Natura 2000 Croatia

1 natureandb iod ivers i tynewsletter | Ju ly 2013

WelcomeCroatiathe EUs 28th Member State

NATURA ISSN 1026-6151

N um b e r 3 4 | J u l y 2 01 3N a t u r e a n d B i o d i v e r s i t y N ew s l e t t e r

2000

Environment


Natura2000nature and biodiversity newsletter July 2013

CoNTeNTS35 Implementing the Birds and Habitats Directives in Croatia

67 The eU Large Carnivore Initiative89 Natura 2000 Barometer update 2013

1013Green Infrastructure enhancing europes natural capital

1416 News Round-up

With the conclusion of negotiations on the european Unions next budget programming period (20142020), we will soon know how successful we have been in securing additional potential sources of funding for the Natura 2000 Network. I remain convinced that a well-managed Natura 2000 Network represents excellent value for money, amply repaying society with diverse ecosystem services, while also protecting our rich and diverse biodiversity.

Recent studies have estimated the benefits that flow from Natura 2000 at around 200 to 300 billion/year far above the cost of managing and protecting this important resource (5.8 billion/year).

But as the new 7th eU environmental Action Programme makes clear, to protect, conserve and enhance our natural capital we need to tackle problems at source. one way to do that would be better integration of natural capital objectives into other policies, ensuring a coherent approach where other policies deliver co-benefits for biodiversity.

The Commission can help here, so I welcome the wealth of information that most Member States have shared with us in the form of Prioritised Action Frameworks. These frameworks enable Member States to define their funding needs and priorities for Natura 2000, and they will help the Commission integrate those needs into operational programmes to be prepared in the coming months.

The new strategy to promote Green Infrastructure adopted in May will also make a significant contribution in this respect. With the Natura 2000 network at its core, europes Green Infrastructure is set to play a major role in safeguarding our living natural capital and promoting integrated, resource-efficient policies for land and water use across the eU.

on 1 July we welcomed Croatia as the eUs 28th Member State. Its outstandingly rich biodiversity will bring a considerable boost to the eUs natural capital. Croatia is an excellent example of a Member State in which investing in Green Infrastructure and nature conservation generates long-lasting socio-economic benefits to society.

Janez PotonikEuropean Commissioner for Environment

Cover: Croatia coastline. Wild Wonders of Europe / Popp-Hackner / naturepl.com

Staff

an Widstrand / naturepl.com

Shutterstock

Shutterstock

Editorial Grzegorz.Lesniew

ski /naturepl.com

Croatia joined the EU on 1 July 2013. Substantial areas of the dramatic Velebit mountain seen here will be included in the Natura 2000 Network.

3 natureandb iod ivers i tynewsletter | Ju ly 2013 3

Implementing the Birds and Habitats Directives inCroatia

Croatia joined the eU on 1 July, adding another precious jewel to the eUs biodiversity crown. As the newest Member State, it is expected to adopt the eU environmental aquis and implement the Birds and Habitats Directives from the first day of accession. Several years have gone into preparing the ground for this, with the result that over a third of the country is now set to be included in the Natura 2000 Network, reflecting not only Croatias strong commitment to nature conservation but also to its remarkable biodiversity.

Croatia: a land of contrastsCroatia sits on the dividing line between no less than three

different biogeographical regions. The inland north-eastern region is typically continental in nature with vast tracts of grasslands and natural forests interspersed by meandering rivers and extensive wetlands, such as Kopacki Rit. Located on the confluence of the Drava and Danube rivers, this is one of the few remaining intact wetlands left in europe, hosting 297 bird species, including significant populations of black stork and white-tailed eagle. Closer to the coast, the dramatic Dinaric Alps suddenly emerge from the lowlands, separating the sea from the rest of the country. With peaks reaching up to 10001800m above sea level much of the

range is located in the Alpine Region. The mountains exhibit many typical karst features: jagged white peaks, mysterious sinkholes as well as a vast number of underground caves. over 9000 caves have been registered so far, hosting a unique biodiversity, most of which is new to science. Nearly 400 new taxa of invertebrates have been discovered within this cave system in the last decade alone. The forest-clad mountains also host important numbers of brown bear (over 1000), lynx (5060) and wolf (180220). on the other side of the mountain range, the terrain falls abruptly down to the Adriatic Sea, revealing a long narrow coastline and a myriad islands

Credit


Karstic habitats cover almost half of Croatias land hosting an exceptionally rich biodiversity.

Shutterstock


and islets dotted across the clear blue waters. Whilst significant parts of the coast have been transformed over the years by major tourism and other infrastructure developments, many of the islands have retained their original vegetation and associated species.

A rich biodiversityThe Adriatic Sea is in itself also a major biodiversity hotspot, hosting some 7,000-8,000 marine species, including substantial resident populations of bottlenose dolphins (over 5,000 individuals) and one of the two most important feeding and wintering grounds for the loggerhead turtle in the Mediterranean (the other one being along Gabes Bay in Turkey). Both above and below ground (or water), Croatia is home to many endemic species and sub-species, not just cave-dwelling invertebrates but also reptiles, freshwater fish and, above all, plants. Croatia is said to be one of the top three countries in europe for plant endemism. In addition to its high rate of endemism, Croatia also hosts many species and habitats that have long since disappeared from other parts of the eU. Croatias accession has lead to the addition to the Habitats Directive of a further 14 species to Annexes II and/or IV (mostly endemic fish or reptiles) and two new habitat types: 32A0 Tufa cascades of karstic rivers and 6540 sub-Mediterranean

grasslands of the Molinio-Hordeion secalini. Typical examples of the former can be found in the Plitvice Lakes, which is a World Heritage Site. Altogether, around a quarter of the species (240 species of which 223 are on Annex II) and a third of the habitat types (74 habitat types) listed in the Habitats Directive are present in Croatia.

