Land Restoration
- Project News
- Land Restoration
November 2, 2022
Open Call for Artists in Residence at European Wetland Restoration Sites
The EU-funded project, WaterLANDS, has launched six open calls for artists in residence in Bulgaria, Estonia, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. WaterLANDS will provide funding to support artistic engagement with the protection and restoration of wetlands and local communities. Funded under the EU Green Deal, WaterLANDS is a five-year, €23.6 million project led by University College Dublin. WaterLANDS aims to restore damaged wetlands across Europe and lay the foundations for upscaling protection across wider areas. Initial landscape restoration works will be targeted at six “Action Sites”: Dragoman Marsh (Bulgaria), the Pärnu catchment (Estonia), Cuilcagh-Anierin Uplands Special Area of Conservation (Ireland), Venice Lagoon (Italy) the Ems-Dollard estuary (the Netherlands), and the Great North Bog (United Kingdom). Each of the six Action Sites will employ one artist to complete a residency. The residency will be on a part-time basis of up to one month per year for four years (2023-2026). Artists will receive a fee, as well as funding for travel and production costs. Exact arrangements vary per site and are specified in the individual country briefs linked below. Each artist will work with a host institution who will support and manage their residency. An Art Task Coordinator based in University College Dublin will support the artists and facilitate cross-pollination and communication across the six sites. The residencies will require artists to engage with the Action Site and the surrounding communities to create work that is informed by the site and local landscape restoration. At the end of each year, artists will participate in publicworkshops, which will be facilitated by the Art Task Coordinator. By the final year of the project (2026), resident artists are requested to create artwork(s) inspired by the local landscape restoration. This will culminate with an exhibition at the final project event, where the artwork will be represented. Artists will travel to the final event and participate in a panel discussion to reflect on the creation process. Wetlands have influenced and intrigued their local communities for centuries, inspiring many aspects of culture from music to poetry, art and social rituals. This residency program is a key part of WaterLANDS’ holistic, interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to creating resilient, healthy wetland landscapes that will both co-exist with, and support their local communities. Caitriona Devery, WaterLANDS Art Task Coordinator, University College Dublin said “Art and science are both driven by curiosity. They each have the power to captivate audiences and communicate complex ideas. By working with artists on the WaterLANDS project, our goal is to bring artists’ unique perspectives into the scientific and community engagement processes and to promote greater understanding of wetland ecosystem restoration. I’m excited to get this collaboration underway and to work with artists all over Europe on this ambitious initiative” For more information about the call for artists, including application criteria: link here Find out more about the project: waterlands.eu
- Horizon Europe
- Project News
- Land Restoration
October 27, 2022
“For Peat’s Sake”: Brussels Nature Restoration Law Event
Press Release 27 October 2022 On 26th October 2022, Horizon 2020 project WaterLANDS and Interreg North-West Europe project Care-Peat hosted a joint event in Brussels to discuss peatland policy recommendations developed with stakeholders and to advocate for stronger peatland targets in the proposal for the new EU Nature Restoration Law. The event, attended by MEPs, Directorate-Generals, and other policy stakeholders, called for a range of new measures, including the significant increase of peatland restoration targets for 2050, and the mandatory monitoring of restoration. While the event organisers welcome the proposed Nature Restoration Law as a positive step, including the binding targets for EU countries to restore peatland by 2030, 2040 and 2050, and the recognition of alternative modes of use for rewetted land, stronger peatland targets were advocated for, including: The restoration of peatland must include rewetting. Significant improvement of peatland restoration targets for 2050 in line with the Paris Agreement. Target all non-residential land uses of drained peatland for restoration. Mandatory monitoring of peatland restoration. In her keynote speech, MEP Jutta Paulus called for the improvement of the Nature Restoration Law, saying “Peatlands are some of our most valuable ecosystems, covering only 3% of Earth’s land area but storing more than 600 gigatonnes of the planet’s soil carbon, which approximately corresponds to the amount of carbon emitted by Europe since 1750. The degradation of peatlands has caused them to become carbon sources rather than sinks. The proposal for the Nature Restoration Law is Europe’s chance to champion peatlands in policy, but we must act now to strengthen the targets for a stronger Law for nature.” The European Commission’s proposal for the EU Nature Restoration Law was presented on June 22, 