Programme

The programme of the conference will consist of plenary sessions with keynote speakers, parallel sessions in 4–5 thematic areas, interactive sessions, and poster presentations.

The conference will be hybrid with the possibility of on-line participation.

The conference focuses on all types of transport including roads, railroads, powerlines, inland navigation or pipelines. Main thematic areas will focus on the following:

Future challenges and opportunities - maintaining ecological connectivity as a basis for future transport (connectivity between Natura 2000 sites as a priority). Presentations focused on new directions in the development of transport and energy infrastructure and their impact on biodiversity and ecological connectivity are expected in this thematic area.
Innovative mitigation measures to avoid, reduce or compensate for negative impacts of transport and energy infrastructure – a description of innovative mitigation measures on roads and power lines, including an evaluation of their effectiveness, will be presented here.
Research, innovation and monitoring as a way to increase the effectiveness of implemented mitigation measures - studies focused on the impacts of transport and energy infrastructure on biodiversity and the effectiveness of mitigation measures will be presented in this thematic area.
Education, awareness raising and capacity building - a basic condition for coping with the new challenges

See the Tentative List of the Session Themes below.

Pre-conference training courses:
Sunday, Sept. 8, 9:00-18:00 - Monitoring roadkill and wildlife mitigation measures - one day training course lead by Andreas Seiler, Vaclav Hlavac, Carme Rosell, Antonio Mira, Michal Bíl, Luis M. Fernández, Nuno Pedroso, Jiří Sedoník
Sunday, Sept. 8, 9:00-18:00 - Road vegetation over time: from the first rows of trees to the conservation of biodiversity - one day training course lead by Eva Ditlevsen, Mats Lindqvist, Denis Francois

IENE 2024 Conference:
Monday, Sept. 9 – meetings of IENE Working Groups, opening session, welcome drink

Tuesday, Sept. 10 – discussions in plenary and parallel sessions, IENE General Assembly

Wednesday, Sept. 11 – field excursions

Thursday, Sept. 12 – discussions in plenary and parallel sessions, interactive sessions, social event with dinner and presentation of IENE awards

Friday, Sept. 13 – discussions in plenary and parallel sessions, interactive sessions, closure of the conference

Plenary Sessions

Gaya Herrington -End of the road, or changing course away from a cliff? Sustainable futures in transportation

Ladislav Miko -European biodiversity on crossroads - strategically but also literally!

Edgar van der Grift -Evaluating road mitigation effectiveness: The road ahead of us

Marguerite Trocmé - Lessons learned from 35 years of road ecology

Václav Hlaváč - Fauna protection during transport and energy infrastructure development in the Czech Republic

Tentative List of Session Themes

Infrastructure habitats – management, potentials, and threats
- Mitigation measures and practices on roads, railways, inland waterways, and power lines
- Monitoring the effectiveness of mitigation measures
- Wildlife crossing structures: Implementation and innovation
- Power lines, roads, railways, and wildlife – innovative approaches and animal warning systems
- Traffic noise and light pollution
- Research techniques: what is new?
- The perfect way – ideas for future, well adapted and sustainable infrastructure (planning, design etc.)

Biodiversity and habitat management under power lines
- Energy production and infrastructure habitats – potential for bio-fuel, solar panels and wind farm (and impacts on biodiversity)

Road verges
- Invasive species along verges – challenge for biodiversity management and nature based solutions
- Ecological traps: what kind of biodiversity can and should be promoted along infrastructure (to not create sinks...)

Wildlife mortality related to infrastructure – trends and monitoring tools (focus on smaller species and any kind of mortality)
- Vehicle-animal collisions and traffic impacts – innovative mitigation approaches and driver awareness
- Effectiveness of measures in reducing roadkill / power lines bird mortality and barrier effect

Habitat fragmentation, and defragmentation strategies (defragmentation map of Europe)
- Defragmentation hot spots and Natura 2000 sites habitat connectivity
Climate change adaptation of infrastructure and its potential for biodiversity

The European Green Deal and its repercussions on biodiversity and infrastructure
The European Restoration Law and its implications towards infrastructure development
Designing and maintaining greener infrastructure

Interdisciplinary cooperation – the need for a common vision
- Social and ecological synergies – holistic approaches to urban and rural infrastructure development
- The role of education and awareness raising
- Data and Citizen science

Programme

Plenary Sessions

Tentative List of Session Themes

IENE 2024 Organizers

Co-organizers

Supporters