ALTER-Net Summer School 2007

Trends in Biodiversity: European Ecosystems and Policy

Please see below the detailed programme, where you can click on the title of a presentation and you will get the pdf file of the talk, the summary of a student and recommended background literature and more information on the speaker as well. A short version of the programme (one page) can be downloaded.

Here is more information on:

• Mission of ALTER-Net
• Objective of the summer school
• Participation
• List of speakers
• List of participants
• Photos of Peyresq, the walk to the shepherd, the excursion, the local folk dance group Artemise, our own Scottish dancing party, the free day, the working groups and finally our last evening.
• Movie by Jean de Peyresq
  
• Logistics

Detailed programme

Peyresq, Alpes de Haute-Provence, France (Photo: Björn Reu)

The 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 2007 Summer School focussed on: * Biodiversity in Europe - state of the art; * Monitoring and assessment; * Modelling and scale issues; * Resilience of systems and communities (social and natural); * Policy analysis and processes; * Discourse analysis; * Linking biodiversity research with policy and the public.
	In the plenary (Photo: Wolfgang Cramer)

23 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 stayed for some time in Peyresq informal discussions went 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 the region around Peyresq and compiled the report "Reducing regional vulnerability in the Alps - Developing sustainable adaptation strategies and managing biodiversity in a climate of change". The working groups concentrated on the following sectors: Water, nature conservation, agriculture and tourism. Delegates of these working groups summarized their results in a synthesis report aimed at policy makers. An excursion illustrated land-use change in the Provence. Of course there were also opportunities to relax in the beautiful village of Peyresq and its surroundings.
Here you can download the flyer of the summer school.

Participation

The ALTER-Net 2007 summer school was open to young graduate and post-graduate scientists from the network partners, universities and some participants from developing countries. Adequate English skills were required. All participants presented a poster on their own research. The summer school was limited to 32 participants, who were selected with the goal of achieving an optimal mix among regions, disciplines and gender. There were no registration fees and accommodation (double rooms) and meals were provided. Travel costs had to be covered by the participants. For the two participants from South America the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research provided the travel grants.
Here you can download the application form. An evaluation questionnaire was included in the folder of the participants and a shorter 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.

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
Lars Lundin, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
Henk Siepel, ALTERRA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
Jana Špulerová, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
Jaroslav Vrba, Hydrobiological Institute, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic

Logistics

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. 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: 160 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.

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