Outline
OPERAs (Operational Potential of Ecosystem Research Applications) ran from 2012 - 2017, connecting researchers and practitioners across 27 global organisations, including leading European universities and eco institutions, to provide stakeholders with user-friendly tools to help them best apply ecosystem services in their work.
Project Objectives:
Human use and exploitation of the biosphere is increasing at such a pace and scale that the sustainability of major ecosystems is threatened, and may not be able to continue to function in ways that are vital to the existence of humanity. Re-framing environmental resource use has led to the emergence of the concepts of ecosystem services (ES) and natural capital (NC). This discourse indicates not only a change in our understanding of planetary functions at the ecosystem scale, but also a fundamental shift in how we perceive the relationship between people and the ecosystems on which they depend. OPERAs aimed to improve understanding of how ES/NC contribute to human well-being in different social-ecological systems in inland and coastal zones, in rural and urban areas, related to different ecosystems including forests and freshwater resources. The OPERAs research established whether, how, and under what conditions the ES/NC concepts can move beyond the academic domain towards practical implementation in support of sustainable ecosystem management. OPERAs used a meta-analysis (systematic review) of existing ES/NC practice to identify knowledge gaps and requirements for new policy options and instruments.
Work Programme
The OPERAs Work Programme facilitated the exchange of information between Practice, Knowledge and Instruments. An accessible resource hub made outputs accessible to a vast community of stakeholders and policy makers.
Here's how the project worked:
- Practice: OPERAs produced, refined and integrated cutting edge ecosystem service science into policy and practice.
- Knowledge: provided stakeholders with user-friendly tools and instruments to help apply ecosystem services science and knowledge in their work.
- Instruments: worked across a range of ecosystems, in ‘exemplar’ case-studies, transforming ecosystem services and natural capital into practice research applies the ecosystem services and natural capital concepts.
- Outreach and Dissemination: engaged with stakeholders across science, policy and practice to build a community around its outputs.
- The Resource Hub hosts ecosystem services resources and tools in an accessible, web-based portal.
Oppla Community: OPERAs worked with OpenNESS to develop an open platform for collaboration between communities of science, policy and practice. This online hub brings together innovations in nature-based solutions from across Europe.
Explore OPERAs outcomes further on our Group Hub, or view a summary here.
This project received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement number 308393.