International seminar
Transport infrastructure and Biodiversity at a nexus of challenges
Research and innovation as drivers for transformative changes
6 to 7 June 2023
Final Seminar of the BISON project
Joint seminar BISON – UNEP Sustainable Infrastructure Partnership
at the Council of Europe.
Strasbourg, France
Transport infrastructure are one of the drivers of global economic development and are mobilising major and growing investments. However, through their impact on land-use change and ecosystem fragmentation, they are also one of the main causes of climate change and biodiversity decline.
In view of these highly complex challenges, many initiatives are emerging simultaneously in Europe and beyond. In this rapidly changing context:
- What are the possible future interlinkages between infrastructures and biodiversity?
- What role can research and innovation play to support real transformative changes?
- How can operational stakeholders be better supported in integrating potentially contradictory recommendations?
- What tools should be developed to ensure sustainable investments on the scale of the colossal transport projects already underway?
Faced with these multiple challenges, the European Union has supported a strategic project to directly improve the integration of biodiversity in the infrastructure sector: the BISON project – Biodiversity and Infrastructure Synergies and Infrastructure Synergies and Opportunities for European Transport Networks.
After two and a half years of work involving Spectra and more than 45 partners from 16 countries, as well as a large number of international stakeholders from both the transport and environmental worlds, the seminar will bring together many high-level European and international speakers. Its objective will be to fuel and objectify the dialogue between infrastructure and biodiversity in order to discuss possible solutions to face a global challenge.
- June 6 – BISON Project final results
- June 7 – Joint seminar BISON – UNEP Sustainable Infrastructure Partnership