MaGICLandscapes - Managing Green Infrastructure in Central European Landscapes

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Green Infrastructure (GI) is a key strategy in the European landscape connectivity agenda aimed at reconnecting vital natural areas to urban hubs & restoring and improving their functional roles. Thus, GI is an essential planning concept towards protecting Natural Capital and simultaneously enhancing quality of life. This approach needs to be urgently implemented in Central Europe (CE) landscape planning policies, which seldom consider the ability of land to deliver multiple benefits. MaGICLandscapes (ML) will operationalize the GI concept in Central Europe providing land-managers, policy makers and communities the tools and the knowledge, at different spatial levels, that they need to ensure the persistence of GI functionality & consequent benefits to society. ML will deliver an assessment approach that deals with all spatial levels across CE landscapes types. ML will supply the tools for GI assessment at the transnational level ensuring cross-border GI is understood in a way that reduces mis-matched management approaches. It will provide territories with the means to assess functions of GI to guide planning and conservation approaches. Institutions will have the means to assess the public benefit that can be achieved through GI management approaches and demonstrate how these assessment approaches are used to develop evidence-based strategies and action plans. 9 Multi-scale and multi-thematic case studies in  5 regions offer the testing ground for our trans-disciplinary partner consortium to identify and feedback best practice for assessment, thus creating transnational added value. Outputs include a suite of transferable tools: a series of technical manuals & partner-level evidence-based strategies & action plans to direct future actions & investment. Training in the use of the tools will be provided for institutions inside and outside of the partnership resulting in enhancing the capacities of institutions to better manage our natural heritage.

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