Preparing for Natura 2000As elsewhere Natura 2000 sites will need to be designated for their conservation. To prepare the ground for this, the Croatian government adopted, already back in 2003, a Nature Protection Act to establish a nationally and internationally important ecological network of conservation sites across the country (as a precursor to Natura 2000) and to introduce a legal mechanism for carrying out nature impact assessments in line with the Appropriate Assessment procedure under Article 6.3 of the Habitats Directive. At the same time, the State Institute for Nature Protection (SINP) who is responsible for the technical preparation of the national ecological network applied for LIFe III co-funding to help research and inventory sites for inclusion in the network. The resulting CRo-NeN project focused in particular on identifying sites of importance for species and habitat types

protected under the Birds and Habitats Directives. The Croatian government also invested significant resources from its State Budget to carry out the inventory and mapping work, resulting in detailed habitat maps (scale 1:100 000) which were prepared using a combination of satellite images and extensive field work. By 2007, the national ecological network was ready to be officially adopted. This was to form the legal basis for selecting Natura 2000 sites in anticipation of Croatias forthcoming accession to the eU. The first draft of the Croatian Natura 2000 network was launched for public consultation in 2009, with the help of a major PHARe funded project, which, amongst others, initiated a nationwide information campaign to raise awareness of Natura 2000 and to ensure full public consultation on

the proposed sites. Some 19 regional meetings and national workshops were held across the country for over 1000 stakeholders and regional local authorities during this time. The final list of Natura 2000 sites is currently being adopted by the government following a further period of public consultation which ended on 5 June 2013. After that it will be sent to the european Commission together with the Standard Data forms and maps. It is expected that the final list will contain over 700 pSCIs (of which 174 sites are caves) and 38 SPAs. Altogether, they are likely to cover over a third of the country and around a sixth of the territorial sea, putting Croatia at the top of the league table along with Slovenia and Bulgaria in terms of percentage of the territory included in Natura 2000.

4 Shutterstock

M

arin Topi

The olm or cave salamander Proteus anguinus, is a rare amphibian with an unusual appearance, shaped by several million years of living in dark, subterranean caves. It has a pink hue due to blood capillaries being near the skin, and because of its translucency the contours of the internal organs are clearly visible. Listed in annex II of the Habitats Directive, it is found only in caves in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, France, Italyand Slovenia.

Kopacki Rit hosts 3% of the EU population of white-tailed sea eagles. Croatia is a key wintering ground for the loggerhead turtle.

D. M

ladenovic-www.slovenia.info


Working with other policy sectorsThe PHARe project also launched a series of workshops targeting different sectors and stakeholder groups to explain the implications of Natura 2000 for their activities and to promote their interest and cooperation in the long term conservation and management of the sites. This has since led to a more systematic cooperation with a number of sectors (especially with the water management and forestry sectors) and the greater consideration of Natura 2000 needs into different policy

programmes and rules. For instance, a number of agri-environmental measures under Croatias Rural Development programme have been introduced to help support high nature value farmland areas within Natura 2000. The county physical planning institutions have also received regular training and information sessions on the Article 6.3 Appropriate Assessment. SINP, together with the Ministry of environmental and Nature Protection are also starting to work on developing a Prioritised Action Framework for

the funding of Natura 2000 in consultation with other sectors in order to have this ready before the start of the next eU Multi-annual Financial Framework (20142020). This should further help the integration of Natura 2000 needs into the relevant eU operational programmes.

Next stepsMuch has been done to pave the way for the smooth application of the Birds and Habitats

Directive in Croatia as of 1 July. This is not to say that all issues are resolved; there is still a number of concerns over the potential implications of Natura 2000 for different sectors and stakeholders. A Natura 2000 dialogue is underway however to continue to demystify Natura 2000 and find practical solutions for the long term management of the sites in close cooperation with stakeholders. The signs so far are very encouraging.

Shutterstock

iStock

Shutterstock

Shutterstock

For more info: State Institute for Nature Protection, Zagreb http://www.dzzp.hr/eng/ecological-networks/national-ecological-network/national-ecological-network-339.html

Clockwise from top: Velebit mountain, Loinj Island, cove along Adriatic Sea, Waterfalls at Plitvice. All are areas likely to be included in the Natura 2000 network.

6 natureandb iod ivers i tynewsletter | Ju ly 201366 natureandb iod ivers i tynewsletter | Ju ly 2013

Large carnivores in Europeeurope is home to five species of large carnivores: the wolf Canis lupus, brown bear Ursus arctos, wolverine Gulo gulo, the eurasian lynx Lynx lynx and the Iberian lynx Lynx pardinus. All have suffered major declines over the last two centuries, due to a combination of persecution and extensive habitat loss and fragmentation. Today, it is estimated that these five species are restricted to just 30 core populations in the eU. Some are very small and are struggling to survive, like the bear and wolf populations in the Apennines or the Iberian lynx in southern Spain. others are doing rather better, roaming across large remote areas like the Carpathians and the Alps or where there is continuous

Resolving conflicts: the eU Large Carnivore Initiative

forest cover. Many of these larger populations are also transboundary, moving more or less freely between neighbouring countries. Thanks to their increased protection, inter alia through the Habitats Directive, large carnivore populations within the eU are now generally stable. Some species are even returning to parts of europe after absences of tens or even hundreds of years.

Conflicts The conservation and sustainable management of large carnivores, however, remains a contentious issue, and one that provokes strong reactions and emotions, both for and against the species, especially when it comes to wolves and bears. Many of the on-going conflicts are linked to

the fact that they can cause economic damage, through for instance the killing of livestock, the destruction of beehives and other property. These conflicts tend to be especially acute in newly re-colonised areas where humans are no longer accustomed to their presence. But there is also a more intangible element to the conflict, which is rooted not so much in fear but rather in value choices and competing demands for land use (agriculture and livestock rearing, transport infrastructure, forestry, hunting, recreation etc). For many, large carnivores reflect the wider problems associated with maintaining rural lifestyles and traditional practices, as well as the changing relationship between people and nature.

