LACOPE

The LACOPE project objectives are:

The identification of Co-operative Livestock Systems (CLS) that create important FFH habitats and areas, large enough to ensure survival of viable populations of endangered species.

The optimisation of CLS as ecologically and economic sustainable tools to maintain and create open/semi-open ecotones and landscape dynamics according biodiversity goals.

Goal oriented use of the potential of CLS to match strategies in nature conservation (NATURA 2000) and agri-environmental policies in extending EU.  

Programme

Research teams in seven countries of mainly two branches will co-operate to analyse regions with complex pastured ecosystems and typical forms of CLS: Ecological sciences (flora and fauna) and economics (socio-economy, resource economy and institutional economy). The single activities are:

• Regional typology of CLS: Historical, economic and social aspects: co-operation types; management characteristics; historic and actual tendencies of disintegration; cultural, legal and institutional background of (de-)stabilisation; resource economics of CLS.
  
• Development of ecological and economic indicators: Regional and supra-regional indicators for the evaluation of CLS
  
• Ecological indicators: target species, endemic species, rare species; landscape structure and fragmentation
  
• Economic indicators: standard of living; income effects; employment; market access; sustainability in the long run.
  
• Evaluation of different CLS scenarios: Multi-criteria evaluations of CLS efficiency; simulation models to describe and evaluate optimised scenarios; evaluation of scenarios according to regional and supra-regional goals.  
  
• Guidelines for CLS development: Systematisation of ecological and economic preconditions of CLS (de-)stabilisation.
  
• Regionalisation: Definition of target areas in Europe to potentially establish or foster CLS; goal oriented subsidy allocation practices.
  
• Regional priorities: Development of effective support programmes that provide benefits for biodiversity conservation and economic development.