“Connecting people, connecting landscapes”

IENE + GCLIE 2022 International Conference

Transport sector (including infrastructure and energy networks) is driven and influenced by a multitude of factors and has a complex impact on natural environment. While important progress has been made to understand and to mitigate it, a lot more is needed for properly addressing this impact at landscape level.

Cooperation between stakeholders and specialists from different sectors as well as the support of the general public is crucial for developing functional and sustainable solutions.

We are inviting you to explore* together the current state of play, to discuss the gaps, needs and solutions, looking back for lessons learned and ahead for future challenges and opportunities.

* from policies & financing to planning & environmental impact assessment;
from design & implementation to operation, upgrading &decommissioning;
from monitoring, research & learning to improving;
from communication & awareness rising to efficient consultations & effective collaboration.

• The main theme of the IENE 2022 International Conference is:

AN INTEGRATED APPROACH FOR MAINSTREAMING BIODIVERSITY INTO TRANSPORT SECTOR (INCLUDING INFRASTRUCTURE AND ENERGY NETWORKS)

• The main theme of the 2nd Global Congress for Linear Infrastructure and the Environment (GCLIE) is:

GLOBAL CONNECTIONS AMONG LINEAR INFRASTRUCTURE, COMMUNITIES AND ENVIRONMENT

and is intended to compliment the IENE main theme, focusing on broader, higher-level, global issues and policies that can influence national and international knowledge sharing and bring about positive change at the intersection between linear infrastructure and the environment.

REGISTRATION FEES – UPDATED

The registration fees per events and per type of participations are presented in the table below. Please note that they may be subject of changes.

Notes:

*, Validation is required;

**, Not applicable for optional extra fees;

***, Due to the tight schedule, we are happy to provide the meals and coffee breaks during the Conference (three days – on September 20, 22 and 23) within the venue; Not applicable for optional extra fees.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR REGISTRATION

• The registration is processed via a dedicated Registration Platform.

• Registrants should first choose their type of participation (regular or discounted). Only the corresponding fees per event would be available for booking.

Please note that, FOR THE ON-LINE EVENTS, after September 2^nd 2022, 00.00 CET only the late fees will be applicable.

Please note that, FOR IN-PERSON PARTICIPATION, after September 2^nd 2022, 00.00 CET only the late fees will be applicable.

• Registrants will have access to 3 types of discounted fees:

a. As IENE members: 15% discount on the standard registration for any of the 3 events, not applicable for optional extra fees for the in-person participation.

During the Registration process for the IENE 2022 International Conference you have the option to pay the IENE membership and to benefit of a corresponding number* of discounted Conference fees (15% discount on the standard registration for any of the 3 events, not applicable to optional extra fees), if the payment is concluded until September 2^nd 2022, 00.00 CET.

The discount will be possible using the voucher/s received after booking the IENE membership (the voucher/s will be available in your invoice e-mail).

When you will redeem the voucher, you will have access to the discounted Conference fees on the registration platform.

The IENE membership options are presented in the table below: 

You could check the benefits of IENE members HERE.

Notes:

• • • • • Students and participants from low-income countries will become individual IENE members for free of charge after the validation during the registration process.

• • • • • The IENE membership can be granted and the fees may be payed independent of the Conference registration after September 2^nd 2022, 00.00 CET. Please check the IENE websites for further information or contact IENE Executive Secretariat at info@iene.info.

b. As a Participant from a low-income country: FREE (100% discount, but not applicable for optional extra fees for the in-person participation)

Participants from low-income countries will be granted FREE access to the conference, however due to the tight schedule, we are happy to provide the meals and coffee breaks during the Conference (three days – on September 20, 22 and 23) within the venue, for EUR 60, in total.

During the Registration process, a validation is required to prove that you are a resident of one of the countries in the TABLE BELOW.

Please download the following form (which is available also in the Registration module) and fill it according with the instruction. You will have to upload the filled-in document in the Registration module.

DOWNLOAD THE DECLARATION OF HONOUR FOR LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES

Please note that for the in-person participation there are optional extra fees that should be covered by the participants. The Conference fees do not cover travel, accommodation and other expenses.

List with the low-income countries

Note: The list have been made following the World data bank: https://data.worldbank.org/country/XM . The World Bank classifies economies for analytical purposes into four income groups: low, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high income. For this purpose it uses gross national income (GNI) per capita data in U.S. dollars, converted from local currency using the World Bank Atlas method, which is applied to smooth exchange rate fluctuations. The list includes also the 9 lowest-income countries in Europe (by 2020 GNI per capita, Atlas method, current US$).

c. As a student: FREE (100% discount, but not applicable for optional extra fees for the in-person participation)

Students will be granted FREE access to the conference, however due to the tight schedule, we are happy to provide the meals and coffee breaks during the Conference (three days – on September 20, 22 and 23) within the venue, for EUR 60, in total.