Many of the bear populations in the EU have stabilised thanks to increased protection.

Staff

an Widstrand / naturepl.com

The EU is preparing EU-level Species Action Plans for its large carnivore species, including the Eurasian lynx.

Chris o

Reilly/naturepl.com


The EU Large Carnivore InitiativeThe eU has a particular role to play in protecting and managing europes large carnivores since their favourable conservation status can only be effectively achieved through strong cooperation between countries, a population level management approach and widespread dialogue with stakeholders. That is why, last year, DG environment decided to launch a new Large Carnivore Initiative. The aim is to encourage an active dialogue with all relevant stakeholders and explore ways to promote the continued co-existence of humans and large carnivores in the eU. The process builds on the results of earlier initiatives, like the 2008 Commission guidance on population-level management of large carnivores and the work of the Large Carnivore Initiative for europe. The positive experiences from LIFe projects and the eUs 2004 Sustainable Hunting Initiative will be also fully utilized. As a first step, a Workshop was convened by DG environment in Brussels on 25 January 2013

to bring together more than 80 stakeholders from a wide range of backgrounds and interests (livestock and reindeer herders, hunters, landowners, environmentalists, conservation biologists, animal welfare groups, policy makers, administrators and journalists). The main part of the workshop was dedicated to small group discussions in which a mix of stakeholders were asked to discuss three key topics: their visions for the future of rural landscapes; their views on the main obstacles to achieving this vision; and the potential ways of overcoming these obstacles. This method of visioning is known to help generate ideas and define where the stakeholders main interests lie. A number of background studies and discussion documents had been prepared to further aid these discussions. DG environment is now following up on the workshop findings in a number of ways. The first involves the preparation of four eU-level Species Action Plans for brown bear, lynx, wolf and wolverine, which should take full account of the social

and economic dimensions of large carnivore conservation and the particular aspects of each population. Drafts of these plans will be discussed at a further stakeholder workshop in December 2013. Additionally, four pilot initiatives will be carried out to test various conflict resolution mechanisms in different large carnivore populations. These pilot actions aim to engage relevant stakeholders and undertake targeted actions to address

real life conflicts in specific contexts. Finally, communication activities will be stepped up and will include a media campaign to draw attention to the fate of large carnivores in the eU and to ensure a balanced presentation of the debate in the national and european press.

To find out more go to:http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/conservation/species/carnivores/index_en.htm

There is a need to re-examine the relationship between humans and large carnivores in the EU.

Philippe Clem

ent/naturepl.com

LIFE projects supporting large carnivoresSince 1992, the EU LIFE fund has supported 76 large carnivore projects across the EU (focusing principally on bears, wolves and Eurasian lynx), contributing more than 54 million to their conservation. Many of the projects have focused on finding ways to minimise and avoid conflicts between large carnivores and humans. A new LIFE brochure highlights the range of conservation activities undertaken, including on conflict resolution, and draws lessons from these as well as good practice ideas which could be further promoted. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/index.htm

orietta G

aspari - 2012 / iStock


Member States

NATURA 2000 SITES SPAS + SCIS TERRESTRIAL MARINE

Member StatesTotal N

Natura sitesTotal area in Natura (km)

% land area covered by

NaturaTotal area SCI

(km) N SCIsTotal area SPA (km) N SPAs

Total area

(km)

Total N Natura sites

on landTotal area SCI (km) N SCIs

Total area SPA (km) N SPAs

Total area Marine Natura

2000 (km)

Total N Marine Natura sites

BELGI/BELGIQUE 458 5 153.95 12.75% 3 067.07 278 2 968.68 231 3 890.83 453 1 123.60 3 312.00 4 1 262.91 7 BELGIUMBULGARIA 336 39 056.31 34.34% 33 259.91 230 25 097.41 118 38 083.59 335 582.56 13 507.86 11 925.81 23 BULGARIA

ESK REPUBLIKA 1 116 11 061.54 14.03% 7 855.97 1 075 7 034.43 41 11 061.54 1 116 0 0 0 0 0 0 CZECH REPUBLICDANMARK 350 22 646.40 8.43% 3 211.81 234 2 633.84 111 3 652.11 322 16 455.70 86 12 150.10 52 19 011.67 130 DENMARK

DEUTSCHLAND 5 264 80 753.10 15.47% 33 575.00 4 603 40 295.41 737 55 243.81 5 248 20 845.37 58 19 641.34 24 25 508.68 79 GERMANYEESTI 568 14 832.28 17.82% 7 651.82 536 6 138.04 65 8 061.10 562 3 897.94 43 6 498.96 26 6 770.78 50 ESTONIA

IRE/IRELAND 587 16 095.65 13.17% 7 186.12 419 4 334.09 157 9 258.66 571 6 347.11 126 1 534.69 86 6 828.03 211 IRELAND ELLDA 419 42 947.05 27.29% 21 615.80 241 27 840.14 202 36 009.68 419 6 439.05 93 1 673.42 54 6 908.11 137 GREECEESPAA 1 805 147 918.44 27.27% 117 260.92 1 438 100 705.71 591 137 663.64 1 790 10 027.43 178 2 596.74 68 10 193.20 211 SPAINFRANCE 1 754 110 699.51 12.56% 46 692.29 1 357 43 375.40 378 68 957.88 1 735 27 941.06 134 35 331.42 77 41 736.42 211 FRANCEITALIA 2 576 63 725.47 19.03% 43 012.07 2 257 40 225.83 609 57 357.33 2 534 5 238.46 246 3 756.94 69 6 308.12 282 ITALY

KPROS* 61 1 759.75 28.37% 750.85 39 1 481.70 29 1 627.37 60 132.27 7 111.21 5 132.34 9 CYPRUS*LATVIJA 324 9 168.48 11.52% 7 403.20 317 6 598.99 94 7 442.00 324 1 752.21 7 1 706.65 5 1 725.21 7 LATVIALIETUVA 488 8 564.12 12.07% 6 128.95 405 5 476.56 82 7 883.19 488 533.69 4 426.80 4 680.86 8 LITHUANIA

