Rural Biological Resources

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Structural changes in agriculture, the demand for renewable resources and the effects of climate change are three of the major challenges in Europe. Future main tasks are to strengthen the use of renewable resources and to improve its efficiency as well as to develop adjustments strategies in forestry and agriculture due to climate change. Solutions for these issues correspond with the development of rural areas, which have to face difficulties like high unemployment rates, weak economy and decreasing population. The approach of RUBIRES is to develop and implement strategies for a higher use of renewable resources and therefore gain added value to support the development of rural areas in a sustainable way. On the one hand, the growing competition between food and energy production causes new problems and new scientific expertise leads to discussions about the sustainability of renewable resources. On the other hand various possibilities in the use of biomass can generate a large potential for added value for rural areas. Renewable resources offer a great chance for regional added value if integrated in regional economy circles. Until now no instruments exist which help to steer the development and regard other demands rising from tourism or the environment itself. So in many regions this potential for energy production, as well as for other material use, is not used due to the lack of awareness and knowledge, missing technologies and missing management to initiate, develop and implement necessary strategies. To gain regional added value the potential has to be better promoted. Regions as an operating base gain increasing importance by co-operation of regional and local stakeholders to mobilize innovative potential and develop regional adjustment strategies. Exploiting the regional potential will contribute to the strengthening of regional economy, help to reduce the CO2 emissions and therefore support the European climate protection strategies.

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