The SaveGREEN project team had a forward-looking 2021 launch by participating in the IENE International Conference “LIFE LINES – Linear Infrastructure Networks with Ecological Solutions.” After 25 years of existence, it was the first virtual conference organised by IENE, a network aiming to provide an independent, international, and interdisciplinary arena for the exchange and development of knowledge on transportation, infrastructure, and ecology with the aim to promote a safe and ecologically sustainable pan-European transport infrastructure.

Organised by the University of Evorá, the Conference hosted nearly 300 participants from 41 different countries and 5 continents, coming from research institutions, authority bodies, and NGOs. Altogether, the conference had 4 plenary sessions and 19 presentations, 8 brainstorming talks, 14 workshops, and 2 side events on related projects (LIFE LINES, LIFE Safe Crossing), as well as exhibited over 70 posters. All in all, the conference served to present a broad spectrum of topics related to linear infrastructure, including roads, railways, power lines, and irrigation channels, and ecology from science and implementation to policy.

The SaveGREEN Project was presented in the Session “Green Infrastructure Networks: Policy and Strategic Planning,” chaired by Sara Santos, from the University of Evorá. Our predecessor project TRANSGREEN was presented in the Session “New Tools and Technologies to Prevent and Monitor Linear Infrastructure Impacts,” chaired by Marcel Huijser, from Montana State University (USA). The advancing role of NGOs to promote wildlife-friendly infrastructure was discussed in the workshop of the same name, chaired by Rob Ament, from the Centre for Landscape Conservation (USA). WWF Central and Eastern Europe informed the audience about the engagement of NGOs in transport infrastructure development in the Danube-Carpathian region, highlighting the importance of the two above-mentioned Danube Transnational Projects that, among others, give the frame for a proper engagement. Click here to get to know more about the workshop’s contribution also if you can find details on the importance of wildlife crossings here.

SaveGREEN project partners participated in various workshops and presentation sessions, exchanging thoughts and practical knowledge that will support the implementation of the project.

The IENE 2020 Conference closed with a Declaration and the perspective of the next IENE Conference that will take place in Cluj Napoca, Romania, in autumn 2022. Needless to say, SaveGREEN will also be present with a co-organised session dedicated to infrastructure and nature.