2022 and sets a precedent as Europe’s first legally binding requirement to protect nature. The proposed draft law covers a range of terrestrial and maritime ecosystems, habitats and species, including rivers, forests, grasslands and peatlands, and sets specific targets for restoring these ecosystems. If sufficiently ambitious, the proposal, due to be adopted as law by 2023, holds promise to protect habitats, reverse biodiversity loss, ensure a just transition, and enable climate mitigation and action in line with the stated objectives of the EU Green Deal, the Paris Agreement, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. “For Peat’s Sake”, Strengthening Peatlands Targets in the EU Nature Restoration Law” included a technical peatland seminar followed by a high-level policy event hosted by MEP Jutta Paulus. It emphasised the crucial role of peatlands for biodiversity, carbon storage, water cycles and climate resilience throughout Europe under the Nature Restoration Law. The event showcased how the WaterLANDS and Care-Peat projects will create a legacy for the upscaling of wetland restoration by contributing to European policy and the implementation of the Nature Restoration Law, while emphasising the necessity of improved targets for peatland restoration. Peatlands are under threat, with over half of their total coverage in the EU now degraded due to human activity. The bulk of this degradation occurs from the draining of peatlands, which releases large quantities of carbon in the form of greenhouse gas, contributing to climate change. The EU is the second largest global emitter of greenhouse gases from drained peatlands. Representatives of WaterLANDS and Care-Peat look forward to further work and discussions on the draft law, which will take place in the coming months. For More Information Contact Laoise Dillon Visit the project websites: WaterLands and CarePeat This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101036484 (WaterLANDS). This output reflects the views of the authors and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.
- ERINN News
- Land Restoration
October 26, 2021
ERINN Innovation collaborates on Accelerate Green programme to boost Irish SMEs focused on sustainability
In an exciting milestone for LIFE IP Peatlands and People, the launch of Pillar 2’s accelerator programme took place on Monday 11th October 2021, attended by Minister for State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Robert Troy. Peatlands and People is a 7-year LIFE Integrated project with three pillars – an ecological pillar (Peatlands Excellence), an economic pillar (the Just Transition Accelerator) and an education pillar (the People’s Discovery Attraction). The restored and rehabilitated peatlands are expected to store more carbon, protect biodiversity, improve water quality and support other benefits, while the Accelerator and Discovery Attraction aim to support economic growth and create space for social action. ERINN Innovation is one of the five key project partners. The Accelerator will provide a range of supports to SMEs to encourage the development of ideas into new products, services and enterprises. It will aspire to evolve so as to provide an incubator infrastructure to help businesses to test and adopt ideas and technologies for a Just Transition – ensuring the transition to a climate-neutral economy happens in a fair way. The Just Transition Accelerator is led by project partners Bord na Móna and ERINN Innovation who, following a tender process, appointed Resolve Partners to run the first accelerator programme. The programme – Accelerate Green – is the first Irish accelerator dedicated to scaling companies leading the response to climate action and sustainability by developing products and services based on green innovation. It will be located at Bord na Móna’s existing office complex in Boora, Offaly. The accelerator programme is currently accepting applications from the following: Established Scaling Climate Tech Companies High-growth SMEs pivoting to the climate change economy Earlier Stage Innovation-Driven Enterprises Technology, Engineering Science Renewables/Carbon reduction, Waste/Circular, AgTech Applications close on 10th December with the programme due to begin on 1st February 2022. Potential applicants are encouraged to register their interest and book office hours to discuss the programme. For more information, please visit: accelerategreen.ie. For more information on LIFE IP Peatlands and People, please visit: www.peatlandsandpeople.ie Image from the Accelerate Green launch event (L-R): Rebecca Doyle of ERINN Innovation, LIFE IP Peatlands and People Project Manager; David Murphy CEO of ERINN Innovation; Robert Troy, Minister for State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment; Declan Clarke of ERINN Innovation, LIFE IP Peatlands and People Pillar 2 Just Transition Accelerator Lead; John MacNamara of Bord na Móna, LIFE IP Peatlands and People Project Coordinator; Dr Christine Domegan of the Whitaker Institute NUI Galway, LIFE IP Peatlands and People Pillar 3 People’s Discovery Attraction Lead; Tom Donnellan, Bord na Móna CEO; and Suzanne Nally of the NPWS, LIFE IP Peatlands and People project partner rehabilitating peatlands under Pillar 1 Peatlands Excellence.
