REEDBASE is a working group (or “innovation cluster”) of organisations in central and eastern Europe interested in using reed biomass as a source of sustainable energy (and other products), following the so-called “Triple Helix” model of institutions (government, business, and researchers) established to enhance their collaboration. However, ReedBASE also includes relevant civil society organisations.
ReedBASE seeks to identify priority research areas, development projects and commercial investments for improving traditional utilisation as well as renewable energy production from reed biomass. These priorities include innovations in wetland management, harvesting machinery, processing equipment, and products such as:
- Restoration of ecosystem services including amongst others the habitat improvement for migratory birds and waterfowl and the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions;
- Nutrient retention and water purification in reedbeds and therefore improvement of water quality of the Black Sea;
- Development of climate change adapted land management schemes;
- Provision of renewable biomass for energy production and material use;
- Reduction of energy imports on regional scale;
- Support of regional economies and increase of local job perspectives;
- Establishment of showcase paludiculture-based enterprises.
The cluster currently has members from Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Hungary and Germany. And would expand to other European states with rich reed resources such as Poland, Hungary, Austria and Slovakia.
ReedBASE was formed as a result of implementing a project on the development of a cross-border innovation platform/cluster for using common reed Phragmites australis biomass as a source of sustainable energy that commenced in September 2016 and ended in February 2019.
The project partners were Michael Succow Foundation, Germany (Lead Partner); Institute of Market Problems and Economic-Ecological Research (NAS), Ukraine; Agricola NGO, Ukraine; Agency of European Innovation, Ukraine; Cross-Border Cooperation and European Integration Agency, Moldova; and WWF Danube Carpathian Programme, Romania. It was funded by the German Federal Environment Ministry’s Advisory Assistance Programme (AAP) for environmental protection in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia and other countries neighbouring the European Union. It was supervised by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) and the German Environment Agency (UBA).