ReNature Ecosystem Services and Green Infrastructure Training Course

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Training Course 1 | 7-9 May 2019 | Paola, Malta

TRAINING COURSE 1 7-9 May 2019 Paola, MALTA

Training Course 1 | 7-9 May 2019 | Paola, Malta

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Grant agreement No. 809988 EU Horizon 2020 Coordination and Support Action

Project acronym: ReNature Project full title: promoting Research Excellence in NAture‐based soluTions for innovation, sUstainable economic gRowth and human wEll‐being in Malta Start of the project: September 2018 Duration:

36 months Project coordinator: Dr. Mario Balzan Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology mario.balzan@mcast.edu.mt

www.renature‐project.eu Project website:

The ReNature Organising and Training Committee:              

Dr Mario Balzan, Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology, Malta Prof Davide Geneletti, University of Trento, Italy Dr Judita Tomaskinova, Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology, Malta Renata Mikalauskiene, Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology, Malta Dr Blal Adem Esmail, University of Trento, Italy Dr Lynn Dicks, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom Dr Miriam Grace, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom Prof Marcus Collier, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland Jean Williams, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland Anna Sapundzhieva, Pensoft Publishers, Bulgaria Dr Damian Lowicki, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland Dr Eman Calleja, Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology, Malta Steve Zerafa, Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology, Malta Francesca Spagnol Gravino, Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology, Malta

Training Course 1 | 7-9 May 2019 | Paola, Malta

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Project Summary

Nature‐based solutions are living solutions that address societal challenges in a resource‐efficient and adaptable manner and that provide simultaneous economic, social, and environmental benefits. Examples of nature‐based solutions include different forms of green and blue infrastructure, green roofs and walls, rain gardens, sustainable urban drainage systems, natural water retention measures, hedgerows, salt marshes and dunes, floodplains, and urban green spaces. The challenge of putting together socio‐ economic demands and environmental challenges are particularly felt in Malta, the smallest member state of the European Union (EU). Malta has limited natural resources, but also the highest population density in the EU, a strong and demanding tourism sector, rapid urbanisation and economy growth. The region is also characterised by an increased risk to human life driven by a strong rise in the frequency and intensity of heatwaves towards the south of Europe, and an upsurge in drought conditions, with previous studies indicating higher rates of weather‐related fatalities in Southern European countries as a consequence of climate change. A central idea in the use of nature‐based solutions is that of addressing societal challenges of innovation, job creation and community development but at the same time creating net positive effects on the environment by making sustainable use of biodiversity and natural resources, in order to improve human well‐being. The ReNature project aims to establish and implement a nature‐ based solutions research strategy for Malta with a vision to promote research and innovation and develop solutions in a pursuit of economic growth, whilst at the same time improving human well‐being and tackling environmental challenges. The strategy will be complemented by a newly‐developed research cluster to act on it, with a vision to stimulate both scientific excellence and innovation capacity towards achieving the goals of sustainable development. More specifically, the objectives of the ReNature project are to: 1. strengthen collaborations across the science‐policy interface and stimulate common research projects and information flow among the different players; 2. provide opportunities for capacity‐building to enable Maltese entities to collaborate and link up with third parties for the development of excellent scientific research in the nature‐based solutions sector; 3. develop evidence‐base to inform practitioners and policy‐makers on landscape and urban planning as key components of green infrastructure; 4. carry out a knowledge synthesis for policy‐making and share a developed, evidence‐based compendium, consisting of research data and peer‐reviewed publications from collaborative research, in open access repositories; 5. extend the partnership by clustering with ongoing and future projects on nature‐based solutions at European scale, and 6. provide solutions and alternatives to national authorities, policy‐makers and businesses on the implementation of nature‐based solutions.

Training Course 1 | 7-9 May 2019 | Paola, Malta

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The ReNature Ecosystem Services and Green Infrastructure Training Course Programme Techniques and Methods in Biodiversity and Land Monitoring MCAST Main Campus, Paola, Malta, May 7‐9th May 2019 Day

Trainer/s

May 7th

9.00‐9.30

Welcome and outline of the course

Mario Balzan

9.30‐13.00

13.00‐14.00

Assessing knowledge needs: Observation of knowledge needs workshop with practitioners and knowledge needs ranking in a simulated task.

Lunch break

Lynn Dicks, Miriam Grace

14.00‐16.00

Assessing knowledge needs: Observation of knowledge needs workshop with practitioners and knowledge needs ranking in a simulated task.

