Background

History of IENE
The establishment of Infra Eco Network Europe (IENE) in 1996 was originally an initiative of the Road and Hydraulic Engineering Division of the Dutch Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management. It was based on the conclusions of the International Symposium on Habitat Fragmentation and Infrastructure in 1995 at which 135 participants from over 25 countries proposed the formation of an international network in order to jointly address fragmentation issues, share resources and find harmonising solutions to the common problems (see IENE declaration 1995).
Until June 1998, IENE had been financially supported and coordinated by the Road and Hydraulic Engineering Division in the Netherlands. After that, the coordination was taken over by the Swedish National Road Administration and, after additional two years, moved to the Institute of Nature Conservation in Brussels, Belgium, who maintained coordination until the completion of the COST-341 Action at the IENE conference in 2003. Over 21 countries had been officially affiliated with IENE at that time. In the following years, however, the network entered a dormant state and the website remained static.
In April 2008, experts form over 22 European countries met in the Hungarian city Nyregyhaza to discuss the possibilities to re-activate the IENE. An interim steering committee was formed to establish a new IENE secretariat, update statutes and website and ensure future funding for a new IENE organisation.

The new IENE organisation was officially reactivated at the IENE general assembly in Portugal, April 2009. A new steering committe was established and the general assembly agreed upon a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), setting the basis for the new IENE.

IENE activities so far
IENE members have been involved in various European and national strategies and guidelines addressing biodiversity, landscape, fragmentation and mitigation issues related to transport infrastructure in many ways since 1995. IENE general assemblies and public meetings were held annually in different European countries and the network established close contacts with non-European experts and organisations. A close collaboration with ICOET, the North American conference on ecology and transport, has been developed.
The most prominent “product” of IENE so far is the COST-341 Action (Habitat Fragmentation due to Transportation Infrastructure) within the framework of the COST (Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical research) program of the European Community. This European program aims for coordination of national subsidized research, striving for an exchange of information on international scale. The COST-341 Action started in 1998 and was completed with international conference in Brussels in November 2003. 16 countries and one NGO participated in the action and the following documents were produced:
•    National State of Art Reports on Habitat Fragmentation due to Linear Transportation Infrastructure from 13 countries
•    European State of the Art Report on Habitat Fragmentation due to Linear Transportation Infrastructure in Europe (European Review)
•    European Handbook (Wildlife and Traffic) on how to avoid Habitat Fragmentation due to Linear Transportation Infrastructure
•    Proceedings of the IENE conference in 2003
Up to 2003 experts from over 21 European countries were actively involved in the activities of IENE. COST-341 products have been translated into many languages and are known worldwide. 

Future IENE activities and scope
At the meeting in April 2008, participants expressed the need for a renewed and more active IENE, especially in the light of the ongoing expansion of transport infrastructure in Eastern-European countries, the development in EU environmental policy and the threat of a climate change on landscapes and infrastructure. In contrast to the originally rather passive network that gathered and provided information and knowledge, the new IENE shall become an active player in spreading information, developing decision support, and propose and initiate activities at both national and international level. With greater ambition than before, IENE shall address transport and environmental policy at EU level and actively interact with other organisations such as PIARC, UIC, IUCN, ECNC and more deliberately involve civil engineers and technicians. Also the broader public shall be addressed and involved to a much greater extent than before. Educational and information material shall be provided in order to raise awareness and support the implementation of EU conventions on landscape and public participation. In addition, IENE activities shall also relate to climate change and the necessary adaptation of infrastructure.