During the Registration process, a validation is required to prove that you are a student.

Please download the following form (which is available also in the Registration module) and fill it according with the instruction. You will have to upload the filled-in document in the Registration module.

DOWNLOAD THE LETTER OF MOTIVATION FOR STUDENTS

Please note that for the in-person participation there are optional extra fees that should be covered by the participants. The Conference fees do not cover travel, accommodation and other expenses

• The in-person event, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

The IENE 2022 International Conference is being designed to offer both in-person and on-line participation options for attendees and presenters.

While we are very much looking forward to meeting you all in-person, we are aware of unfolding challenges and uncertainties and we are also prepared for a fully on-line event scenario.

The in-person event is confirmed and registration for the in-person participation at the IENE 2022 Conference between 19 – 23 September is now open:

• if you already registered and paid for the IENE On-line Event, you may proceed with the second step and pay for the difference in fees, if you opt for participating in-person;
• if you didn’t pay for the IENE On-line Event already, you have the option to register for the in-person participation package;
• the deadline for standard fees for the in-person participation has been extended until September 2^nd; IENE membership vouchers could be procured until September 2^nd and existing vouchers will be valid until September 2^nd as well.

Please note that the fees do not cover travel, accommodation and other expenses.

• User name and password

During the registration or abstract submission process you will be asked to set up a user name and a password.

Important! If you have set up a user name and a password during the abstract submission process before registering, please use the same user name and password to register.

If you forgot your user name and password please follow this LINK.

• Acknowledgement & validations

Registration and payment will be confirmed by e-mail.

• Cancellation policy

• • • By organizers

The organizers retain their right to update or cancel different events. In this case, the already registered participants may choose to cancel their participation with no extra costs.

The organizers will update the changes on the Conference Website (https://2022iene.info/) and will inform the registered participants of the changes by e-mail.

• • • By participants: Changes, withdrawal / cancellation

For subsequent name changes and re-bookings 20.00 Euro will be charged as processing fee by the organiser.

If a participant wants to withdraw / cancel its participation, it should inform the organiser by e-mail.

In the event of withdrawal / cancellation by 14 September 2022, the participation fee will be refunded, subject to a processing fee of 40.00 Euro.

In the event of withdrawal / cancellation later than 15 September 2022 inclusively, no refund will be possible.

If the registered participant cannot attend the Conference due to health reasons or accident, the participant has the option of nominating a substitute for participation. The processing fee for the transfer is 20.00 Euro.

A further cancellation right of the participant is granted only for good cause. In this case, no refund will be made.

Request for cancelation or changes in the booking must be made in written form to organisation@2022iene.info.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PRESENTING AUTHORS

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• Due to the hybrid format of the Conference, we are kindly asking the authors to pre-record their presentations and to upload them into the Virtual Venue before the Conference (until August 31st).
• Please note that during the Conference, the authors participating in-person in Cluj-Napoca may opt to present live in front of the audience. The authors participating on-line will have their pre-recorded presentation played automatically.
• The Questions and Answers following the presentations will be live; therefore we are kindly asking the on-line participating presenting authors to be live on-line during their sessions (the draft Agenda will be circulated soon!). The questions for the authors will be available on-line in the Virtual Venue until the end of September, therefore the authors may engage with the audience after the Conference as well.

GENERAL INFO & RECOMENDATIONS

FULL ORAL PRESENTATIONS

Full presentations will be grouped in 90-minutes sessions, each consisting of up to 6 presentations.

Each presenter will have allocated 15 minutes: 10 minutes should be used for presenting the topic (via pre-recorded video presentation, or live) and 5 minutes for answering questions.

Presenters may use PowerPoint slides and other common off-line audio-visual media to support their presentation. Please do not use more than 20 slides (in order to prevent an ‘over-doses’ of information and to reduce the risk that presentations go beyond their allocated time. It aims to encourage presenters to limit themselves to the key findings and main conclusions of their work).

All in-person presenters should deliver their presentation on a memory stick at the Technical Desk beforehand – further instructions will be given soon.

LIGHTNING TALK PRESENTATIONS (ORAL)

Lightning talks will be grouped in 90-minutes sessions, each consisting of up to 10 presentations.

Each presenter will have allocated 8 minutes: 5 minutes should be used for presenting the topic (via pre-recorded video presentation, or live) and 3 minutes for answering questions.

Presenters may use PowerPoint slides and other audio-visual media to support their presentation. Please do not use more than 10 slides (in order to prevent an ‘over-doses’ of information and to reduce the risk that presentations go beyond their allocated time. It aims to encourage presenters to limit themselves to the key findings and main conclusions of their work).

