 / IRT-4
Bio-Economy – unleashing the potentials while sustaining soils
Unleash the potential of soil to sustain a bio-economy in Europe by better understanding soil and economic systems in order to support land management for biomass production and consumption. Alternatives to non renewable resources are needed. Soils can provide bio-based resources, but overuse must be prevented to sustain soil system functions. ... read moreT5 / IRT-5
Integrated scenarios for the Land-Soil-Water-Food nexus under societal pressures and challenges
Identification of land use scenarios that deliver benefits to society AND to the environment and lead to changes in soil management and spatial planning. Growing populations increase soil and land degradation thereby rendering the remaining scarce fertile soils vulnerable to overuse and further degradation. Scenarios modelling will help assess major impacts and decrease further degradation, secure food and identify ways of achieving land degradation neutrality. Changes in the economy and the society should estimate like growing / shrinking areas and their impact to the land-soil-sediment-water system .... read moreT8 / IRT-8
Circular land management
Research is required to understand the patterns of behaviour and interdependencies of actors, especially land owners, active in land-related policy areas on a theoretical and practical level. It is important to combine the strategies and instruments by circular land management through applied research and pilot case studies and in the sense of modular “tool boxes” to qualify a sustainable land management. ... read moreT12 / IRT-12
Environmentally friendly and socially sensitive urban development
Solutions that bridge the goals of urban environmental protection and social concerns of urban development are crucial to realize sustainable cities. Knowledge on environmental issues in urban planning as well as on social concerns is partly available but has to be deeper, up to date and better integrated. ... read moreT13 / IRT-13
Urban Metabolism – Enhance efficiency of using soil-sediment-water resources through closing of urban material loops
Without further development of the methodological concept of urban metabolism, it will be not possible to identify comprehensive measures to enhance urban resource efficiency, consistency and sufficiency. Urban metabolism instruments and tools are needed at different scales (local, regional, national and supranational) to address indirect impacts, such as rebound effects or indirect land consumption. Such new instruments and tools will help manage our common resource basis, minimize negative ecological effects, foster the local economy through a circular urban economy and support a long term, high level of urban quality of life. ... read moreT15 / IRT-15
Sustainable management to restore the ecological and socio-economic values of degraded land
Dedicated research will elaborate degradation-type and region-specific restoration and rehabilitation approaches for valorization of degraded areas.... read moreT25 / D1
The 4 F´s: Food, feed, fibre, (bio)fuel
This research will strengthen the transtion towards a circular and biobased economy, by quantifying the societal demand of this transition for soil functions.... read moreT26 / D2
Regulating Ecosystem Services
Assessment and mapping of soil ecosystem services are prerequisites for sustainable management of natural resources, to optimize soil functions and services.... read moreT27 / D3
Urban / infrastructure land
This research will contribute to land use conflict resolution, the liveability of shrinking regions and villages, increased brownfield regeneration and land re-use, which will help save soils for other purposes.... read moreT28 / D4
Water
Current and future water demand scenarios will enable more futureproof land use decision making to ensure the delivery of sufficient and clean water for future generations. ... read moreT31 / D7
Health and quality of life (living environment)
Research on the contribution of nature to health and well-being will allow for better spatial design to optimize these health benefits, especially with repsect to vulnerable groups in deprived areas.... read moreT32 / LM1
Governance, management mechanisms, instruments and policy
Improved policies, governance structures and institutions to promote sustainable land management throughout Europe.... read moreT34 / LM3
Land as a resources in urban areas (Sustainable urban land management)
This research will contribute to the development of healthy, safe and sustainable cities.... read moreT35 / LM4
Land as a resources in rural areas (Multifunctionality of rural areas)
This research will contribute to maintaining and improving soil fertility, and nutrient and pesticide management. It will support nature conservation and provide options to deal with urban sprawl and rural depopulation.... read moreT36 / NI1
Developing impact assessment methodology
Developing monitoring and impact assessment methodology will enable us to detect and assess emerging threats from global environemntal change (such as climate change), land management and pollution to human health and well-being, biodiversity conservation and ecosystem service provision as well as the prosperity of our economies. ... read moreT37 / NI2
Understanding and assessing impacts of drivers and management
This research will provide us with an understanding of the magnitude of the ecological, economic and social impacts of climate change, land management decisions, emerging and/or mixed pollutants, socio-economic drivers of land management and land use change, and policies, planning and regulation.... read moreT38 / NI3
Trade-off analysis & decision support
Research on comparative assessment of land management options will support realizing synergies and trading off conflicts between different societal demands with regard to land use and land management.... read moreT39 / NI4