- Horizon Europe
- Project News
- Land Restoration
October 6, 2021
WaterLANDS: New European Green Deal project launched to lead largescale restoration of European wetlands
An ambitious project has been launched to tackle largescale restoration of Europe’s wetlands, with €23 million of funding from the EU Horizon 2020 Programme Green Deal. WaterLANDS (Water-based solutions for carbon storage, people and wilderness) will restore wetland sites across Europe which have been decimated by human activity and lay the foundations for scalable protection across much wider areas. WaterLANDS will undertake hands-on restoration of specific wetland sites, covering an initial 10,500 ha, and create best practice models that can be applied to wetland restoration at other sites. By engaging with local communities and stakeholders, the project will ensure that wetland restoration results not only in environmental gains, but also social and economic benefits for the communities involved. The five-year project is led by University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland and brings together 31 other organisations from research, industry, government and non-profit sectors in 14 European countries. Commenting on the project’s significance, WaterLANDS project coordinator Dr Craig Bullock, Research Fellow in Planning and Environmental Policy at University College Dublin, said: “Previous attempts at wetland restoration have often been too localised or too fragmented to make a significant difference to the re-establishment of wetland ecosystems and species. In WaterLANDS, we aim to co-create a more effective means of restoration which captures ecological, social, governance and financial aspects, to connect habitats and communities across Europe, ensuring both thrive for many generations to come.” Comprised of diverse ecosystems including peatlands, fens, riparian marshes and coastal estuaries, wetlands are home to 40% of the world’s species. They also store and capture carbon, remove environmental pollutants, and protect communities from flooding. Wetlands are particularly vulnerable to damage from human activities. Europe has already lost up to 90% of its original wetlands, resulting in massive biodiversity loss, water and food shortages, devastating floods and fires, coastal subsidence and erosion. The largescale, integrated approach developed in WaterLANDS will address these challenges to ensure the resilience and health of both wetland habitats and the communities who rely on them. Funding for WaterLANDS is part of the European Commission’s Green Deal ambition to make Europe the first climate neutral continent by 2050 with a sustainable economy that leaves no one behind. The project will officially launch in December 2021. Please follow @WaterLANDS_EU for the latest updates
- Project News
- Land Restoration
February 2, 2021
Irish Peatlands central to a new EU-funded Climate Action Initiative
The European Commission is to fund €10million towards a project which will highlight the power of peatlands to effect significant climate action wins. Today is World Wetlands Day, which aims to raise global awareness of the importance of wetlands, including peatlands, for people and our planet. This Peatlands and People project is a major national initiative that has won funding support from the European Commission which will contribute to the long term implementation of Irelands Climate Action Plan. It will engage people in Ireland and across the European Union with the benefits of peatlands restoration, in particular to realise the power of peatlands to effect positive climate action. ERINN Innovation is delighted to have not only coordinated and led the writing of the proposal, but to also have several roles in the project’s implementation, including project management, communications and lead of one of the project’s three pillars. The project follows closely after Bord na Móna commenced a major peatland rehabilitation initiative with the support of climate action funding from the Irish Government. Bord na Móna recently called a permanent end to peat harvesting as it moves to become a climate solutions business focused on renewable energy, peatland rehabilitation and recycling. Co-ordinated by Bord na Móna, together with National Parks and Wildlife Service (of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage), the Environmental Protection Agency, National University of Ireland Galway and ERINN Innovation Ltd, with additional co-financing from Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the project will work with peatlands in Ireland’s midlands and the communities around them to deliver capacity and support related to a low-carbon economy. The project will deliver on its aims via three pillars; A Peatlands Knowledge Centre of Excellence in Ireland working across multiple sites that will explore and carry out best practices in peatland restoration and rehabilitation and design methodologies to monitor and