All in-person presenters should deliver their presentation on a memory stick at the Technical Desk beforehand – further instructions will be given soon.

PDF ePOSTERS

Requirements for poster presentations*:

• Posters should contain no more than 300 words, including the title.
• Posters should start with presenting the key conclusions or take-home messages.
• Descriptions of methods should be kept to a minimum and preferably presented through an illustration.
• Descriptions of results should be brief and focus on the findings that support the conclusions/take-home messages.
• Much emphasis should be put on illustrations, such as graphs, maps and photos – the poster should be visually attractive.
• The use of tables should preferably be avoided.
• Posters should not contain reference lists.
• Posters should not contain acknowledgements, but logos of e.g. partners or funders are welcome.

* The strict requirements for poster presentations have been developed to avoid that posters become ‘journal papers crammed on one large page’. We aim for poster presentations that are inviting and can be quickly comprehended. The key messages of the poster presentation should preferably be ‘landing’ within 30 seconds. Poster presentations at IENE 2022 are not meant to present all available information on the project or study, but to highlight the main conclusions and initiate discussions with the audience. Please note that you could create an accompanying audio file which may guide your audience through the poster – details below. Also you could add a QR code to provide a link to a webpage.

Please see below TECHNICAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE AUTHORS for each category of presentations.

FULL ORAL PRESENTATIONS

How to CREATE your VIDEO PRESENTATION:

• The length of your presentation should not exceed 10 minutes (extra 5 minutes are being allocated, in average, for live Q&A).
• The minimum quality is HD (720p), in the following possible formats: .avi/.mov/.mp4/.flv/.wmv./.3gp
  (for more VOD Video Content Requirements you could find details here: https://support.converia.de/help/en-us/51/51)

How to UPLOAD your VIDEO PRESENTATION:

• Please note that you will receive an e-mail with instructions and with the DIRECT LINK TO UPLOAD your video presentation!
• Verify that the length of the video is no longer than 10 minutes and that the quality is satisfactory, and then upload your video presentation by August 31st. Thank you.

LIGHTING TALK PRESENTATIONS (ORAL)

How to CREATE your VIDEO PRESENTATION:

• The length of your presentation should not exceed 5 minutes (extra 3 minutes are being allocated, in average, for live Q&A).
• The minimum quality is HD (720p), in the following possible formats: .avi/.mov/.mp4/.flv/.wmv./.3gp
  (for more VOD Video Content Requirements you could find details here: https://support.converia.de/help/en-us/51/51)

How to UPLOAD your VIDEO PRESENTATION:

• Please note that you will receive an e-mail with instructions and with the DIRECT UPLOAD LINK!
• Verify that the length of the video is no longer than 10 minutes and that the quality is satisfactory, and then upload your video presentation by August 31st. Thank you.

HINTS ON RECORDING A VIDEO PRESENTATION:

• Please pay attention to some important details when you are recording your video presentation/s:
• test your equipment before recording;
• keep your device in maximum performance mode and connected to an electric outlet;
• use a quiet space without a moving or busy / distracting background;
• test the lighting (you should have a source of light facing you, avoid backlight!);
• make sure your camera is still and placed at the same level as your eyes – you should have your face and shoulders in the frame;
• rehears your presentation;
• if you will use a PowerPoint doc., remember that it is just a visual support, and avoid reading from the slides;
• imagine you are in front of a live audience, but stay relaxed – you are in the comfort of your room and could record again if you are not happy with the results;
• you may use a range of different software to record your presentations (ie. Zoom, PowerPoint 2013/2016 etc.).
• please respect the slides number and time limit as presentation exceeding them will not be accepted.

ePOSTERS

Important notes:

• The posters will be presented only virtual (as ePosters), in the Conference Virtual Venue. You should upload the poster in a .pdf format AND you have the option to upload an accompanying audio file.
• The posters will be made available before the Conference in the Virtual Venue – starting with September 12, and the audience will be able to interact with the authors – asking questions / responding after the Conference as well, until the end of September).
• Voting for the best poster will be possible, and the winner of the most voted poster will be announced during the Conference.

How to CREATE your PDF ePOSTER:

• The format of the poster is .pdf, the size should be A0 and the recommended orientation is landscape.
• The size of the file should not exceed 20 MB!
• Please make sure that you are you are complying with the virtual venue requirements:

• • no interactive content
  • no forms
  • no videos
  • no navigation
  • no blend mode
  • no patterns and gradients
  • no ICC color profiles
  • no protected fonts
  • no encryption or password protection
  • as a vector image file
  • only text, images (only embedded as JPG, GIF, or PNG), tables, and lists are primarily used
  • all fonts are fully embedded
  • the file is saved as PDF/A

How to UPLOAD your PDF POSTER:

• You have to upload the PDF poster via the conference management software:
  • Please log in with you existing credentials (username & password) from submission/registration at: https://express.converia.de/frontend/index.php?sub=844
  • You will then enter the C3 – Conference Control Center.
  • Please click on the link “view submitted abstracts” and you will see your submitted poster abstract.

