Abstract:

Human well-being is dependent upon Ecosystem Services (ES) provided by nature for free. Such services include water provision, nutrient cycling, etc. These are predominantly public goods with no markets and no prices, so their loss often is not detected by our current economic system. A variety of pressures resulting from population growth, climate change and other factors is causing biodiversity loss and ES degradation.

Most of well-known Forest and Environmental Policy and Economics (FEPE) university departments have developed several methodologies and tools connected with Marketing and Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (MEEB) and in general with nature-based economy. However, universities curricula lack of knowledge transfer initiatives that allow the real commercialization of new processes, methods and services for the development of market-based mechanism for ecosystem service conservation. The project focuses on promoting and fostering the links among high education institutions and businesses operating in the field of MEEB. Results will have a strong EU-global dimension and transferability potential, capitalizing on existing wide university-business networks.

Acknowledgement:
This work has been funded by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), through the project number 562358-EPP-1-2015-1-IT-EPPKA2-KA (ECOSTAR).

Keywords:

e-learning, Higher education, environment, Economics, Erasmus.