LUXEMBOURG 60 469.45 18.08% 413.64 49 141.57 13 469.45 60 0 0 0 0 0 0 LUXEMBOURGMAGYARORSZG 525 19 949.74 21.44% 14 443.70 479 13 745.73 56 19 949.74 525 0 0 0 0 0 0 HUNGARY

MALTA 39 233.72 13.35% 41.51 30 15.84 12 42.18 37 190.79 12 0.64 7 191.16 17 MALTANEDERLAND 203 17 384.12 13.82% 3 177.67 139 4 856.90 74 5 739.00 200 11 644.35 11 5 584.73 7 11 644.46 14 THE NETHERLANDSSTERREICH 218 12 546.18 14.96% 8 990.04 169 10 108.43 97 12 546.18 218 0 0 0 0 0 0 AUSTRIA

POLSKA 983 68 458.54 19.58% 33 827.34 844 48 534.63 144 61 210.34 982 4 347.94 9 7 236.68 9 7 248.19 17 POLANDPORTUGAL 149 21 628.01 20.89% 15 584.43 92 9 405.89 56 19 217.38 143 965.42 34 2 077.73 19 2 407.80 51 PORTUGALROMNIA 531 55 675.46 22.63% 39 924.54 382 35 505.50 148 53 941.51 530 1 530.64 8 1 459.10 1 1 720.82 9 ROMANIA

SLOVENIJA 286 7 203.44 35.52% 6 397.44 260 4 615.65 26 7 200.34 286 0.26 7 2.85 1 3.09 8 SLOVENIASLOVENSKO 514 14 448.26 29.58% 5 838.14 473 13 110.51 41 14 448.26 514 0 0 0 0 0 0 SLOVAKIA

SUOMI 1 839 55 986.24 14.42% 48 479.53 1 682 24 571.87 465 48 760.65 1 823 6 874.73 141 6 509.05 91 7 224.64 168 FINLANDSVERIGE 4 071 66 724.48 13.86% 57 006.80 3 938 25 421.31 528 57 509.49 4 024 9 137.79 406 4 650.95 129 9 210.55 444 SWEDEN

UNITED KINGDOM 920 94 840.59 8.55% 13 103.76 627 15 625.49 267 20 934.78 894 66 947.66 143 11 492.43 125 73 893.59 267 UNITED KINGDOM

EU27 26 444 1 009 930.28 17.90% 585 900.32 22 593 519 865.56 5 372 768 141.98 26 193 202 929.03 1 769 125 262.30 874 241 536.42 2 360 EU27

TheNaturaBarometer is managed by DG eNV with the technical assistance of the european environment Agency and is based on information offi cially transmitted by Member States until october 2012. Many sites have been designated according to both Nature Directives, either in their entirety or partially. The fi gures relating to the number of Natura 2000 sites (i.e. SPAs + SCIs) and their area coverage have been obtained by GIS analysis in order to eliminate possible overlaps between Birds Directive sites and Habitats Directive sites.

The methodology used for these calculations has recently been refi ned, which explains why many of the fi gures are slightly diff erent from the previous Barometer updates.

NB Sites having a terrestrial component covering more than 5% of their total area were counted as terrestrial sites.

Sites having a marine component covering more than 5% of their total area were counted as marine sites.

* The area and % of territory corresponds to the area of Cyprus where the Community acquis applies at present, according to protocol 10 of the Accession Treaty of Cyprus.

barometer

Distribution of Natura 2000 sites across EU-27, based on data submitted by Member States up to October 2011

Natura 2000 sites


update2013

Member States

NATURA 2000 SITES SPAS + SCIS TERRESTRIAL MARINE

Member StatesTotal N

Natura sitesTotal area in Natura (km)

% land area covered by

NaturaTotal area SCI

(km) N SCIsTotal area SPA (km) N SPAs

Total area Natura 2000

(km)

Total N Natura sites

on landTotal area SCI (km) N SCIs

Total area SPA (km) N SPAs

Total area Marine Natura

2000 (km)

Total N Marine Natura sites

BELGI/BELGIQUE 458 5 153.95 12.75% 3 067.07 278 2 968.68 231 3 890.83 453 1 123.60 3 312.00 4 1 262.91 7 BELGIUMBULGARIA 336 39 056.31 34.34% 33 259.91 230 25 097.41 118 38 083.59 335 582.56 13 507.86 11 925.81 23 BULGARIA

ESK REPUBLIKA 1 116 11 061.54 14.03% 7 855.97 1 075 7 034.43 41 11 061.54 1 116 0 0 0 0 0 0 CZECH REPUBLICDANMARK 350 22 646.40 8.43% 3 211.81 234 2 633.84 111 3 652.11 322 16 455.70 86 12 150.10 52 19 011.67 130 DENMARK

DEUTSCHLAND 5 264 80 753.10 15.47% 33 575.00 4 603 40 295.41 737 55 243.81 5 248 20 845.37 58 19 641.34 24 25 508.68 79 GERMANYEESTI 568 14 832.28 17.82% 7 651.82 536 6 138.04 65 8 061.10 562 3 897.94 43 6 498.96 26 6 770.78 50 ESTONIA

IRE/IRELAND 587 16 095.65 13.17% 7 186.12 419 4 334.09 157 9 258.66 571 6 347.11 126 1 534.69 86 6 828.03 211 IRELAND ELLDA 419 42 947.05 27.29% 21 615.80 241 27 840.14 202 36 009.68 419 6 439.05 93 1 673.42 54 6 908.11 137 GREECEESPAA 1 805 147 918.44 27.27% 117 260.92 1 438 100 705.71 591 137 663.64 1 790 10 027.43 178 2 596.74 68 10 193.20 211 SPAINFRANCE 1 754 110 699.51 12.56% 46 692.29 1 357 43 375.40 378 68 957.88 1 735 27 941.06 134 35 331.42 77 41 736.42 211 FRANCEITALIA 2 576 63 725.47 19.03% 43 012.07 2 257 40 225.83 609 57 357.33 2 534 5 238.46 246 3 756.94 69 6 308.12 282 ITALY

