ALTER-Net Summer School 2006

Peyresq, Alpes de Haute-Provence, France

Summer School 2006

BIODIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES: ECOLOGICAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC ASPECTS

The ALTER-Net EU Network of Excellence has organized it´s first Summer School from 27 August to 8 September 2006 in Peyresq, Alpes de Haute-Provence, France. The topic was Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: Ecological and Socio-economic Aspects. The school was a unique opportunity to explore this important issue with 35 like-minded post-graduate students and young scientists from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Nepal, Netherlands, Philippines, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Sweden and UK. 22 Speakers gave presentations on this subject in the morning or late afternoon. Here is a list (pdf) with all the participants, tutors and speakers. In the afternoon the five working groups studied different regions in the Alps and summarised their studies in the report "Vulnerability of the Alps - a preliminary assessment of biodiversity and ecosystem services" (pdf: 13MB). Here is a short version of the programme as a pdf file for downloading.

Here you can have a look at the detailed programme from where you can go to the indiviual talks and download the presentations as pdf files. Student summaries and some background literature or doi numbers are included there as well as more information on the speakers.

The Summer School Objectives

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

The 2006 Summer School focused on: Biodiversity in Europe - state of the art; Monitoring and assessment; Modelling and scale issues; Critical ecosystem properties to sustain ecosystem services; Socio-economic aspects of ecosystem services; Indicators of ecosystem services; Linking biodiversity research with policy and the public.
	In the plenary

22 experts gave lectures on the themes mentioned above. The programme included two talks in the morning and an aperitif talk in the late afternoon just before dinner. All talks provided ample time for discussions and as the speakers usually staid for some time in Peyresq informal discussions were going on till late at night. Tutors with considerable expertise in relevant fields guided the working groups in the afternoons. They discussed implications of findings for actual European ecosystems and their services and compiled these in a written report. An excursion illustrated land-use change in the Provence. Of course there is also the opportunity to relax in the beautiful village of Peyresq and its surroundings.

Here you can download the flyer of the summer school.

Lecturers

Claus Beier, RNL, Roskilde, Denmark
Michael Bredemeier, FERC, Göttingen, Germany
Harald Bugmann, ETH Zürich, Switzerland
Tim Carter, SYKE, Helsinki, Finland
Wolfgang Cramer, PIK, Potsdam, Germany
Anke Fischer, Macaulay, Aberdeen, UK
Helmut Haberl, IFF, Vienna, Austria
Carina Keskitalo, Umeå University, Sweden
Rik Leemans, U Wageningen, Netherlands
Petra Lucht, Technical U, Berlin, Germany
Wolfgang Lucht, PIK, Potsdam, Germany
Stefan Rahmstorf, PIK, Potsdam, Germany
Odd Terje Sandlund, NINA, Trondheim, Norway
Dagmar Schröter, Clark University, Worcester, USA
Martin Sharman, European Commission, Brussels, Belgium
Sigrid Stagl, U of Sussex, Brighton, UK
Viera Straskrabova, Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
Will Steffen, CRES, ANU, Canberra, Australia
Mark Sutton, CEH, Edinburgh, UK
Sybille van den Hove, MEDIAN, Barcelona, Spain

Participants

The ALTER-Net 2006 summer school was open to young graduate and post-graduate scientists from the network partners and some participants from developing countries. Adequate English skills was required. All participants were asked to present a poster on their own research. The summer school was limited to 35 participants, who were selecteded with the goal of achieving an optimal mix among regions, disciplines and gender. There were no registration fees and accomodation (double rooms) and meals were provided. Travel costs had been covered by the participants.

Here you can download the application form. This questionnaire was included in the folder of the participants or this one in the folder of the speakers. The evaluation of the summer school from the participants as well as from the speakers was very favourable and some tangible suggestions will help to organize futur summer schools even better.  

Lunch on the terrace

Deadline for Applications: has expired 

Successful applicants have been notified by 31 May 2006 and many on the waiting list have confirmed that they would like to remain there with a small chance to be still invited in case any cancellations are received.

Please contact the Summer School Director concerning any questions you might have in respect to the summer school:

Sabine Lütkemeier
Summer School Director
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
Telegrafenberg
14473 Potsdam
Germany
E-mail: Sabine.Luetkemeier -at- pik-potsdam.de

Poster session	Working group on the terrace

Summer School Conveners

Executive Board of the ALTER-Net Summer School

Karl Baadsvik, Chair, NINA, Trondheim, Norway
Wolfgang Cramer, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam, Germany
Zuzana Imrichová, Institute of Landscape Ecology, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
Lars Lundin, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
Henk Siepel, ALTERRA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
Jaroslav Vrba, Hydrobiological Institute, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic

Local Information

The village of Peyresq - where the summer school will take 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. 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

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
		EU´s 6th Framework Programme: EU Network of Excellence No. 505298: ALTER-Net