analyse carbon fluxes. Over time the peatlands are expected to store more carbon and also support multiple ecosystem service benefits. A Just Transition Accelerator programme that will focus on low-carbon and circular economies to support the midlands region economically. It intends to provide a range of services for the development of new sustainable products, services, enterprises and value chains. An immersive People’s Discovery Attraction in the midlands that will be designed to introduce the importance of climate action and peatlands to citizens. Its long-term aim is to progress with the establishment of an educational space that cultivates curiosity and climate literacy, providing a forum for dialogue and discovery. Announcing the project, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan TD said “Our peatlands are a precious resource in terms of storing carbon, restoring biodiversity and supporting local communities in new jobs taking care of our environment. I am delighted to welcome another major project just months after we announced Government support for the rehabilitation of a huge tract of Bord na Móna peatlands. The Peatlands Centre of Excellence, Just Transition Accelerator, and the new Discovery Attraction supported by this EU LIFE project put the spotlight and investment where it should be, on Peatlands AND People.” Minister for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD said: “The restoration and rehabilitation of Ireland’s peatlands is a critically important aspect of our response to the climate and biodiversity emergency. When healthy, these unique and precious habitats are home to some of our most threatened species, and are among our best lines of defence against climate change: sequestering and storing carbon, reducing the impact of floods and filtering water. They are also places where people can experience the wonder of nature and nourish the deep connections that inspire us to protect it. I am proud that the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage will be an active partner in the Peatlands and People project, which closely aligns with Ireland’s national biodiversity objectives and will build on the extensive work the National Parks and Wildlife Service has undertaken to date to rehabilitate and restore these extraordinary habitats.” Bord na Móna Chief Executive Tom Donnellan said “I warmly welcome this significant funding from the European Commission for this project that will contribute towards the implementation of Ireland’s Climate Action Plan. Bord na Móna is taking a lead role in this as we are now focused on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and enhancing carbon storage potential through best practice restoration and rehabilitation of peatlands. I am particularly pleased that the project recognises that climate action doesn’t happen in isolation, it will require a new awareness and behaviour change across society. We have been through this fundamental change and I think we can show that you can achieve business growth and place a new value on the environment that sustains all of us”. The project partners plan to hold a stakeholder engagement day to explore the details of the EU LIFE IP Peatlands and People project when current Covid-19 restrictions ease. For more details please see: www.peatlandsandpeople.ie or contact info@peatlandsandpeople.ie Notes for Editors: LIFE Integrated Projects under the sub-programme for Climate Action are projects implementing on a large territorial scale (regional, multi-regional, national or trans-national scale) climate action plans, strategies or roadmaps required by specific Union climate legislation, developed pursuant to other Union acts or developed by Member States’ authorities, primarily in the areas of climate change mitigation and adaptation, while ensuring involvement of stakeholders and promoting the coordination with and mobilisation of at least one other relevant Union, national or private funding source. This project has received funding from the European Union’s LIFE Programme under grant agreement No. LIFE19 IPC/IE/000007 (LIFE IP Peatlands and People). This output reflects only the author’s view and the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) cannot be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. Climate disruption is already having diverse and wide ranging impacts on Ireland’s environment, society, economic and natural resources. The Climate Action Plan sets out an ambitious course of action over the coming years to address this issue. The full plan is available here: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/ccb2e0-the-climate-action-plan-2019/ Back to news
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ERINN Innovation Ltd
Company No.: 600883 (Ireland)
Company No.: 600883 (Ireland)
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David Murphy (IE/UK)
Laura Richardson (IE)
Marieke Reuver (NL)
Michael Papapetrou (GR/IE)
Reid Hole (NO)