• Then click on the “actions” button and select the “upload or edit presentation” option.

• Please upload the poster PDF until August 31st.

How to CREATE your AUDIO COMPLEMENTARY FILE:

• It is possible for you to upload an audio explanation complementing your poster, for the audience to play it while navigating through your poster. (note that this is optional!)
• If you decide to use this option, please make sure that the format of the audio file is
  • MP3 (good quality, file ending: .mp3), or AAC (high quality, file endings: .aac, .m4a, .f4a).
  • and the size of the file should not exceed 400 Mb.
• Please check the detailed guidelines on producing the audio files HERE
  https://support.converia.de/help/en-us/32-sessions-and-talks-in-the-virtual-venue/184-eposter

How to UPLOAD your AUDIO COMPLEMENTARY FILE:

• Please note that after you will upload your PDF POSTER in the Virtual Venue you will receive another e-mail with instructions and with the DIRECT UPLOAD LINK for the audio file, if you would like to use this option!

The in-person event of the IENE 2022 International Conference will take place in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, between 19th and 23rd September 2022, and will be hosted by the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine (USAMV).

IMPORTANT NOTE:

• Please be advice that at the moment there are no COVID-related restrictions in Romania and we will provide up-to-date information on the site whenever the situation may change. Meantime, you could see here the official website with daily information on the COVID status in Romania.
• However, if official mandatory measures of quarantine for person travelling for most European countries in Romania or distancing in indoor venues, we will be forced to cancel the in-person participation due to force majeure independent of the organizers.
• We will implement an internal COVID prevention plan during the Conference – providing masks and sanitizers to participants and cleaning the air and the furniture in the venues during the breaks. Also, all participants and supporting staff are being kindly asked to test on their own before the Conference and to avoid interactions if the tests are positive.
• Please note that due to its hybrid format, the Conference sessions (e.g. presentations, Q&A, networking sessions, workshops etc.) will be recorded for broadcasting purposes, as well to give the possibility to the attendees to watch them later.

CONFERENCE LOCATION:

Address: USAMV (Universitatea de Stiinte Agricole si Medicina Veterinara), Calea Manastur 3-5, 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

On Google Maps: DIRECTIONS

The USAMV campus is located in the proximity of the city center, and the large green areas are offering a great ambient for relaxing walks.

CONFERENCE VENUES:

The Conference will be held in the ICHAT Building offering a beautiful view of the city, the lunch breaks and the networking sessions will be held in the nearby Biodiversity Building whit access to its very nice botanical garden.

The ICHAT Building will host the plenary and parallel sessions.

The Biodiversity Building will host the networking sessions, the lunch breaks and the Special Dinner.

HOW TO GET TO CLUJ NAPOCA

By Plane:

The CLUJ NAPOCA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT is located at 13 km distance / 30 mins by taxi from the Conference venues.

Please check the airport official page for flights schedule – https://www.airportcluj.ro/

By Train:

The CLUJ NAPOCA CENTRAL TRAIN STATION is located at 5.5 km distance / 15 mins by taxi from the Conference venues.

By Car:

Please use navigation to get to the Conference venues.
DIRECTIONS to USAMV (Universitatea de Stiinte Agricole si Medicina Veterinara), Calea Manastur 3-5, 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

Parking facilities will be provided free inside the USAMV campus.

ACCOMMODATION SUGGESTIONS

Cluj Napoca offers a variety of accommodation options, available on the specialized websites.
Some of the options you could consider in the vicinity of the Conference Venues are:

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CLUJ NAPOCA

For more information, including free time options please visit https://visitcluj.ro/

ROMANIAN VISAS

If you need to get a Romanian Visa, please check the official site of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

FOR ANY OTHER INFORMATION

Please live us a message at organisation@2022iene.info

Thank you!

Dear participant to the IENE 2022 International Conference, we are happy to offer you five options for the field trips during the 21st of September, described below.

The departures and arrivals will be from Conference venue / USAMV campus and travel will be by modern buses with air conditioning.

Important note: Bookings could be limited for high-requested excursions and low-requested excursions may be canceled if the minimum number of participants is not being met.

Excursion #1:

TURDA SALT MINE AND THE OLD CITY CENTER OF CLUJ-NAPOCA.

