The Estonian Agricultural Research Centre together with the Estonian Ministry of Agriculture are organising the Baltic Sea Regional Conference, Quo vadis, farmland biodiversity?, to be held in Tartu (Estonia) from November 14-15, 2012.

The conference will bring together a range of stakeholders (policy makers, policy evaluators, scientists, experts) with an active interest in the farmland biodiversity of the region in order to discuss the current situation with farmland biodiversity here and to find common solutions what can be done together to improve it.

The conference aims especially to begin the process of developing a common position and practical policy recommendations for all the Baltic Sea countries regarding appropriate biodiversity measures to be applied in the framework of CAP 2013+.

Target groups of the conference are specialists and experts working with relevant policy preparation, implementation, control and evaluation issues, plus researchers, scientists and practitioners working with farmland biodiversity issues in general in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR).

It is expected that all participating BSR countries prepare some information in advance regarding practical examples/ measures/ case studies implemented (e.g. under CAP/RDP) in their country to preserve farmland biodiversity. This information will be used during several sessions of the conference and included in conference proceedings, which will be circulated among wider interest groups later. In order to better track the information, the organisers will collect relevant information from each country beforehand. For that, please use the form, which can be provided by the conference organisers (conference@pmk.agri.ee).

In addition to case study information participants are free to submit any other relevant posters and information. Contributions of general importance to both policy makers and scientists are especially welcomed. This request is also valid to people who are not able to attend but who would like their country information to be circulated among relevant parties.

You are invited to register online at the conference web-site: http://pmk.agri.ee/pkt/BDconference. Registration will be open until 15 October. Please remember that conference participant numbers will be limited and therefore participation will be confirmed individually.

For further information please see attached preliminary conference programme and visit conference website. If you have any further questions, please contact the organisers:

Pille Koorberg and Iiri Raa

Agri-environmental Monitoring Bureau
Agricultural Research Centre
Teaduse 4/6, Saku, Harjumaa, 75501, ESTONIA
Tel/Fax: +372 7 480 944