The Horizon Europe Sister Projects ALFAwetlands, RESTORE4Cs, REWET, and WET HORIZONS in collaboration with the European Chapter of the Society of Wetland Scientists are glad to continue with the second session of the “Wetlands in Action”, a dynamic series of expert-led webinars showcasing the latest in wetland science, innovation, and cross-project collaboration.
On December 16th, 11:00–12:00 CET, leading researchers from EU-funded projects ALFAwetlands, REWET, and WET HORIZONS will shift the focus to the human dimension of wetland restoration: how citizens perceive, value, and actively contribute to the protection and restoration of these ecosystems.
The presentations followed by a live Q&A designed to spark dialogue and exchange among practitioners, researchers, and policymakers working at the nexus of society and wetland restoration.
Meet the speakers of the Session 2 “From Perception to Action: Engaging Citizens in Wetland Restoration and Conservation“:
- Annika Tienhaara (ALFAwetlands): Valuing Wetland Restoration: A choice Experiment on Citizens´Preferences Across Six EU countries”?
- Patrick Graf (REWET): SOMER – A standardized instrument to gauge social acceptance of wetland conservation and restoration
- Lorenzo Pugliese (WET HORIZONS): From observation to restoration: citizen participation in WET HORIZONS
Research scientist Annika Tienhaara (D.Sc. (Agr.&For.) from Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), has strong expertise in the economic valuation of environmental benefits, with emphasis on stated preference methods. Her recent studies have focused on citizens’ and farmers’ preferences for various ecosystem services.
Patrick Graf from Catholic University of Leuven, is a Research Associate at the Behavioral Economics and Engineering Research Center (BEE), an interdisciplinary center dedicated to studying human decision-making and behavior in economic contexts. His research focuses on human behavior related to nature-based solutions and sustainable decision-making. Patrick’s previous experience includes working as a Junior Consultant in EU public affairs in Brussels, with a focus on sustainability, energy, and mobility, as well as serving as a lecturer in European Studies in Maastricht.
Lorenzo Pugliese from Aarhus University, is an environmental engineer and scientist whose research focuses on optimizing nutrient removal and understanding biogeochemical processes in natural and engineered systems. With a background rooted in end-of-pipe solutions, he combines advanced field techniques and modelling approaches to address nitrogen and phosphorus dynamics under real-world conditions.
Webinar is hosted by the European Wilderness Society, ALFAwetlands partner, and moderated by Maria Camara, REWET partner, representing Kneia.
We will keep you posted about the upcoming webinar sessions!