On the 16th and 17th September, Biosecurity for LIFE hosted an international workshop in Uppsala, Sweden. The project was represented by Project Manager, Thomas Churchyard and Laura Bambini and Karen Varnham from RSPB. We had delegates from 11 countries stretching from the Faroe Islands to Cape Verde all working in island restoration, invasive species eradication and biosecurity. The purpose of this workshop was to foster greater links between practitioners across Europe and discuss how Biosecurity for LIFE can support island restoration work through our project actions.
After a welcome from Professor Lotta Berg, the chair of Birdlife Sweden, we had sessions covering a range of topics from working with communities, eradication and biosecurity best practice and the need for a European advisory group. Presentations from delegates provided living examples of challenges and solutions in the field generating plenty of discussion and new links between projects facing similar issues.
It was an excellent two days with a passionate and energetic group of people. From the project perspective we now have a clear steer from practitioners on the direction a European advisory group for eradication and biosecurity could take and the functionality and resources required to make our legacy website a valuable tool for projects across the region.