Lynn Dicks, Miriam Grace

May 8th

9.00‐9.30

Biodiversity, green infrastructure and ecosystem services: an introduction

Mario Balzan

9.30‐10.30

Mapping and assessing ecosystem services

10.30‐11.00

Coffee break

Davide Geneletti, Blal Adem Esmail

11.00‐12.00

Using the MAES Explorer

12.00‐13.00

13.00‐13.30

Tree biodiversity: an introduction to species diversity and identification in Malta Lunch break

13.30‐14.30

14.30‐15.00

15.00‐18.00

19.00

May 9th

Activity

9.00‐10.30

An introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools and remote sensing Introduction to the fieldwork session – mapping green infrastructure and tree diversity in an urban area

Davide Geneletti, Blal Adem Esmail Eman Calleja

Steve Zerafa

Working Dinner

Mario Balzan, Davide Geneletti, Blal Adem Esmail Mario Balzan, Steve Zerafa, Eman Calleja ReNature partners

Assessing knowledge needs – analysis and discussion of main outcomes

Lynn Dicks

Fieldwork session – mapping green infrastructure and tree diversity in an urban area

10.30‐11.00

Coffee break

11.00‐12.00

Case‐study: Ecosystem Services in Polish Urban Areas

Damian Łowicki

12.00‐12.30

Introduction to hands‐on session (including presentation of work carried out and data collected; use of template)

12.30‐15.00

Working lunch

Workshop/Hands‐on session: Mapping green infrastructure and tree diversity in an urban area Coffee break

Mario Balzan, Steve Zerafa, Eman Calleja Mario Balzan, Steve Zerafa, Eman Calleja

15.00‐15.30

15.30‐16.30

Group Presentations

Training Board: Mario Balzan Davide Geneletti Blal Adem Esmail Lynn Dicks Miriam Grace Marcus Collier Damian Łowicki

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Training Course 1 | 7-9 May 2019 | Paola, Malta

Introduction

The ReNature Ecosystem Services and Green Infrastructure Training Course

Mario Balzan

The demand for nature‐based innovation is strongly felt in Malta – a small island state, with the highest population density in the European Union, going through strong tourism, population and economic growth, but at the same time highly vulnerable to climate change and has limited natural resources. These transformational changes place a demand for improved resilience in the face of climate change, rapid urbanisation, and steep energy, water and resources demand growth. New solutions are required in coping with these societal challenges, and nature‐based innovation can play a significant role in fostering societal adaptation.

The Horizon 2020 project ReNature (Promoting research excellence in nature‐based solutions for innovation, economic growth and human well‐being in Malta) aims to contribute to making Malta a regional leader in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean region for nature‐based innovation. Based on an understanding that biodiversity can contribute to the well‐being of people, and that nature‐based innovation can offer new opportunities for economic development, the ReNature project community wants to capacity‐build the MCAST and the national stakeholder community into a front‐runner country in research and innovation and in the generation of novel nature‐based solutions that tackle environmental challenges faced by modern societies.

During the last few years, driven by new development in policy at global and regional level, Europe has seen a surge of initiatives on ecosystem services. Ecosystem services research connects ecology with human‐wellbeing and the economy by analysing the links between ecosystems and the benefits people receive from nature. This contribution of nature in realising social and economic policy objectives is becoming increasingly acknowledged and mainstreamed by national and European policies and legislation, within which nature is less frequently seen as a source commodity to be exploited and more as a source of more systematic economic solutions.

Against this background, the ReNature first training course aims to provide participants with an understanding of the basic concepts and the tools for mapping and assessing biodiversity, green infrastructure and ecosystem services. The course includes speakers from the ReNature consortium and the research community within which it is embedded. The course committee has identified a number of learning outcomes that are considered as being important for the biodiversity and environmental practitioners.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be able to: 1. Select the appropriate ecosystem service mapping and assessment method/approach a specific purpose and justify the selection 2. Explain what ‘green and blue infrastructure’ are in rural, urban and coastal environments 3. Map green infrastructure at an appropriate scale

The following section provides a more detailed description of the training course sessions.

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Training Course 1 | 7-9 May 2019 | Paola, Malta

Biodiversity, green infrastructure and ecosystem services: an introduction

Mario Balzan

The aim of this session is to provide students with an understanding of ecosystem services and green infrastructure, give an overview of the main green infrastructure elements in urban areas in the Maltese Islands, and to identify methods that may be used for an assessment of the ecosystem services provided by green infrastructure.

