IASC member Antonio Manzoni brings to attention the webinar:
Territories of commons in Europe – Unveiling the “invisible reality” of the European commons
July 23, 2024, 2-6 pm CET online
The webinar is organized by the AgLAW Research Group at Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, as part of the Research Seminars series of the SUSTAIN Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence on EU actions for Sustainable Farming and Food Systems.
About the webinar
According to a 2013 Eurostat survey encompassing only 13 Member States, there were around 9 million hectares of common land, which accounted for 7% of the Utilized Agricultural Area (UAA). However, due to varied methodologies and recognition issues across countries, this figure likely underestimates the actual extent, including commonly managed water bodies that are rarely accounted, while emerging innovative commons augment existing ones, offering ecologically and socially inclusive alternatives to intensive agriculture. A key problem lies in the “invisibility” of common lands in European agricultural and environmental policies, stemming from a lack of comprehensive data. Commons span rural, urban, and peri-urban areas, providing resilient and culturally significant alternatives to conventional land ownership, and although their socio-environmental significance overlaps very often with protected areas, the benefits provided by these lands are greatly dismissed in critical EU policies like the CAP and the EU Green Deal. A collaborative effort involving 40+ experts from more than 25 European countries through the “Territories of Commons in Europe” network, aims to make a first evaluation of the quantitative and qualitative extent of these lands in these countries, so to fill the gaps of the EUROSTAT data and methodologies. Over three years, the network has been compiling data, employing research questions focused on surface, production (particularly food but not only), and people associated with the commons in Europe, along with historical trends, legislative frameworks, and more. This webinar will host various authors presenting the results of their research on the commons “invisible reality” from various European countries and regions.
Draft agenda
- Welcome greetings by Prof. Mariagrazia Alabrese, Coordinator of the SUSTAIN Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence
- Introduction by the coordinators of the research network
- Alpine region
- Dinaric region
- UK and British Isles
- Central and Eastern Europe
Coordinators of the research network
- Antonio Manzoni, Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa
- Pablo Dominguez, The National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS)
- Lucie Sovova, Wageningen University and Research (WUR)
- Jose Luis Vivero Pol, Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain)
For more information on the webinar and any questions about accessing it, please contact:
