ALTER-Net Summer Schools

Now open for applications!

The Fifth ALTER-Net Summer School

"Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services"

5 - 14 September 2010 in Peyresq, France

Here you can download the flyer and the application form (Deadline April 15, 2010)

The programme for 2010 is currently being finalized. Please have a look at the programme from last year to get an impression of what will be developed for this year.

Here is more information on:

• Mission of ALTER-Net
• Objective of the summer school
• Speakers of the summer school in 2009
• Here is a link to the photo collection of Martin Sharman http://www.flickr.com/photos/sharman/sets/72157612354021155/ and here of Allan Watt http://www.flickr.com/photos/adwatt/ both from the summer school in 2009.
• And here are direct links to the photo galleries of Peyresq, our walk to the shepherd, the excursion, the working groups and many nice evenings in 2009.
  
• Personal impressions from a participant in 2008 of the summer school by Roos den Uyl (pdf)
• Logistics

ALTER-Net is a partnership of 22 research organisations in Europe, developed in the EC´s Sixth Framework Programme. ALTER-Net will  organize its fifth summer school from 5 to 14 September 2010 in Peyresq, Alpes de Haute-Provence, France on "Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services" again. Here is the flyer, a double poster and a single poster for advertising the school. Please print as many copies as possible and distribute widely. In case you are interested you can have a look at the programmes of 2006 on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: Ecological and Socio-economic Aspects or of 2007 on Trends in Biodiversity: European Ecosystems and Policy or of 2008 Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services  and of 2009 "Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services".

Summer School Objectives

The ALTER-Net Summer School is contributing to durable integration and spread of excellence within and beyond the network, with a view to promote interdisciplinary approaches.

The 2010 Summer School will focus on: Biodiversity and ecosystems in Europe; Ecosystem processes, function, services and benefits; Resilience of social and natural systems; Valuation of biodiversity and ecosystem services; Linking biodiversity research with policy and the public.
	In the plenary (Photo: Allan Watt)

The programme will include two talks in the morning and an aperitif talk in the late afternoon before dinner. All talks provide ample time for discussions and as the speakers usually stay for some days in Peyresq informal discussions will go on till late at night. Tutors will guide the working groups in the afternoons this year as well. The working groups will concentrate on a local region and study probably the following sectors: Agriculture, water, tourism and nature conservation. There will be a synthesis group summarizing the results in a synthesis report aimed at policy makers. A field trip will illustrate land-use change in the Provence. Of course there will be also opportunities to relax in the beautiful village of Peyresq and its surroundings.

Speakers of the summer school in 2009

- Eric Arets, ALTERRA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Augustin Berghöfer, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
- Wolfgang Cramer, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Germany
- Roy Haynes-Young, Centre for Environmental Management, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Rik Leemans, Environmental Systems Analysis Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, The Netherlands
- Hal Mooney, Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
- Terry Parr, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster, UK
- Tony Patt, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Laxenburg, Austria
- Marion Potschin, Centre for Environmental Management, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Diana Reckien, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Germany
- Dagmar Schröter, Umweltbundesamt, Vienna, Austria
- Martin Sharman, Directorate General for Research, European Commission, Brussels, Belgium
- Simron Jit Singh, Institute for Social Ecology (IFF), Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies, Klagenfurt University, Vienna, Austria
- Mark Sutton, Atmospheric Sciences, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH), Edinburgh, UK
- Jiska van Dijk, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research - NINA, ALTER-Net II Secretariat, Trondheim, Norway
- Adam Vanbergen, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
- Allan Watt, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH), Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
- Martin Wildenberg, Institute of Social Ecology (IFF), Vienna, Austria
- Brooke Wilkerson, University of Bergen, Norway
- Juliette Young, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Participation

The ALTER-Net 2009 summer school was open to young graduate and post-graduate scientists from the network partners, universities and for two participants from developing countries and Australia. Adequate English skills were required. All participants presented a poster on their own research. The summer school is limited to 32 participants, who are selected with the goal of achieving an optimal mix among regions, disciplines and gender. There was a registration fee of 850,-€ which includes the lectures, the excursion, accommodation (double rooms) and meals. Travel costs had to be covered by the participants.

Here you can download the application form. The deadline is 15 April 2010 and the successful applicants will be notified by 1 May 2010.

Summer School Conveners

 

Logistics

The village of Peyresq - where the summer school is taking place - is a very picturesque site in the French Alps (Alpes de Haute-Provence) situated about 1.500m above sea level. The village is partly owned and managed by the European association for culture and artistic and scientific humanism ASLB Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc which has assigned the village as a location for scientific and cultural meetings.

To get to Peyresq by public transport, the easiest method is to fly to Nice International Airport, and then take the picturesque train, called the "Chemins de Fer de Provence", which goes from Nice through the mountains to Digne, and you have to get off in Annot, where you will usually be met at the station. Note that the train leaves from the "Gare de Provence", which is about 10 minutes walk from the main station in Nice, Gare de Nice-Ville. Find here the map for your walk from the Avenue Thiers to the Rue Alfred Binet. In case you do not have the time to take the train form the Gare de Provence in Nice here is the map of the location of the Gare in Lingostière. More local travel information can be downloaded here (pdf: 80 KB). [Please remember not to get off at a train stop called "Peyresq", because this is in the river valley from where you would have to climb an hour uphill to the village!] By car it takes about 1 1/2 hours from Nice.

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The ALTER-Net Mission was

ALTER-Net shall integrate biodiversity research capacities across Europe to:

• Create a network for European long-term terrestrial and fresh-water biodiversity and ecosystem research;
• Assess and forecast changes in biodiversity, structure, functions and dynamics of ecosystems and their services; and
• Consider the social and economic implications of biodiversity change and management.

	A Long-Term Biodiversity, Ecosystem And Awareness Research Network
		ALTER-Net was initiated by EU Network of Excellence No. 505298 ALTER-Net