FOCUS: CULTURAL VALUES IN CLUJ AREA

Description: The Turda Salt Mine is an underground must-see tourism attraction in Romania. Developed in one of the oldest mines in the country, dating back from the pre-roman times (year 50 BC), it is a true therapeutic wonder which offers several leisure activities. Thanks to its fascinating history and beauty, it is under the process of becoming an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

(More details here: https://www.salinaturda.eu/en/, https://www.facebook.com/salinaturda)

After the visit to the salt mine, the participants will return to Cluj-Napoca for lunch in a traditional restaurant, followed by a Guided tour walk through the Cluj-Napoca’s Old City Center to discover its rich history and culture (costs are included in the excursion fee).

© https://www.facebook.com/salinaturda

Difficulty: Easy.

Duration & distance: Aprox. 6-7 hours total (1,5 hrs / 66 km by bus).

Requirements: Warm clothing for the salt mine (where the temperature is around 10 -12 degrees Celsius!), comfortable walking shoes.

Cost: 65 Euro/participant.

Excursion #2:

THE PLANNED METROPOLITAN RING OF CLUJ-NAPOCA AND TWO ADJACENT PROTECTED AREAS.

FOCUS: LINEAR TRANSPORT DEVELOPMENT, PROTECTED AREAS

Description: The Metropolitan Ring is a long-planned and awaited infrastructure for the decongestion of the high traffic in and around Cluj-Napoca, the second largest city of Romania.

The ring will intersect a critical ecological corridor linking two Natura 2000 sites, situated on the North-Western, respectively South-Western part of the city, where the presence of brown bear and grey wolf was spotted. These protected areas are also under high real estate pressure.

The excursion will be followed by a lunch at a traditional Romanian restaurant (cost is included in the excursion fee).

Difficulty: Easy.

Duration & distance: Aprox. 6-7 hours total (1,5 hrs. / 70 km by bus).

Distance from Cluj-Napoca: in the proximity.

Requirements: Technical clothing and shoes for a light walk in the field.

Cost: 55 Euro/participant.

Excursion #3:

THE TURZII GORGES.

FOCUS: BIODIVERSITY, PROTECTED AREAS

Description: The Turzii Gorges, formed 150 million years ago, is one of the main touristic attractions in Transylvania due to its marvelous complex geologic (including karstic) and biodiversity values.

The hike through the Nature reserve and a Natura 2000 site hosting over 1,000 plant and animal species will offer breathtaking scenery views, with a nice overview of the steep rocky walls where golden eagles nest. (More info here https://www.cheileturzii.ro/)

The 5 hours’ hike will be followed by a late lunch at the local restaurant in Turda (cost is included in the excursion fee).

©https://www.cheileturzii.ro/

Difficulty: Medium.

Duration & distance: Aprox. 8-9 hours in total (2 hrs. / 70 km by bus).

Requirements: Proper technical clothing and shoes for trekking.

Cost: 65 Euro/participant.

Excursion #4:

TRASCAU/APUSENI MOUNTAINS.

FOCUS: PROTECTED AREAS, ECOLOGICAL CONNECTIVITY AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES

Description: The excursion will be organized in one of the most picturesque landscapes from Romania – the easternmost part of the Apuseni Mountains. It will highlight spectacular biodiversity values, conserved through a nature reserve and a large Natura2000 site, as well as picturesque old villages which still preserve the traditional lifestyle and are rich in cultural values.

The area is home to the brown bear, grey wolf, Eurasian lynx and other protected species, which are impacted by the development of different types of infrastructures, including linear transport infrastructure.

The approximately 4 hours’ (9 km) hike in nature will be followed by a lunch in a mansion serving traditional Transylvanian cuisine and a visit to the remnants of a medieval fortress (costs are included in the excursion fee).

© Cristian Remus Papp

Difficulty: Medium.

Duration & distance: Aprox. 10 hours in total (2.5 hrs. /166 km by bus).

Requirements: Proper technical clothing and shoes for trekking.

Cost: 65 Euro/participant.

Excursion #5:

THE APUSENI MOUNTAINS – SOUTHERN CARPATHIANS CORRIDOR / MURES VALLEY.

FOCUS: ECOLOGICAL CONNECTIVITY, LAND-USE DYNAMIC, TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE, CROSS-SECTORAL PLANNING, PROTECTED AREAS

Description: The excursion will highlight different aspects of connectivity at landscape level and the importance of cooperation between different sectors (transports, developments, forestry, agriculture, water management, hunting, tourism, waste management and protected areas).

The focus of the discussions will be on practical problems and solutions within one of the most important regional ecological corridor in Europe, the one between the Southern Carpathians and Apuseni Mountains. Here, one of the largest rivers of Romania, Mures, is passing through a complex landscape, important from both economic and biodiversity perspectives.

Our partner-project, DTP SaveGREEN, has the pleasure to invite you to explore the topics of structural and functional connectivity first hand in the field (via several walks – cca. 3 hours in total) and to take part in a word-café workshop focused on developing a framework for an integrated cross-sectoral approach enabling cooperation between a multitude of stakeholders.

