Inge Liekens

Researcher

Belgian Ecosystems & Society Newsletter - May 2017. Acces the full newsletter here.

 

Inge Liekens joined VITO (Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek) in 2003 where she has contributed to several projects on the assessment of environmental costs and benefits with a particular emphasis on the economic valuation of ecosystem services and water benefits. She is strongly involved in the development of tools to help planners and policy makers to quantify, map and value ecosystem services e.g. European project Esmeralda; the Dutch Atlas Natuurlijk kapitaal, ECOPLAN en de Natuurwaardeverkenner. She is also a lead author in IPBES European and central Asian Assessment.

How are you involved in BEES? 

Since the cost benefit analysis of the Sigmaplan were we included for the first time multiple benefits of the natural safety measures, I am only more convinced that telling about the benefits of nature and nature based solutions is a much stronger story than hammering on the loss of it. Since then, I work on tools to help others realise those success stories. I was involved in BEES from the beginning. First as one of the partners in the initial BEES network project, as organizer of a BEES workshop on valuation of ecosystem services, author of several chapters within the BEES book. I am still in several working groups of BEES and an enthusiastic participant of the BEES market.

What do you think is important in BEES?

Although there is still a lot to do, I am convinced that we can improve human wellbeing by safeguard and even enhance our natural capital. The ecosystem services approach can help with this because it is a holistic approach and a language that can help people with different views to understand each other. To work on a better planet, you need researchers of different disciplines, policy makers (government and business) and society round the table to discuss and develop plans for the future. I believe BEES has an important facilitating role in bringing all different kinds of people together around ecosystem services.

Where would you like BEES to be in a few years? 

I hope BEES will only grow and bring different societal groups together to enhance knowledge exchange and raise awareness. Moreover I want to see BEES facilitating a creative environment to initiate the successfull stories that will convince people nature offers a multitude of opportunities for a sustainable society and human well-being.