Ben Allen
Policy Analyst
Email:
Phone: +44 (0)20 7340 2682
Specialist Subjects:
land use, land management, agri-environment policy, CAP reform
Profile:
Ben Allen has 8 years experience of working on agriculture and land management policy issues including bio-energy. He joined the IEEP Agriculture and Land Management team in September 2010, having spent the previous 5 years working as a policy adviser on agri-environment, CAP as well as bio-energy policy issues for Natural England and previously English Nature, the UK government’s statutory adviser on the natural environment. He has spent the last year working on secondment for the National Trust as their Senior Officer on sustainable land use and management policy, developing their portfolio of work on the CAP and looking at the future of land and water management in the UK. He has a degree in Environmental Biology and a PhD in the field of Land Use and Spatial Ecology.
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Shifting away from conventional biofuels
The UK has ample potential to use wastes and residues for advanced biofuels and create jobs in this emerging industry – but safeguards are key to ensure this is done in an environmentally sustainable way.
15 May 2013 -
Land as an Environmental Resource
How can we meet the different and often conflicting demands we make on our limited supply of rural land in Europe? A more strategic approach to the way in which land is used is needed than has been the case in the past. This report for DG Environment looks at the data, the challenges and the policy options for Europe.
01 May 2013 -
The sustainability of advanced biofuels in the EU
Using wastes and residues for biofuels has many advantages. But ensuring sustainability and including safeguards in EU legislation are critical issues.
19 Mar 2013 -
Land use mapping for sustainable biofuels
IEEP and WWF join forces to define criteria and principles to guide the mapping of appropriate land use to ensure sustainable biofuel crops.
15 Feb 2013 -
Land Stewardship in England post 2013: CAP greening and agri-environment
What will the introduction of environmental measures in Pillar 1 mean for agri-environment schemes in the future? A topic of much debate as part of the CAP reform negotiations, this new report explores the potential impacts of greening Pillar 1 on England’s entry-level agri-environment scheme and how a future scheme could be designed to deliver more for the environment and ensure the long term sustainability of farming.
18 Jan 2013 -
Designing RDPs fit for the environment
Substantial changes to rural development regulation have been proposed which provide significant opportunities for Member States to deliver more for the environment. This report highlights some of these opportunities and sets out a series of principles and environmental priorities to help guide Member States in designing their future rural development programmes.
26 Sep 2012 -
Maximising environmental benefits through Ecological Focus Areas
Of the three measures proposed to 'green' Pillar 1 direct payments, Ecological Focus Areas have the greatest potential to address a range of environmental concerns. How much of this potential is realised depends on a number of key factors discussed in this new IEEP report prepared at the request of the Land Use Policy Group.
08 Jun 2012 -
Mobilising Cereal Straw in the EU to Feed Advanced Biofuel Production
This IEEP report, commissioned by Novozymes, considers the existing barriers, environmental risks and opportunities and the potential agricultural policy stimuli needed in order to mobilise cereal straw for advanced biofuel production in the EU.
21 May 2012 -
Delivering environmental benefits through entry-level agri-environment schemes in the EU
A new study of the 2007-13 agri-environment schemes across the whole of EU-27 provides the first typology of ‘entry-level’ agri-environment management and environmental objectives, plus a detailed insight into the design of entry-level agri-environment schemes and calculation of payment rates in seven Member States.
21 Mar 2012 -
Securing Biomass for Energy
A new IEEP report outlining how to develop a UK bioenergy sector that mitigates environmental risks and promotes win-win situations for renewables deployment and biodiversity.
22 Nov 2011