The trip will include the lunch and take-away food and drinks for the entire day (costs are included in the excursion fee).

Difficulty: Medium.

Duration & distance: Aprox. 12 hours in total (6 hrs. /500 km by bus).

Please note: Early morning departure and return in the evening. (The trip will include the lunch, take-away food and drinks for the entire day).

Requirements: Proper technical clothing and shoes for trekking.

COST: 65 Euro/participant, maximum 40 persons!

The IENE 2022 International Conference

We are very pleased to invite you to the IENE + GCLIE 2022 International Conference “Connecting people, connecting landscapes” which will take place between 15 – 16 & 19 – 23 September 2022, as a hybrid event, online and in-person, in Cluj Napoca, Romania.

Under the main IENE 2022 theme of INTEGRATED APPROACH FOR MAINSTREAMING BIODIVERSITY INTO TRANSPORT NETWORKS, we are inviting you to explore* together the current state of play, to discuss the gaps, needs and solutions, looking back for lessons learned and ahead for future challenges and opportunities, from Global, European perspectives and at regional (Carpathians, Danube, South East Europe and Black Sea) levels.

* from policies & financing to planning & environmental impact assessment;
from design & implementation to operation, upgrading &decommissioning;
from monitoring, research & learning to improving;
from communication & awareness rising to efficient consultations & effective collaboration.

The 2nd Global Congress for Linear Infrastructure and the Environment (GCLIE) will take place online over two days between 15 – 16 September 2022 having the GLOBAL CONNECTIONS AMONG LINEAR INFRASTRUCTURE, COMMUNITIES AND ENVIRONMENT as its main theme. GCLIE is intended to compliment the IENE, through providing a platform that allows focus on broader, higher-level, global issues and policies that can influence national and international knowledge sharing and bring about positive change at the intersection between linear infrastructure and the environment.
We look forward to seeing you!

The IENE 2022 Conference Concept & Challenges

The IENE 2022 International Conference is being designed to offer both physical and on-line participation options for attendees and presenters.

While we are very much looking forward to meeting you all in-person, we are aware of unfolding challenges and uncertainties and we are also prepared for a fully on-line event scenario.

We will confirm the in-person event in due time, therefore if you are interested in attending in person please go ahead and register as such.

To prevent any risks, the payments for the in-person participation will be made in two tranches – the first one in an amount equal to the on-line participation, and the second one only after the organization of the in-person event will be confirmed.

Please see more details under REGISTRATION and follow the NEWS, section for updates. Thank you!

The IENE 2022 Conference Goal

The IENE 2022 Conference goal is to deliver a significant quality event, in terms of:

• KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE:
  … by presenting best practices, state-of-the-art and recent research results,
  … on current initiatives, cooperation and projects,
  … on present approaches, challenges and opportunities of the future;
• NETWORKING:
  … with world-wide initiatives and strategic actors,
  … between stakeholders, practitioners, students and experts with different backgrounds);
• FOSTERING FUTURE (CROSS-SECTORAL) COOPERATION:
  … between local, national, international potential partners;

while promoting IENE’s vision, mission and results to a wi/lide auditorium.

The IENE 2022 Conference Aims

The IENE 2022 International Conference aims to …

1. … deliver a “round” experience, proposing themes of interest on multiple relevant levels:

a. Policy and strategies (including financing);
b. Planning, design and environmental impact assessment of transport networks;
c. Implementation and management of transport infrastructures and mitigation measures;
d. Education, awareness, consultation and communication, lesson learned & knowledge exchange.

2. … focus on the particularities of the South-East Europe & Black Sea countries while presenting lessons learned, trends and priorities from other regions;

3. … facilitate networking and the engagement of participants before, during & after the conference.

The IENE 2022 Conference Regional Specific

SPECIFICS OF SOUTH EAST EUROPE & BLACK SEA COUNTRIES

The IENE 2022 Conference Host & Local Organisers

The in-person event of the IENE 2022 International Conference will take place in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, between 19th and 23rd September 2022, and will be hosted by the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine (USAMV).

IENE 2022 International Conference is co-organized by IENE and the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Zarand Association, WWF Romania and the Cluj Metropolitan Area Association.

IENE 2022 Conference Committees

Infrastructure & Ecology Network Europe (IENE)

Infrastructure & Ecology Network Europe (IENE) is a non-for-profit and non-political association. It is a formalized network of experts active in ecology, transportation and infrastructure.
The network was initiated in 1996 to provide an independent, international and interdisciplinary arena for the exchange and development of expert knowledge – and with the aim to promote a safe and ecologically sustainable pan-European transport infrastructure.
IENE arranges international conferences, workshops, training seminars and symposia, initiates collaboration projects and helps answering questions that require a joint international expertise.

Transportation, infrastructure and ecology.

