BioScene: Scenarios for reconciling biodiversity conservation with declining agricultural use in the mountains of Europe

Socio-economic part of the Swiss case study

One of the BioScene study areas: Mid Grisons, Switzerland

The overall aim of BioScene, an interdisciplinary EU-research project with participants from seven countries, is to investigate the implications of agricultural restructuring and decline for biodiversity conservation in Europe's mountain areas. This objective will be achieved through case study analysis of the biodiversity processes and outcomes of different scenarios ('BioScenes') of agricultural change in contrasting European countries. The region of Sursés has been chosen as the Swiss case study area. The project involves researchers focussing on landscape-ecological modelling, socio-economic investigations and sustainability appraisal. Socio-economic research related to the case study areas deals with the following tasks:

• Analysis of agricultural, regional and nature conservation policies
  
• Development of narratives summarising recent changes in agriculture, landscape and biodiversity, and conceptualisation of scenarios of future changes
  
• Participatory appraisal of narratives and scenarios in stakeholder workshops
  
• Economic analysis of the scenarios
  
• Developing policy recommendations

Participants

• Dr. Marcel Hunziker (Project leader of the swiss case study)
  
• Dr. Janine Bolliger (landscape ecology)
  
• Dr. Reto Soliva (socio-economic part)
  
• Swiss Federal Office for Education and Science (Financing, EU-project co-financed by Switzerland)

Contact

• Marcel Hunziker