KPROS* 61 1 759.75 28.37% 750.85 39 1 481.70 29 1 627.37 60 132.27 7 111.21 5 132.34 9 CYPRUS*LATVIJA 324 9 168.48 11.52% 7 403.20 317 6 598.99 94 7 442.00 324 1 752.21 7 1 706.65 5 1 725.21 7 LATVIALIETUVA 488 8 564.12 12.07% 6 128.95 405 5 476.56 82 7 883.19 488 533.69 4 426.80 4 680.86 8 LITHUANIA

LUXEMBOURG 60 469.45 18.08% 413.64 49 141.57 13 469.45 60 0 0 0 0 0 0 LUXEMBOURGMAGYARORSZG 525 19 949.74 21.44% 14 443.70 479 13 745.73 56 19 949.74 525 0 0 0 0 0 0 HUNGARY

MALTA 39 233.72 13.35% 41.51 30 15.84 12 42.18 37 190.79 12 0.64 7 191.16 17 MALTANEDERLAND 203 17 384.12 13.82% 3 177.67 139 4 856.90 74 5 739.00 200 11 644.35 11 5 584.73 7 11 644.46 14 THE NETHERLANDSSTERREICH 218 12 546.18 14.96% 8 990.04 169 10 108.43 97 12 546.18 218 0 0 0 0 0 0 AUSTRIA

POLSKA 983 68 458.54 19.58% 33 827.34 844 48 534.63 144 61 210.34 982 4 347.94 9 7 236.68 9 7 248.19 17 POLANDPORTUGAL 149 21 628.01 20.89% 15 584.43 92 9 405.89 56 19 217.38 143 965.42 34 2 077.73 19 2 407.80 51 PORTUGALROMNIA 531 55 675.46 22.63% 39 924.54 382 35 505.50 148 53 941.51 530 1 530.64 8 1 459.10 1 1 720.82 9 ROMANIA

SLOVENIJA 286 7 203.44 35.52% 6 397.44 260 4 615.65 26 7 200.34 286 0.26 7 2.85 1 3.09 8 SLOVENIASLOVENSKO 514 14 448.26 29.58% 5 838.14 473 13 110.51 41 14 448.26 514 0 0 0 0 0 0 SLOVAKIA

SUOMI 1 839 55 986.24 14.42% 48 479.53 1 682 24 571.87 465 48 760.65 1 823 6 874.73 141 6 509.05 91 7 224.64 168 FINLANDSVERIGE 4 071 66 724.48 13.86% 57 006.80 3 938 25 421.31 528 57 509.49 4 024 9 137.79 406 4 650.95 129 9 210.55 444 SWEDEN

UNITED KINGDOM 920 94 840.59 8.55% 13 103.76 627 15 625.49 267 20 934.78 894 66 947.66 143 11 492.43 125 73 893.59 267 UNITED KINGDOM

EU27 26 444 1 009 930.28 17.90% 585 900.32 22 593 519 865.56 5 372 768 141.98 26 193 202 929.03 1 769 125 262.30 874 241 536.42 2 360 EU27

* The area and % of territory corresponds to the area of Cyprus where the Community acquis applies at present, according to protocol 10 of the Accession Treaty of Cyprus.

Shutterstock

Su ciency of the European Natura 2000 NetworkFor Sites of Community Interest under the Habitats Directive (SCIs), the Commission, with assistance from the eTC-BD, evaluates the completeness of the network by individually assessing, for any relevant species and habitat type, whether its occurrence is suffi ciently well covered by the existing sites. According to the results of this assessment, which are updated once a year, the level of completeness of Natura 2000 can be expressed as the percentage of species and habitats assessments per member state indicating that the network is complete. The graph indicates the result of this evaluation, for the terrestrial part of Natura 2000:

SR (scientifi c reserve): additional research needed to identify the best sites; IN MAJ (major insuffi ciency): none of the sites where that species/habitat

type occurs have been proposed so far; IN MOD (moderate insuffi ciency): additional sites still need to be proposed

or existing sites be extended for that species/habitat type; IN MIN (minor insuffi ciency): suffi ciency could be achieved by adding the

species/habitat type as a qualifying feature to existing sites; SUF(suffi cient): the network is suffi cient for that species/habitat type.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

CY SI SK LT PL CZ IT PT AT LV RO DE MT FI GR EE FR ES BG UK SE BE DK HU IE LU NL

SR

IN MAJ

IN MOD

IN MIN

SUF

Note that the graph only covers the terrestrial part of the SCI network, i.e. marine species and habitat types are not taken into account. (Situation: December 2012)


Green Infrastructure encourages a more integrated and multifunctional land use.

natureandb iod ivers i tynewsletter | Ju ly 2013

Green Infrastructure europes natural capitalenhancing


on the 5 May 2013, the european Commission published a new Strategy to promote the use of Green Infrastructure across europe. This article outlines the key elements of the Strategy. Green Infrastructure (GI) is a tried and tested tool for generating ecological, economic and social benefits for society by

working with nature, rather than against it. This, in turn, encourages a more integrated and multifunctional land use and development policy which makes best use of nature-based development solutions, where appropriate. Compared to single-purpose, grey infrastructure, GI has many advantages: it can provide a cheaper, more adapted

alternative to man-made constructions, for instance in relation to climate regulation or flood prevention. It also helps society to better appreciate and value the multiple benefits that nature generates in terms of ecosystem services. Unfortunately, most of these services are still all too often

treated as free commodities and used as if their supply is limitless, which is why much of europes natural capital continues to be degraded. The eU has already lost many healthy ecosystems and what remains is now highly fragmented due to urban sprawl, infrastructure developments and changing land uses. every year, more than 1000 km2

is subjected to land-take for housing, industry, roads or recreation.

