RHN 131/2016 | Call
Organiser: Department of Historical and Geographic Sciences and the Ancient World (DiSSGeA), Universitá degli Studi di Padova
17-19 May 2017, Padua, Italy
Deadline for proposals: 15 January 2017
Call for Papers:
International Conference on Environmental History
Ecosystem Services in European Floodplains
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) was conducted between 2001 and 2005 on the initiative of the United Nation General Assembly. The MEA was intended to assess the consequences of ecosystem change for human well-being and to define the scientific basis for actions aimed to improve the conservation and sustainable use of ecosystems and their contribution to the economic and social progress. Ecosystem services is an integral part of the MEA. Ecosystem services are the multiple benefits provided by ecosystems to humankind and can be divided into supporting services, necessary for the production of all other ecosystem services (such as soil formation and nutrients cycling), provisioning services (e.g. food, water, timber or fuel), regulating services (such as flood control, erosion control) and cultural services that provide recreational, aesthetic, and spiritual benefits.
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment synthesized information from the scientific literature and relevant peer-reviewed datasets and models to evaluate the evolution of ecosystem services in a diachronic sequence. The geo-historical approach, applied to the study of the ecosystem services is also the spirit of the international conference proposed by the DiSSGeA, University of Padua.
This international conference will provide a venue for all researchers interested in interdisciplinary research on ecosystem services in European floodplains from ancient time to the contemporary age. Ecosystem service topics in this conference will not be limited to the following themes in the geographical context of floodplains:
- Food management
- Evolution of the productive systems
- Energy
- Health
- Evolution of territorial management systems
- Regulation of hydrology
- Impact of human activities on the environment
- Waste and pollution management
- Cultural services
- Sustainable tourism
Proposals for participation should be submitted in the form of a paper (maximum 2000 characters) in English or French no later than January 15 2017.
The proposals should be sent to: ecosystemservices2017@gmail.com
The conference will include a fieldtrip in the Southern Venetian Plain.