Ecosystem services are defined as the contributions of ecosystems to human well‐being. The concept of ecosystem services connects ecology with human well‐being and the economy. It offers an opportunity to analyse the contributions of biodiversity to well‐being, and how changes in the former may be associated with changes in ecosystem services leading to (improved or reduced) benefits to society. There are therefore many applications of the concept of ecosystem services in policy‐making and planning for sustainable development, including in urban and landscape planning, and the management of agroecosystems and coastal and fisheries zones.

The recognition of ecosystem services and their integration in decision‐making provides several advantages for the protection of the environment and sustainable development:  The multidisciplinarity of ecosystem services invites methods stemming from different disciplines to be applied and new methods to be developed, leading to evidence‐based decision‐making and planning;  Ecosystem service frameworks allows categorisation of knowledge about the interconnectedness of humans and nature; whilst bringing social, ecological and economic values together, highlighting trade‐offs and synergies;  Ecosystem services valuation improves environmental decision making by accounting for the freely available and often intangible services provided by nature;  Ecosystem services are expected to lead to an increased social engagement, as the anthropocentric perspective facilitates uptake by a range of actors;  May lead to improved equity in the allocation of natural resources and more equitable distribution of natural resources amongst stakeholders;  Works at multiple spatial and temporal scales enabling cross‐comparison (Bull et al., 2016; Burkhard et al., 2018).

The contributions of ecosystems to the attainment of social and economic policy objectives has been recognised by the European Union policy. The EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 sets important targets for the development of knowledge about ecosystems, their services and values in the national territory of member states and the integration of these values into accounting and reporting systems at EU and national level. Building on this, the EU Green Infrastructure Strategy recognises the pivotal contributions of ecosystems and defines green infrastructure as a strategically planned network of natural and semi‐ natural areas with other environmental features designed and managed to deliver a wide range of ecosystem services such as water purification, air quality regulation, space for recreation, and climate mitigation and adaptation. Green infrastructure is seen as a tool to provide environmental, social and

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Training Course 1 | 7-9 May 2019 | Paola, Malta

economic benefits that help to reduce dependence on ‘grey’ infrastructure that is often more expensive to build and maintain.

Finally, this session will give an overview of green infrastructure present in urban areas in the Maltese Islands and identify scalable methods that can be used in European cities to assess the composition, structure and functions of urban green infrastructure. These include the use of COPERNICUS based images, orthophotos and published methods to quantify key urban ecosystem services such as air quality regulation, carbon storage, local climate regulation and noise reduction.

Training Course 1 | 7-9 May 2019 | Paola, Malta

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Assessing key knowledge needs using collaborative approaches Miriam Grace and Lynn Dicks The aim of this session is to provide students with first‐hand experience of participatory processes, and insight into the science‐policy‐practitioner interface.

Students will participate in all stages of a workshop organised to obtain information about policy and practitioner needs for implementing nature‐based solutions in Malta and the wider Mediterranean. This is essentially a modified Delphi process, designed to elicit participant views while minimising the distorting influence of group dynamics. In this process, participants will first respond to an anonymous survey where they are asked to list their knowledge needs, and then vote for their top priorities from the long list of all submitted knowledge needs. The final prioritisation will take place during a one‐day workshop at MCAST, where participants will be shown the combined anonymous rankings. Each knowledge need will be discussed, followed by the opportunity for participants to revise their rankings in light of the discussion.

Students will take the survey distributed to workshop participants, although their results will be treated separately. They will list their knowledge needs for implementing nature‐based solutions, and their contributions will thus reflect early‐career perspectives on the issue. They will rank the knowledge needs from the long list, observe the workshop discussion with policy‐makers and practitioners, and revise their rankings. They will also be provided with background information on the organisation of the workshop, participatory processes and the Delphi process in particular, and nature‐based solutions. Students will also attend a presentation analysing the data obtained from the workshop, including the details of statistical approaches.

This session will be of particular interest to students wishing to gain experience on social science or interdisciplinary methods and environmental management. There may be additional opportunities for contributing to workshop organisation.

Training Course 1 | 7-9 May 2019 | Paola, Malta

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Mapping and Assessing Ecosystem Services

Davide Geneletti & Blal Adem Esmail

The aim of this session is to introduce the participants to mapping and assessment of ecosystem services (ES), by (i) illustrating the different approaches and methods that exist to capture the multi‐dimensional value of ES and by (ii) introducing a tiered approach for selecting the most appropriate methods for specific applications.