Transportation and its associated infrastructure are recognized as significant drivers in the global loss of biodiversity.
Their impacts on nature are more or less well described and there is ample evidence for the negative effects of transportation and its associated infrastructure on nature. The overall impact is very strong, but there are means to minimise the effects and to even introduce beneficial services for wildlife. Such means could be implemented by default during infrastructural development and maintenance, provided that legal frameworks are present, regularly updated, and communication with other sectors of society extended. The European environmental policy is already developing in this direction, and with emerging innovative and improved technical solutions, a greener and more sustainable transport does not need to remain a utopia.
With the global biodiversity community now turning to nature-based solutions, we know that what should be promoted first is the conservation of existing ecosystems. Green innovations and solutions are at the other end of the spectrum, where natural ecosystems are gone or when there is no alternative choice but to modify them.
To work towards this ‘utopia’, there are calls for international collaboration in research and practice, for exchange of knowledge between disciplines, and for the development of harmonised standards and procedures. IENE conferences and workshops provide a well-recognized arena for expert dialogues and cooperation in this respect.

IENE International Conferences

Every second year since 2010, IENE arranges an international conference on biodiversity and transportation. These events address a wide international audience and encompass a broad spectrum of topics. IENE conferences span over 3-5 days, including lectures, poster sessions, short workshops, field excursions and training seminars. Conference language is international English, but some sessions may be translated. IENE international conferences on transportation, infrastructure and ecology provide a recurring interdisciplinary forum for scientists, practitioners, government departments or planners and decision makers to present recent findings, exchange experiences, discuss planned and on-going activities and create a frame for future collaboration. IENE conferences usually encompass a variety of topics relating to the impact of transportation on habitats and species, to mitigation measures and their efficacy, and to planning and policy issues. Typically, each conference highlights one main theme and several special topics, but is also shaped by proposed workshops, sessions and presentations received through an open call for contributions. IENE General Assembly usually meets during the conference, which is an opportunity for the network’s members to meet face-to-face.

IENE Conferences Events

IENE international conferences combine a series of plenary speeches, panel discussions, lectures (oral presentations), workshops & trainings, poster presentations, as well as field trips and social events providing many opportunities for interactions, discussions and networking.
Other activities, such as the IENE awards, poster competition, exhibition of technical solutions and services, media activities, public announcements etc. will take place during lunch and coffee breaks or at other convenient times.
The conferences include the IENE General Assembly when members are invited to discuss and decide about the future of the network.

Opening session (O)
Opening session includes welcome messages on behalf of IENE’s Governance Board & Scientific and Expert Committee and of conference hosts, guest speakers as well as introductions to the conference programme and organizational details.

Plenary sessions (PS)
During plenary sessions, the invited keynote speakers will address special topics on each theme of the conference.

Parallel sessions
Parallel sessions are focused on a specific theme and topic and may span over several blocks of 60-90 minutes. The parallel sessions may contain lectures (oral presentations), panel discussions, workshops or training seminars. (Not more than 3 parallel sessions are being encouraged.)
● Lecture sessions contain full-oral (FO) and lighting presentations (LT) (about 15 to 20, respectively 5 to 10 minutes each) that share a common theme or topic. Lecture sessions are developed from accepted abstract proposals and will be chaired by at least one person. Presenters are asked to provide video records of their presentations beforehand and to be available (in person or virtually) to interact with the audience after their presentations.
● Panel discussions (PD) between 3 – 5 panelists and a facilitator will address key aspects from different angles of a topic of general interest. The audience may engage in the discussion even before the Conference (by suggesting topics via a web questionnaire) as well as during the event, by reacting through or asking questions via the dedicated conference app.
● Workshops (WK) offer the opportunity to discuss specific topics in more detail, develop ideas or initiate plans and project ideas in an interactive way. Workshops will provide final conclusions or summary for the conference proceedings. Workshops may also be arranged by external organisations through partner projects, if the contents fit with the theme of the conference and are approved in advance by the IENE Programme Committee.
If you are interested in organizing a workshop as part of the Conference, please check the Guidelines for IENE workshops and contact us at programme@2022iene.info.
● Training Seminars (TS) focus on different topics in connection with the theme of IENE International Conferences. They aim to provide evidence-based capacity building on addressing and mitigating the impacts of infrastructure on biodiversity.
If you are interested in organizing a training seminar as part of the Conference, please check the Guidelines for IENE training seminars and contact us at programme@2022iene.info.

Poster presentations (PP)
Poster presentations are an important activity of the conferences as they provide the opportunity to present more detailed information (statistics, databases, preliminary results etc.) or other data that is less suited for an oral presentation, and allow for more detailed discussion with the respective authors. Posters will be available throughout the entire Conference in dedicated physical venue and virtual room. Participants will have the chance to vote for the best and most informative poster.