The need for an EU framework to promote Green InfrastructureThe new eU-wide GI Strategy, published in May, aims to create a robust enabling framework in

order to promote and facilitate GI projects within existing legal, policy and financial instruments. It rests on four main pillars:

1. Promoting Green Infrastructure in the main EU policy areasRecognising that GI can make a significant contribution to the eUs main policy areas, especially as regards regional

Shutterstock


and rural development, climate change, disaster risk management, agriculture/forestry and the environment, the new Strategy calls for Green Infrastructure to be fully integrated into these policies, and to become a standard part

of spatial planning and territorial development. To help achieve this, the Commission intends to publish guidelines to show how Green Infrastructure can be better integrated into these policies and their associated funding

What is the relationship between GI and Natura 2000?

The Natura 2000 Network, with its 26,000 sites across the eU, forms the backbone of europes Green Infrastructure. Although established mainly to conserve and protect key species and habitats, Natura 2000 also delivers many ecosystem services to human society, the value of which has been estimated at E200300 billion per annum.

Natura 2000 sites are therefore an important reservoir of biodiversity and healthy ecosystems that can be drawn upon to repopulate and revitalise degraded environments and catalyse the development of GI. This will also help reduce the fragmentation of the ecosystem, improving the connectivity between sites in the Natura 2000 network and thus achieving the objectives of Article 10 of the Habitats Directive.

mechanisms (e.g. Common Agricultural Policy, the Cohesion Fund, and the european Regional Development Fund). The guidelines will be ready for the end of 2013 so that they can be used by Member States in the development of their new operational programmes under the forthcoming Multi-annual Financial Framework (20142020). The Commission will also take steps to increase awareness of GI among key stakeholder groups and promote best practice, including developing a dedicated IT platform for exchanging information.

2. Improving information and promoting innovationIn order to be able to deploy GI in an effective manner, reliable

information is needed about the extent and condition of ecosystems and the services they provide so that these are correctly valued and priced. While it is clear that most decisions regarding the implementation of GI projects will be taken at local, national and regional levels, a minimum level of consistency is needed in relation to the data used to inform these decisions, particularly for projects supported by eU funds. An important element of the new eU Strategy is therefore focused on improving knowledge on GI. The Commission will, for instance, assess the need and opportunities, in the context of Horizon 2020, to methodologically support the ongoing GI mapping and

What is GI? The Commission uses the following working definition in its new Communication: Green Infrastructure: a strategically planned network of natural and semi-natural areas with other environmental features designed and managed to deliver a wide range of ecosystem services. It incorporates green spaces (or blue if aquatic ecosystems are concerned) and other physical features in terrestrial (including coastal) and marine areas. On land, GI is present in rural and urban settings.

For more background on what Green Infrastructure is see Issue 27.

Nick U

pton/naturepl.com


assessment work, improve the knowledge base and develop and encourage innovative technologies and approaches to facilitating the development of GI. The Commission is also assisting Member States in the mapping and assessment of europes ecosystems and the services they provides. This should also help prioritise action for Green Infrastructure initiatives. By 2015, it will review the extent and quality of the technical and spatial data available for decision-makers in relation to GI deployment. The review will also look at how the

current arrangements governing the generation, analysis and dissemination of this information could be improved, in particular through better use of information-sharing facilities.

3. Improving access to financeIn addition to ensuring a better use of the eUs main funding instruments for implementing GI projects, the new Strategy also wants to encourage the private sector to participate as they too have an important role to play in investing in GI. It is recognized however that GI projects can sometimes be risky for the private sector, in

AlpineCarpathianCorridor(Austria,Slovakia)

This project aims to create and preserve a coherent 120 km ecological corridor from the Alps to the Carpathians in response to the increasing fragmentation caused by agricultural intensification, the rapid expansion of built-up areas and expanding transport infrastructure. The main objectives are to create a coherent Green Infrastructure within this corridor which supports the restoration and wise use of the remaining ecosystems present and enables wild animal populations to move more freely and interact with each other.

This it aims to achieve by not only improving the connectivity between the various Natura 2000 sites present in this corridor but also by enhancing the overall landscape permeability to make it more wildlife friendly.

Within the framework of an eU funded cross-border and cross-sectoral project between Austria and Slovakia, various practical measures are being undertaken such as improving the traffic network by building green bridges over highways at key points/bottlenecks and creating suitable habitat patches or stepping stones within the corridor. Public awareness campaigns and environmental education for schools within the region are also part of the project.

particular in the early stages of development. It is important therefore to try to reduce this risk through financial instruments (such as risk-sharing practices) and multi-partner deals involving public and private funds. Potential investors (municipality, region, private developers) also need technical assistance to develop GI projects. In this respect, the Commission, together with the european Investment Bank (eIB), intends to set up an eU financing facility by 2014 to support biodiversity-related investments, including GI

projects, and assist those seeking to develop such projects which are characterised by a high mid- to long-term return.

4. Supporting EU-level GI projectsThe final pillar of the new GI Strategy looks at the possibility of developing a trans-european Green Infrastructure (TeN-G) initiative similar to that already in place for large-scale eU transport (TeN-T) and energy (TeN-e) networks. Many ecosystems, for instance in mountain ranges (the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Carpathians), along river basins

Shutterstock

Mountain ranges are an important part of Europe's Green Infrastructure.

http://www.alpenkarpatenkorridor.at

13 natureandb iod ivers i tynewsletter | Ju ly 2013 13

Using plants instead of air conditioning and saving money Lower humidity in urban areas due to the absence of vegetation and the increased absorption of energy from the sun caused by dark asphalted or concrete surfaces are the main reasons inner city areas are often many degrees warmer than their surroundings. This phenomenon, known as the urban heat island effect, can have serious consequences for vulnerable people, such as those who are chronically ill or the elderly, particularly during heat waves.