Ecosystem services (ES) mapping is an essential step to support policies and decision that have an impact on natural resources. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment ‐ MA (2005) and The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity – TEEB (2010) proposed two of the most widely used conceptual frameworks of ES, which highlight the need of different approaches and methods to capture the multi‐dimensional value of ES. Accordingly, a range of different approaches and methods for ES mapping and assessment exist, which can be applied at different levels of detail and complexity.

In particular, the methods to map and assess ES can be broadly classified in biophysical, economic and social. Biophysical methods are based on quantification of different parameters of biotic and abiotic structure, which determine the provision of ES. Economic methods involve measuring the economic value of ES, including its spatial variation, and structuring this information to support decision‐making and design of policy instruments. Social methods principally involve measure of individual and collective preferences to support the operationalization and further development of the ES concept. Therefore, biophysical methods describe how ecosystems contribute to the supply of services to society, while economic and social methods reflect on the relative importance ES to people, thus revealing the demand side. In turn, social methods are distinguished from economic ones by their non‐monetary evaluation and because they demonstrate the multi‐dimensional nature of human well‐being. However, the boundaries and distinction between methods are blurry, and it is often useful to apply more types of methods in combination. For example, outputs from biophysical methods can be used as inputs for economic ones.

Indeed, a key challenge is selecting an appropriate approach that provides useful information to decision makers in a specific context, for a particular set of ES, and for specific data availability. To address this challenge a “tiered” approach has been proposed. The different tiers differ according to the purpose and the level of detail of the ES mapping and assessing that is required. This allows the resulting maps to provide relevant information to decision makers and avoid the application of over‐complex or over‐ simplified methods. Thus, the suggested tiered approach enhances the efficiency of ecosystem services mapping and is likely to increase their suitability for decision‐making.

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Training Course 1 | 7-9 May 2019 | Paola, Malta

Introducing “MAES” and the MAES EXPLORER

Davide Geneletti & Blal Adem Esmail

The aim of this session is to introduce participants to the key stages of the process of Mapping and Assessing Ecosystem Services (MAES), and to an operational tool (the MAES Explorer) that provides guidance throughout the process. During the session we will (i) present the structure and the rationale behind each stage of MAES, and (ii) use the MAES explorer for hands‐on exercise.

Under Action 5 of Target 2 of the Biodiversity Strategy, the EU Member States are required to map and assess the state of ecosystems and their services (the so‐called MAES process) and to create a knowledge base to be used as a powerful resource in sustaining them. The MAES Explorer is a tool developed by the ESMERALDA project designed to direct and advice EU Member States through the MAES process. The MAES Explorer is structured according to seven steps of MAES, briefly described hereafter. Starting from various questions arising from policy, business or society, to supporting stakeholders’ identification and related network creation, the MAES Explorer provides practical guidance to mapping and assessment of ecosystems and their services all the way to dissemination of respective outcomes and the resulting implementation in policy and decision‐making. 

STEP 1: What questions do stakeholders have? Are Europe’s ecosystems healthy so that they can continue providing ES in a sustainable way in the future? A set of policy questions and anticipated needs of EU policy makers are presented to guide the participants at this first step.

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STEP 2: Identification of relevant stakeholders. Guidance is provided about the identification of relevant stakeholders from policy, science and practice as needed for successful implementation of MAES. Stakeholders can be determined by their field of interest, media and document analysis, focus group discussions and key‐informant interviews in EU member states.

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STEP 3: Network creation/involvement of stakeholders. The participants will learn how to create and maintain a network of stakeholders.

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STEP 4: Mapping and assessment process. This step acquaints the participants with ESMERALDA’s flexible methodology for ES mapping and assessment. It offers a comprehensive review of existing studies and detailed methods documentation of biophysical, economic and socio‐cultural methods as well as possibilities for their integration.

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STEP 5: Mapping and assessment case study applications. Working examples where mapping and assessment of ES has been applied in specific policy and decision‐making processes will be identified.

A set of ESMERALDA Case Study Booklets is used to describe the process of mapping and assessment of ES, whilst their respective Method Application Cards is used to synthesise the main characteristics of the applied methods.

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STEP 6: Dissemination and communication. This is a crucial step that has the power to create impact and make outcomes of scientific work applicable for evidence‐based decision making.

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STEP 7: Implementation. This step shares lessons learned from case studies on how to implement MAES and its different components in all EU member states and associated countries.

