To date, EKLIPSE has facilitated several expert working groups (EWG) relating to requests about business activities, human mental health, the Common Agricultural Policy, electromagnetic radiation, nature-based solutions to climate resilience in urban areas, knowledge synthesis methods and biodiversity restoration.

Read more below about how our expert working groups are formed, who they consist of and what kinds of activities they do. 

How can environmental regulators support businesses to improve the outcomes of their operations for biodiversity, with a focus on small and medium-sized enterprises in the food and beverage sector in Europe?

Which types and components of urban and peri-urban blue/greenspaces have a significant impact on human mental health and mental well-being?

Understanding farmer uptake: What measures are most promising to deliver on supporting biodiversity and ecosystem services in the next round of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)

The second Eklipse Working Group developed recommendations for CAP measures to improve biodiversity and related ecosystem services, with a focus on Ecological Focus Areas - a direct policy request from IUCN and the Swedish Board of Agriculture.

The call for experts resulted in 43 applications being received. The quality of applications was – as in the first call for experts – once again extremely high, and the final selection was very difficult. 11 experts with a broad range of expertise and EU-wide geographical representation were selected. 

The co-chairs of this group are:

Davy McCracken (Scotland's Rural College)
Eszter Kovacs (Corvinus University of Budapest/ University of Cambridge)
Calum Brown (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology)

The other members of the expert working group are:

Ioanna Grammatikopoulou (Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic)
Doris Marquardt (European Environment Agency)
Irina Herzon (University of Helsinki)
Yves Zinngrebe (Georg-August-Universität Göttingen)
Juliana Dänhardt & Johanna Alkan Olsson (Lund University)
Amaia Albizua (Basque Centre for Climate Change)
Sergio Villamayor (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)

Antonia Galanaki

The first expert working group meeting took place in Brussels on July 24th 2017. During this kick-off meeting, the group ensured common understanding of the request and developed a working plan among experts and planned their work over the next five months.

Further background information on the EWG and the request can be found in the Document of Work (DoW).

What are the impacts of artificial electromagnetic radiation on wildfire (invertebrates, vertebrates and plants)?

The requester for this request is Matt Shardlow, CEO of Buglife, the only organisation in Europe devoted to the conservation of all invertebrates. A steering group has been set up to conduct screening of relevant literature on this topic and to help organise an e-conference at the end of 2017.

Members of the Steering Group include:
Matt Shardlow (CEO of Buglife) - Requester
Prof. Dr. Mario Babilon (Cooperative State University, Stuttgart)
Prof. Kevin J Gaston (Director of the Environment and Sustainability Institute, UK)
Dr. Erich Pascal Malkemper (Institute of Molecular Pathology, Vienna)
Dr. Benoît Stockbroeckx (ANPI, Belgium)
Dr Thomas Tscheulin (University of the Aegean, Greece)
Dr. Adam J. Vanbergen (Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, UK)
Prof. Alain Vian (Université d'Angers, France)

Nature-based solutions

Our first EKLIPSE call on Nature-based Solutions to Promote Climate Resilience in Urban Areas – developing an impact evaluation framework (Call for Experts No.1/2016) was hugely successful.

The call for experts resulted in 117 applications being received. The quality of applications was extremely high, and the final selection of only 15 experts with a broad range of expertise (natural and social sciences, practitioners, planners and architects) and geographical representation was very difficult. We are happy to announce that all experts selected have agreed to be part of the expert working group. 

The co-chairs of this group were Christopher Raymond (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences), Carlo Calfapietra (National Research Council, Rome) and Niki Frantzeskaki (Erasmus University Rotterdam). The other members of the expert working group were:

• Corina Basnou (Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), Barcelona)
• Mark de Bel (Deltares, Utrecht)
• Pam Berry (University of Oxford)
• Margaretha Breil (Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM) and the Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change (CMCC)
• Marco Cardinaletti (EUROCUBE srl)
• Vera Enzi (European Federation of Green Roof and Wall Associations)
• Davide Geneletti (University of Trento)
• Nadja Kabisch (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)
• Leor Lovinger (International Federation of Landscape Architects Europe)
• Ana Monteiro (University of Porto)
• Mihai Razvan Nita (University of Bucharest)
• Holger Robrecht (Local Governments for Sustainability, European Secretariat)

The expert group met in Brussels on July 28th 2016 for their first meeting, where they ensured common understanding of the request among experts and planned their work over the next five months.

Read more about the method protocol and impact evaluation framework of the NBS expert working group here.

Knowledge Synthesis Methods

The task of the Expert Group on Knowledge Synthesis Methods (KSM) was to provide and share knowledge about different forms, methods and limitations of knowledge collation, appraisal and synthesis so that robust evidence and knowledge gaps could be identified, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of available knowledge. Read more about the expert methods group here.

What is hampering the effectiveness of existing approaches that aim to restore biodiversity and ecosystem function and services?

This request was initially put to EKLIPSE following our second call for requests (CfR.2/2017) by BiodivERsA, a network of national and regional funding organisations promoting pan-European research on biodiversity and ecosystem services, and offering innovative opportunities for the conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity. The aim of this request is to understand the reasons why current approaches to restoration are not as effective as they could be. 

The Call for Experts resulted in an Expert Working Group (EWG) with the following members: 

• Judith Fisher (Fisher Research Pty Ltd/University of Western Australia)
• Jan Frouz (Charles University, Prague)
• Patricia Maria Rodriguez Gonzalez (University of Lisbon)
• David Moreno Mateos (Basque Centre for Climate Change)
• Jordi Cortina-Segarra (Society for Ecological Restoration Europe)
• Agata Klimkowska (Eco-Recover Ecosystem Restoration Advice / University of Antwerp ECOBE)
• Pilar Andres (CREAF/Autonomous University of Barcelona)
• Apostolos Kyriazopoulos (Democritus University of Thrace)
• Prof. Susan Baker  (Sustainable Places Research Institute - Cardiff University)
• Dr. Craig Bullock (School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy - University College Dublin)
• Simo Sarkki (Oulu University, Finland)