Feedback from the Policy Advisory Board
In June, during the biannual Policy Advisory Board (PAB) meeting, LAMASUS project providers provided updates on key achievements, biodiversity modelling methods on impacts of land-use management, the consolidated AFOLU database, and the CATS and regional payments database. PAB feedback highlighted the importance of the LAMASUS project for the EU CAP process and the importance of the open-access LAMASUS policy databases. Various PAB members extended their resources and experience for the existing validation exercises, which will further enhance the quality of the LAMASUS output. The Policy Advisory Board meeting was attended by eight members from DG AGRI, DG CLIMA, DG ENV, DG REGIO, the EEA, and Trinity College Dublin, as well as the REA Policy Officer and Policy Advisor.
Tamás Krisztin, IIASA, highlighted the success of the stakeholder workshop during which 18 stakeholders provided detailed input on the beta version of LAMASUS geodatabase at 1km2, and research on carbon accounting, biodiversity, and costing for policymaking in Europe. Stakeholders also discussed were informed on the proposed and ongoing ex-post analysis work.
Richard Cornford, IIASA, presented models used by LAMASUS to capture a broad variety of biodiversity impacts of land-use management, which are not limited to specific animal species, but also cover various flora species. Richard discussed the underlying data specifications for this biodiversity modelling.
Andreas Gumbert, DG ENV, emphasized the importance and challenges to identify key drivers of biodiversity, which encompasses millions of species, and the need to not only focus on the biodiversity impacts themselves but its drivers. Richard together with various representatives of DG ENV, DG REGIO, and EEA discussed the implications of moving species, the consequences of the sampling design of the underlying data, and the temporal dimension. Furthermore, Andrea Hagyo, from the EEA, stressed the importance to understand the targets in the biodiversity strategy and what sustainable land use management practices are promoted by agricultural policy.
The group also discussed the importance of the biodiversity measures for policy making and thus the need to get expert advice on the indicators and understanding the trade-off between the need to simplify the diverse outcomes versus the risk to oversimplify and generate confusing results.
Zuelclady Araujo, IIASA, presented the draft version of the AFOLU policy database was generated to capture relevant policy and measures (PaMs) for modelling, which contain quantitative measures to track progress of the NDC, make projections, and evaluate the impact of policy measures. The AFOLU policy database is based on two data sources, the EEA policy and measures database and the UNFCCC 5BR CTF tables, including reported PaMs relevant to achieving climate and energy commitments. Johannes Schuler, DG CLIMA, and Alan Matthews, University CD, discussed the data sources and its limitations, and provided input for additional methods of verification of the AFOLU database.
Beta version of the CATS and regional policy payments – “This mapping of the payments is very insightful. Revealing policy impacts is difficult so this work could be instrumental in supporting our own analysis.” – Joachim Maes, DG REGIO
Anna Renhart, WIFO, presented the beta version of the CATS and regional policy payments database, which for the public includes downscaled FADN data, co-financing rates and European Structural and Investment Fund (ESIF) payments, LIFE data, the forestry policy database, and policy layers. She presented summary results on the ESIF payments over time and across the EU-27 and Clearance of Accounts Audit Trail System (CATS) database, which will be available to LAMASUS partners only.
Joachim Maes, DG REGIO, put Anna in touch with KOHESIO colleagues to provide additional impact and context for the database. In further discussion, categorization of the different payments were further clarified and the methodology clarified. The data is valuable to capture EU payments, but we note that national resources are not included, which have increased rapidly since COVID. Therefore, some countries, which primarily are funded through national resources seem to have little funds. In addition, the national co-financing is identified by taking legislative contributions, which are maximum possible (and largely overestimated) contribution levels.