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Training Course 1 | 7-9 May 2019 | Paola, Malta

Mapping Ecosystem Services in Polish Urban Areas

Damian Łowicki

The aim of this session is to provide an overview of a successful case‐study on mapping ecosystem services in urban areas. This case study was carried out in the ten largest urban areas in Poland for a comparison of their potential to provide ecosystem services.

The study under the title “ES in Urban Areas” was commissioned by the Ministry of the Environment and conducted for Poland, in 2015, in accordance with the MAES process of the European Commission. The main purpose of the study was to identify the spatial structures of ecosystems in the ten largest urbanized areas in Poland and compare them in terms of their potential for providing ES. The second purpose was to suggest procedures for identifying and evaluating selected services, demonstrating their spatial distribution in the urban areas. Finally, based on the results, the authors proposed recommendations for spatial planning on local and sub‐regional levels. The potential stakeholders include the national authorities responsible for national urban policy, regional authorities responsible for plans for functional areas (e.g. for agglomerations) and local authorities dealing with urban governance. Very important are also the institutions, which deal with nature protection on different levels.

The starting point for the analysis was to distinguish the parts of biologically active surface in urban areas that could be considered as the elements constituting a green infrastructure. Here, green infrastructure is understood as a network of natural and semi‐natural areas with other environmental features designed and managed to deliver a wide range of ES. In urbanized areas, a green infrastructure includes forests, surface waters, sport and recreational areas and urban greenery. Thus, the main source of data was the Urban Atlas, supplemented with grasslands (i.e. meadows, pastures and natural swards) and inland waterlogged areas based on the Corine Land Cover 2012. Based on common classification of CICES v.4.3, the most important services for citizens of polish urbanized areas, suitable for the grading assessment based of land cover data were chosen. The five assessed ES include: 1. regulating rainwater runoff, 2. local climate regulation, 3. physical use for recreation, 4. supporting material flow (valley retention, mitigation of rising wave), 5. biogeochemical barrier. Two biophysical methods: spatial proxy models and phenomenological models were applied. A matrix was created where the combinations of the individual land cover types and types of services were allocated with the level of ES: P – priority, I – significant, N – insignificant, B – lack. These levels were set based on expert opinion and indicators derived from literature. The analysis was conducted on Tier 2. Part of the input data was obtained from different institutions, e.g. valley retention from the National Water Management Authority. Other data was created by authors using GIS tools. The survey was supplemented by landscape metrics for patches of green

infrastructure.

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Training Course 1 | 7-9 May 2019 | Paola, Malta

Tree biodiversity: an introduction to species diversity in Malta

Eman Calleja The aim of this session is to introduce the participants to tree biodiversity in the Maltese Islands. This introductory lecture will provide an overview of the various indigenous and non‐indigenous tree species that are commonly found in green public spaces across the Islands. This knowledge is important for the hands‐on mapping activity that will be carried out during this ReNature training course.

The preponderance of public opinion believes that Malta has a very poor tree biodiversity, and an even poorer tree cover. Whilst the latter is true, the former is a misconception. Malta hosts over forty species of trees and large shrubs that are indigenous to our country, having been known to exist here for hundreds or even thousands of years, even before the arrival of humans. Nevertheless, many of these species are quite rare and have a restricted distribution, with some being known from just one or two localities. These sites are now strongly protected, as they serve as refugia for these species. However, trees in Malta face a number of threats. Being sedentary, they cannot move as animals do, so they often find themselves in the line of development projects and are seen as an obstacle and a complication. Thus, in spite of strong tree protection laws, several trees are legally cut down every year, making regular headlines.

The objective of this lecture is to look at the variety of indigenous and non‐indigenous trees typically found in green public spaces in the Maltese Islands. Tools will be used to help in their identification, including through the use of taxonomic keys, electronic tools and mobile applications.

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Training Course 1 | 7-9 May 2019 | Paola, Malta

An introduction to spatial data and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Steve Zerafa

The aim of this session is to introduce spatial data and the use of basic Geographic Information System (GIS) tools. The RenatureTreeMap, a GIS app designed specifically to support GPS data collection for local trees will be presented to the students so that this may be used during the fieldwork session.

Geographic information is information that can be associated with a place name, a street address, section/township, a zip code, or coordinates of latitude and longitude. A geographic information system (GIS) is a system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyse, manage, and present spatial or geographic data.