Field excursions
The conferences include optional field excursions to selected locations at which conference topics or actual issues will be illustrated, experienced and discussed. Field excursions provide appreciated opportunities to establish new contacts, start new discussions and exchange ideas in a less formal manner than during the sessions and workshops.

Exhibitions (Ex)
The conferences offer opportunities for exhibitors to reach out to the international gathering of stakeholders and experts. Dedicated venue and virtual rooms will be dedicated for exhibitors to present products, services, or their organisations.

Awards
We will present the winners of the best poster and the IENE awards during the Conference.

Luncheons, breaks, social activities, gala dinner & free times
During one or more occasions, selected activities such as music, dance performance or interactive plays may be intertwined with the programme as entertainment and icebreakers. Suggestions for such activities are welcome. The Conference will include an optional gala dinner. Time will be allocated between Conference events to facilitate informal discussions and networking between participants.

Closing session (C)
Together we will summarize and reflect upon the outcomes of the Conference highlighting the lessons learned and the take-home messages. An invitation to the next IENE International Conference will be made, as well as announcement of future partner-conferences (ACLIE, ANET, GCLIE, ICOET etc.).

IENE General Assembly (GA)
The IENE members will be invited to discuss and decide about the future of the network during the IENE General Assembly.

IENE Conferences Scientific Quality

IENE conferences aim at presenting both cutting-edge research and high-quality practical studies and related solutions.
All proposals are being reviewed by an international Programme Committee consisting of experts from different disciplines within the sectors of environment and transportation.
Based on the submitted abstracts, the Programme Committee selects the best and most valuable contributions for the final programme and decides on which presentations are held orally or are given as posters, which sessions and workshops are accepted, and which presentations are recommended further for scientific publication.
Evaluation criteria will be inclusion of transportation and ecological perspectives, methodology, applicability and scale of application, innovation, clarity and language.

IENE Conferences Products & Dissemination

IENE conferences are producing several materials all of which shall be available online as free downloads for registered participants and some may be printed and handed out to the on-site participants:

• The Conference programme
• The Book of abstracts
• The Conference Declaration
• Workshops fact-sheets, training materials etc.
• General conclusions and summary
• Video recordings
• Scientific publication of approved papers (will be provided through collaboration with scientific journals; all submitted papers will have to pass the established peer-review procedures of the respective publisher).

IENE conference and its products will be effectively disseminated through the network itself and through the multitude of contacts between IENE members and their respective governmental bodies and non-governmental organisations. The IENE secretariat ensures the active spread of information to non-IENE members and established media contacts. The conference hosts, organisers and partners will also play an important role in the spreading of conference products. The Conference will include a press conference and will engage with media throughout different occasions.

IENE 2022 Conference Partners

IENE 2022 conference partners support the organisation of the conference and/or take responsibility for specific events.

Partner Projects

IENE and the organisers of the IENE 2022 International Conference are pleased to announce the first photo contest on the theme of transport infrastructure and biodiversity.

The contest will take place on the occasion of the IENE 2022 conference in Cluj-Napoca and will not only allow IENE to reward the best photographs, but also to make an image bank available to our IENE members for use in publications.

The categories of the contest will be:

A. Flora and fauna in relationship with linear infrastructure
B. Mitigation measures and other best practice
C. Networking and cooperation
D. “Open” category for creative photos

How to participate:

• You should submit your photos one-by-one via e-mail (one photo per email) at info@iene.info, by August 22nd, following the technical requirements presented below.
• You may submit maximum 2 images per each category (hence maximum 8 images attached to 8 different e-mail messages).
• The Subject of the e-mail messages should be “IC22 Photo contest + your name + photo no (#1 up to #8)”
• The body of the message should include only the following table (please copy-paste it and fill it in individually for each submitted photo):

Download document

Technical requirements:

• image format: JPEG
• minimal image dimension 1920×1080 pixels
• maximal size 10 MB
• do not put your logos, signatures or watermarks on photos
• no intervention on the images is allowed except basic adjustments (contrast, sharpening, levels adjustments).

Content Rules:

• By submitting a photo to the competition, each participant agrees to its publication by organisers / IENE in printed or electronic form (always with credits) and must confirm that is the author and copyright holder (©) of the images submitted.
• After the submission deadline (August 22nd) an IENE jury will make the first selection of up to 40 images which will be featured on the Conference Virtual Venue.
• The participants at the Conference will be invited to vote their preferred photos and the winners on each category will be announced during the Conference!
• Selected photos submitted to the competition will be included in the photo archive within the IENE platform and will be available for publications such as Handbook and other IENE documents.
• The author agrees to the subsequent use by IENE and its members under the CC BY-NC-SA license. This license lets others remix, adapt, and build upon your work non-commercially, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms.