The concept of ecosystem services is relatively new – especially in Central and Eastern Europe -, however we have already had a big chunk of involvement in participating in related processes including the international IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) and the EU’s Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and Ecosystem Services (MAES) processes along with several EU (FP7, Horizon 2020, Interreg and LIFE projects) and EU expert groups. In our recent ecosystem evaluation projects, we have paid elevated emphasis on involving local stakeholders as well as experts in the evaluation process through participatory approach in order to get better results.
Our experts have been advocating and carrying out research for sustainable and sufficiency energy use for 15 years. We have analysed the national household energy use of Central and Eastern European countries. We raised the energy sufficiency profiles of international organisations and projects focusing on alleviating energy poverty, evaluated national and international energy related programmes from an energy sufficiency point of view. We developed and disseminated an interactive, awareness raising game towards the needed systematic transformation.
Understanding individual and institutional choices and behaviour, will help understand how our society steers for an (un)sustainable future. Carrying out ground-breaking research on climate change, biodiversity and behaviour will fuel driving social transition within sectors and social transformations. Identifying policy entry points at various levels and relevant decision-makers will induce the transformation along with building a network of transformation scientists and practitioners EU-wide focusing on climate and environmental issues.
See below our latest projects and our top qualities.
We provide complex services starting from procurement through policy expertise and scientific assessments to result in integration, dissemination and process facilitation.
As certified facilitators and advisors running almost 100 international and national workshops, we can nurture processes from plans to successful completion. With our basic values of candour, respect of opinion and mindful listening, we can make all participants comfortable to share their points openly, which in return help their empowerment and responsibility to carry out the project till the finish.
EcoystemEvaluation co-funder, Agnes Zolyomi contributed as a contributing-author to the recently published full report of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Values Assessment . The assessment aimed to provide an overview of the various values nature holds to enable decision-makers with a more complex understanding of incorporating nature to policies. The assessment highlights…
EcosystemEvaluation co-funder, Veronika Kiss joined the signatories of CEE civil society stressing the need for a European transition towards independent, clean, peaceful, and affordable energy. Numerous organizations and individuals called on the Czech Presidency to work on progressive climate and energy policy that includes investments into reducing energy consumption, improving energy efficiency, and implementation of…
Ashoka, in collaboration with the science shop and researchers at Corvinus University of Budapest, launched a 12-month research project in January 2022 to address relevant issues affecting social enterprises. Veronika Kiss, Co-Founder of EcosystemEvaluation is coordinating the work. As a first step, colleagues from Corvinus University explored the lack of research data based on the…
Alt-Shift – a Degrowth Festival at August 27th – September 3rd (Arrival August 26th).
For more than a decade, Habitat for Humanity International – Europe and the Middle East (HFHI/EME) has been addressing the issue of energy poverty and energy efficiency in the residential sector in the region of Central and Eastern Europe and Western Balkans. HFHI/EME activities under the Residential Energy Efficiency for Low-Income Households (REELIH) project funded…
Within Teachers as change agents – continued project, HAND Association, with the active participation of students and lecturers from two famous Hungarian universities (ELTE, PTE), examined how and to what extent the aspects and contents of global education appear and prevail in teacher training. During the project, participatory system mapping methodology was applied through which…
Experts from EcosystemEvaluation assessed national Operative Programmes (OPs) under the next Multiannual Financial Framework of the European Union, which defines the main directions of European spending between 2021 and 2027. We evaluated the OPs from energy efficiency and renewable energy sources perspectives, considering also how these programmes contribute to just and sustainable energy transition. The work…
Ecosystem Evaluation founder, Agnes Zolyomi published a book chapter, “How to Make Policy-Makers Care about “Wicked Problems” such as Biodiversity Loss?—The Case of a Policy Campaign”. Here, she provides an overview of current biodiversity communication methods (including ecosystem services, flagship species, emotions). Based on experiences drawn from a conservation and advocacy NGO’s work, the chapter also divulges various…
The LIFE LOGOS 4 WATER project aims to improve water management practices of Hungarian local governments with natural water retention solutions, thus reducing the negative water balance, increasing the prevalence of water retention solutions and adapting to the adverse effects of a climate crisis. In addition to a number of awareness-raising and capacity-building activities, the…
The network of Justice and Environment has been operating for around 20 years with the mission to improve EU environmental laws and their implementation for the benefit of the environment and people across Europe. While their two decades of work resulted in many policy outputs and successes, systematic organizational screening of their impact has not yet been carried out…
The LIFE Danube Free Sky project is a transnational project with the aim to save thousands of birds from electrocution and collisions with power lines. To achieve this, the project involves and collaborates with numerous stakeholders including, for instance, electric companies and nature conservation actors along the Danube. In order to understand the project’s overall socio-economic dimensions and impact…
The “Conservation arrangements for Lesser Spotted Eagle in Latvia” (LIFE AQPOM) project has focused on the complex conservation of the bird’s alarmingly declining population. The project created new habitats for the eagle and for his preys and ensured safe pylons around the habitats of the bird. In our socio-economic impact and ecosystem services assessment we analysed…
We carried out the baseline ecosystem services assessment of the Italian forest sites covered by the LIFE4OakForest project. Our assessment aimed to reveal the current conditions of the selected four ecosystem services (biomass, carbon sequestration, microhabitat maintenance and pest control). We found that on one of the two project areas, the volume of biomass – and therefore the…
The EU’s environmental policy are among the most comprehensive ones at the international level. In spite of this, their proper implementation is often lagging behind. Experience throughout the EU Member States suggests that public authorities alone cannot address this deficit in implementation. Accordingly, empowered citizens and trained actors representing the entire legal chain with extended knowledge about…
EcosystemEvaluation took part and presented its work at the international forum targeting the conservation of trees worldwide. The online event entitled ‘The Importance of Trees for People and Planet‘ was held on 21 and 22 January, 2021. Participants came from very different backgrounds, including tree planting related organisations, environmentalists, academics and individuals interested in tree planting.…
We conducted a baseline ecosystem services assessment on the Hungarian sites of the LIFE4OAKForest project to reveal the current conditions of the ecosystem services found on the project areas. Due to intensive human use, there are no natural oak forests left in Hungary and the biodiversity of these remaining oak forests are continuously declining. The aim of…
Limiting global warming to 1.5°C requires ambitious actions. The EU has committed to reach complete decarbonization by 2050. Current policy tools and institutional frameworks, however, have proven to fail to realize the necessary transformation. Therefore, we think that developing, communicating and then implementing innovative approaches aiming to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 are vital. Veronika…
Agnes Zolyomi joined the Horizon 2020 project, EKLIPSE‘s Knowledge Coordination Body in spring 2020 with a two-year mandate. EKLIPSE is an EU funded project that aims to enable innovative know-how and an effective policy-science interface about biodiversity and ecosystem services. The project – among many other activities – call for scientists, policy-makers, practitioners and citizens to submit ideas…
We worked on identifying and quantifying key ecosystem services potentially affected by a planned highway section in Central and Eastern Europe (M3 in Hungary) with the involvement of local experts and residents. To achieve the project goals, we worked out a methodology to collect data both through quantitative and qualitative manners. We compiled a background study on…
During this year’s Sziget Festival in August, we presented our work at the Green Sziget section on how the Sziget Festival impacts its environment of the Óbuda island. We analysed aspects of the island’s vegetation, soil and bird species (as indicator species of ecosystems) and collected cases on how other festivals world-wide consider their environment and mitigate…
Funding members of EcosystemEvaluation both compensated for their flights with planting local and resilient fruit trees. This mission was aided by TreeDependent, Greendependent‘s initiative of carbon compensation. Both of us (one more than the other) travel unfortunately substantially due to work (and shamefully, for pleasure, too). Although flying is (or was before the corona virus) part of everyday…
We assessed the socio-economic impacts of the “Reason for Hope” LIFE+ conservation project supported by the EU that helps to reintroduce the Northern Bald Ibis endangered bird species by involving many stakeholders and addressing relevant threats in Austria, Germany and Italy. The project also impacted on other species by tackling key threats such as poaching, electrocution and environmental crime. Our role was to…
We assessed the socio-economic impacts of a Hungarian conservation project supported by the EU’s LIFE framework, Securing prey sources for endangered Falco cherrug and Aquila heliaca population in the Carpathian basin. Our role was to find out how the main target groups of the project (hunters and farmers) benefited from the project outcomes, namely the increased…
As representers of an international conservation network organization, we influenced and contributed for 10 years to the formulation and implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy, the intergovernmental Pan-European Biodiversity Strategy as well as the global Biodiversity Strategy of the Convention on Biological Diversity. We carried out professional advocacy work in order to put the conservation and…
As experts of CEEweb for Biodiversity, we contributed to quantify the most important ecosystem services along the rivers Niraj and Tarnava Mica in Romania with local people so that their views can be accurately taken into consideration in the decision-making process. We worked on involving locals to understand their contribution to the main economic sectors, like agriculture, forestry,…
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