The moist air generated for free by natural vegetation helps to counter this phenomenon. Moist air could also be artificially recreated using electricity to evaporate water, but this would cost around 500,000 per hectare. Working with nature and using GI in an urban environment, for example by incorporating biodiversity-rich parks, green spaces and fresh air corridors, can be a much cheaper and more versatile option to help mitigate the urban heat island effect. It can also help to absorb Co2 emissions, improve air quality and reduce rainfall runoff.

(the Rhine, the Danube) and in forests, extend beyond national boundaries and are part of the eUs shared natural and cultural heritage and identity. They too would benefit considerably from coordinated, joined-up actions and a pan-european vision. Developing an instrument for a trans-european Green Infrastructure in europe (TeN-G) would not only have significant benefits for securing the resilience and vitality of some of europes most iconic and valuable ecosystems but could also act as an important flagship for promoting GI at national, regional and local

levels and boosting the importance of GI in policy, planning and financing decisions. In this respect, the Commission will carry out a study by 2015, to assess the opportunities for developing an eU TeN-G initiative. It will include an assessment of the costs and the economic, social and environmental benefits of such an initiative.

For more information on the EU Strategy and Green Infrastructure go to: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/ecosystems/index_en.htm

Vittel watershed protection programme (France)

Since 1993, the mineral water bottler Vittel has conducted a Payment for ecosystem Services (PeS) programme in its 5100 ha catchment area at the foot of the Vosges Mountains, in order to maintain aquifer water quality to its highest standard. The programme pays all 27 farmers in the watershed of the Grande Source to adopt best practices in dairy farming... The programme is fairly complex in design, combining conditional cash payments with technical assistance, reimbursement of incremental agricultural labour costs, and even arrangements to take over lands and provide usufruct rights of the farmland to the farmers.

Contracts are long-term (1830 years), payments are differentiated according to opportunity costs on a farm-by-farm basis, and both land use and water quality are closely monitored over time. Through carefully researched baselines, an improvement of the service vis--vis the declining ecosystem baseline is well-documented, and the high service value clearly makes the investments profitable.

The Vittel example illustrates the advantages of involving private sectors and stakeholders who benefit from ecosystem services in the financing and implementation of GI projects.

Green Infrastructure helps to improve the general ecological quality and permeability of the landscape to wildlife.

Nick U

pton/naturepl.com Shutterstock

Shutterstock


NeWS PUBLICATIoNS eVeNTS

Further progress on the biogeographical seminarsThe second in the series of biogeographical seminars was held in Bergen (The Netherlands) last December. It brought together over 80 key experts, authorities and stakeholders to discuss common issues relating to the management of Natura 2000 habitats in the Atlantic Region. The process was led by the Netherlands with support from the other nine Member States in the region, as well as the eeA, the european Topic Centre for Biological Diversity and the Commission. Discussions focused on four main habitat groups coastal, dunes and estuaries; grasslands; heaths and bogs; rivers and lakes and led to the development of a checklist of actions to address the key management issues identified during the seminar. Details can be found in the Atlantic Seminar Report, available on the new Communication Platform (see next item). The next seminar, led by Austria, is planned for 2526 November 2013 and will focus on the Alpine Region. See issue 32 for an overview of the new biogeographical process.

New Communication Platform on Working together in Natura 2000In June, the Commission launched a new on-line communication platform to further support the biogeographical process and encourage site managers, policy makers, NGos, land managers and others to exchange information and experiences on the management of Natura 2000 sites. The website is divided into three main sections. The first, called knowledge base, provides key information on the status and management of eU protected habitat types and species selected as a priority for cooperation under the new biogeographical process. The second section deals with networking and cooperation and contains a number of search functions for identifying key contacts and events related to Natura 2000 management in the eU. It also provides a facilitated online forum where people can exchange ideas and information on issues related to the management of Natura 2000 habitats and species. The final section Actions and results provides information on

the workshops and seminars that have been held, or are foreseen, under the biogeographical process, as well as on all actions agreed to date. Regular updates are also given of progress made in implementing these actions, together with any new outputs from these. Go to: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/seminars_en.htm

Progress on PAFs The Prioritised Action Frameworks (PAFs) under Article 8 of the Habitats Directive are designed to help Member States and their regions better define their funding needs and priorities for Natura 2000, and so facilitate the integration of these needs into the forthcoming operational Programmes for the eUs main financial instruments over the next budget period (20142020). By June this year the majority of Member States had submitted their PAFs to the Commission. The latter is now analysing these documents to get a better understanding of the Member States conservation priorities and intentions with regard to the use of different financing sources and to ensure that the level of detail provided is sufficient to be

of use for the operational programmes. DG environment, who is coordinating the development of PAFs, is also involving other relevant DGs in this exercise, inviting them to use the PAFs during discussions with the Member States over their strategic programming documents (partnership agreements and operational programmes) for the new programming period. It is hoped this will help to secure sufficient financial allocations to nature protection from regional, cohesion, marine and rural development funds. Ultimately, however, it is up to the Member States themselves to ensure that the specific conservation measures and priorities they have identified are fully integrated into their own operational programmes at a national or regional level.

Second stakeholder workshop on forests and Natura 2000Last year, the Commission launched a new dialogue on Natura 2000 and forests. The aim is to encourage greater communication and cooperation between the forest and

Shutterstock

Mudflats at low tide, The Netherlands, one of the habitats discussed during the Atlantic Seminar.