There are several examples of the use of GIS in our daily lives, including the following:  Google Maps / Open street Maps  Mobile Apps using tracking features  Car Tracking Services and Car GPS Navigation  Parcel Delivery Tracking  Marine Vessel navigation  Weather Services forecast

GIS allows users to examine and analyse geographic information at different levels of detail or from different perspectives by adding personal information to the map, such as photo, tables, icons, information and more. It also enables the user to customize the display of maps and analyses for presentation to various audiences.

When using the GIS, this information can be incorporated into a single system and common database operations executed. For example, GIS allows you to perform statistical analysis or spatial queries, to explore ‘what‐if' scenarios, and to create predictive models. For example, GIS can help answer questions such as:  What exists at a given location? (Example: Building, parks, agriculture, etc.)  Where does something occur? (Example: Identify and mark points of interest)  What has changed since a specific point in time? (Example: Monitor changes by using satellite photos)  What spatial patterns exist? (Example: analyse the distribution and fragmentation of habitats or green infrastructure).

GIS is often used as a tool for environmental monitoring, and there are several examples where it can be of benefits to scientists, planners and practitioners. In particular, GIS can shape the way in which the built environment is managed, it can be used to geolocate urban development and to analyse the conflicts or synergies with surrounding land uses. The use of GIS tools to extrapolate air quality point data to entire landscapes is another important example of relevance to the urban and terrestrial environment. GIS has also been used for many coastal management applications, like improving the administration and enforcement of zoning ordinances. Such spatial data can then be shared online for collaboration among different agencies and for communication to stakeholders and the general public.

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Training Course 1 | 7-9 May 2019 | Paola, Malta

The Renature Plot the Tree Tool

The RenatureTreeMap is a GIS app designed specifically to support GPS data collection for local trees. It is a mobile GIS tool designed for the environmental practitioner and for those working with GIS data.

When registering a tree location, one selects the required attributes from the defined drop‐down list. An option to include a photo for tree or a picture is also available. The RenatureTreeMap may be used by practitioners in forestry, agriculture, environmental management or by NGOs and the general public for a quick collection of spatial data about the trees of Malta.

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Training Course 1 | 7-9 May 2019 | Paola, Malta

Fieldwork and workshop sessions: Mapping green infrastructure and tree diversity in an urban area Mario Balzan, Eman Calleja, Steve Zerafa

The ReNature Training Course 1 will provide an opportunity to apply concepts and skills learned during the theoretical part of the course through a hands‐on activity which will be carried to map green infrastructure and tree diversity in public spaces within urban areas. Working in groups and using available GIS tools the students will map different green infrastructure elements and tree diversity in the Paola urban area. Students will be supervised by local practitioners with experience in tree diversity monitoring, ES assessment, and remote sensing. The students will also be expected to use the RenatureTreeMap GIS app for data collection about local trees. This data will then be downloaded during a ‘hands‐on’ workshop activity during which the students can plot tree diversity data using available GIS software.

Training Course 1 | 7-9 May 2019 | Paola, Malta

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Course Evaluation Sheet

Thank you for participating in our Training Course. In order to continuously improve our events, ensure high quality and participant satisfaction we need your valuable, honest and constructive feedback.

Please indicate important remarks and suggestions reflecting your opinion in more detail within the respective sections and the last part of this evaluation form. All answers will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.

It should take roughly 5 minutes to complete. Thank you very much for your time and constructive feedback!

1. Overall how satisfied were you by these three days?   

2. How would you rate each of the training course sessions/activities?

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● Assessing knowledge needs (Tuesday)

● Biodiversity, green infrastructure and ecosystem services (Wednesday morning)

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● Mapping and assessing ecosystem services (Wednesday morning)

● Using the MAES Explorer (Wednesday morning) ● Tree biodiversity (Wednesday afternoon)

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● Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools and remote sensing (Wednesday afternoon)

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● Introduction to the fieldwork session (Wednesday afternoon) ● Fieldwork session (Wednesday afternoon)

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● Assessing knowledge needs – analysis and discussion of main outcomes (Thursday morning)

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● Introduction to Hands‐on session (Thursday afternoon)

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● Workshop/Hands‐on session (Thursday afternoon) ● Group Presentations (Thursday afternoon)

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3. Which aspect(s) of the session(s) did you find most useful and why?

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4. Was there anything you found less useful? Why?

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5. Your ranking on: ● Organisation ● The form of the presentations/activities ● Venue ● Catering

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Any other comments …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

6. Did the training course meet your expectations? YES NO

7. Do you have any other suggestions to help us improve?

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Please feel free to add any further comments.

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Thanks for your participation and feedback.