BRET

The project will generate policy-relevant evidence and guidance for biodiversity-positive renewable energy development. By combining Earth observation, field surveys and microclimate modelling, it will establish robust biodiversity baselines and assess impacts of renewable energy infrastructure on habitats, species and ecosystem functions and services. These insights will inform a practical ecological impact assessment framework, structured around the DPSIR approach, to strengthen biodiversity safeguards. The project will also develop biodiversity valuation methods that integrate ecological indicators with economic and socio-cultural perspectives, capturing how impacts are perceived, valued and contested by different actors. Strong emphasis is placed on knowledge transfer and stakeholder engagement to ensure societal relevance and policy uptake. Policymakers, energy developers, environmental authorities, NGOs and local communities will be involved through interviews, deliberative workshops and case studies across Europe, enabling co-production of solutions and early testing of policy options. Results will be shared through policy briefs, technical guidance, open-access data and tools, scientific publications and targeted dialogue events aligned with European policy processes. By translating scientific evidence into actionable recommendations, the project will support transparent, biodiversity-sensitive spatial planning and help align renewable energy deployment with European biodiversity and climate objectives, strengthening public trust and long-term policy legitimacy.