Midwife toad Alytes obstetricans, the other for the Danube clouded yellow butterfly Colias myrmidone. This year, a third plan has been published for the european ground squirrel Spermophilous citellus. The plans are the result of extensive consultations with scientists and practitioners across europe and are based on best available expertise. Although not legally binding, each plan offers a wealth of up-to-date information on the status, ecology, threats and current conservation measures for the species in question and lists the key actions that are required to improve their conservation status. Work has also begun on developing a pilot multi-species Action Plan for all 44 bat species listed in the Habitats Directive. This will be done in close collaboration with eURoBATS (the secretariat of the UNeP agreement on the conservation of populations of european bats) and an expert group of national experts appointed by the Member States. Go to: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/conservation/species/guidance/index_en.htm

Estimating the economic value of Natura 2000As outlined in the July 2012 edition of this newsletter, DG environment has carried out a series of studies to help identify, evaluate and demonstrate the

15

conservation communities. on 23 May, DG eNV, together with DG AGRI, hosted a second stakeholder workshop to continue to explore how sustainable forest management and Natura 2000 conservation management can best go hand in hand, using good practice examples from across the eU as a source of inspiration. Based on these discussions, the Commission will now begin drafting a guidance document on the practical implementation of the eU Birds and Habitats Directives in relation to forests and other wooded land. To follow progress and see the workshop presentations go to EC public CIRCABC site: https://circabc.europa.eu/w/browse/f02c8ace-67e8-4fed-99e4-1825837d65ca

Valuing ecosystem services A coherent analytical framework for the mapping and assessment of ecosystems services called MAeS has been published in the context of action 5 of the 2020 BAP Strategy. This framework proposes a typology of ecosystems to be assessed and mapped and the use of the Common International Classification of ecosystem Services (CICeS) developed for environmental accounting purposes. The multi-faceted role of biodiversity to support the delivery of ecosystem services is a central component of the eU

framework that is being profiled at international level in the context of the ongoing discussion on the conceptual framework for global assessments of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and ecosystem Services (IPBeS). As part of the framework, the Commission recently completed a study on approaches to assess and value ecosystem services in the eU in the context of TeeB. The new study takes stock of existing national and international initiatives related to The economics of ecosystems and Biodiversity (TeeB) and proposes a framework for valuation of ecosystems services. It offers a range of choices and describes the strengths and weaknesses of each option, in order to allow Member States to choose the information and methods that are of highest relevance to them. MAES Analytical Framework is available on: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/knowledge/ecosystem_assessment/pdf/MAESWorkingPaper2013.pdf Valuation report link is available on: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/biodiversity/economics/index_en.htm New EU Species Action Plans In 2009 the Commission began developing eU Species Action Plans for selected species listed in the Habitats Directive. The first two plans were published in 2012: one for the common

economic benefits of Natura 2000. The first of these studies offered a broad-brush assessment of what that value could be and put the figure in the region of 200300 billion per year for the entire network. This study is now available as a Commission publication and is accompanied by a six-page fact sheet. Both are available on the DG eNV nature home page:Go to: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/financing/index_en.htm

The impacts of invasive alien species in Europe In December 2012, the eeA published a new report to raise awareness among key stakeholders, decision-makers, policymakers and the general public about the environmental and socio-economic impacts of IAS. Twenty-eight dedicated species accounts are provided to highlight the various types of impacts. These species accounts are based on thorough, up-to-date scientific information from recent research and studies, and highlight the multifaceted impacts of IAS at both the global and regional levels. Go to: http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/impacts-of-invasive-alien-species

15

Promoting sustainable forestry in Natura 2000.

M

ark Ham

blin/2020VISIoN/naturepl.com

Lesser horseshoe bat Rhinolophus hipposideros, to be included in an EU Species Action Plan.

Francois Schw

aab

Environment

The Economic Benefits of Natura 2000

Factsheet

For further information:DG Env Natura 2000 webpage: Financing http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/financing/index_en.htmCommission Staff Working Paper: Financing Natura 2000. Investing in Natura 2000: delivering benefits for nature and people, Dec 12, 2011

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/financing/docs/financing_natura2000.pdf

Studies and brochure (all available from the above Natura 2000 financing website): The Economic benefits of the Natura 2000 Network (Synthesis report)Investing in Natura 2000: for nature and people brochureEstimating the overall economic value of the benefits provided by the Natura 2000 Network & Annexes Estimating the economic value of the benefits provided by the tourism/recreation and employment supported by

Natura 2000Recognising Natura 2000 benefits and demonstrating the economic benefits of conservation measures: successful

and innovative approaches to financing Natura 2000 needs Assessing Socio-economic benefits of Natura 2000 sites a toolkit The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) (available from http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/

biodiversity/economics/index_en.htm

European Union, (2013) Reproduction of content other than photographs is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. Photos: Cover, p3, p4, p5 top and middle: iStockphoto.com; p2 thinkstockphotos.co.uk; p5 bottom, p6: naturepl.com

Estimating the economic value of different types of ecosystem servicesTOURISM: Natura 2000 is already proving to be an important motor of many local economies by attracting tourists, whose spending supports local economies

It is estimated that the expenditure supported by visitors to Natura 2000 sites is around 5085 billion/year (in 2006). Ifonlytheexpenditureofthosevisitorswhohaveaffinity forNatura2000designation (as opposed tonatural areas ingeneral)isconsidered,therangebecomes920billion/yearin2006,generatedbyaround350millionvisitordays.

The total expenditure provided by tourismand recreation supports between4.5and8millionFullTimeEmployment(FTE)jobs.The benefits generated by the visitors with affinity to Natura 2000 would support from 800,000 to 2 million FTE jobs.Thiscomparestoatotalofabout13millionFTEjobsinthetourismsectorwithin theEU27 (in2008). Furthermore,protectedareascanprovideadditionalbenefitstothelocalandregionaleconomy,byattractinginwardinvestmentandenhancinglocalimageandqualityoflife.

WATER: Money can be saved through working with natural capital, saving water purification and provisioning costs

Waterpurificationandprovisionareimportantecosystemservicesthatareprovidedbynaturalecosystems,includingprotectedareassuchasNatura2000.Anumberof major European cities, including Munich, Berlin, Vienna, Oslo, Madrid, Sofia,Rome, andBarcelona all benefit fromnatural filtration in differentways. Thesemunicipalitiessavemoneyonwatertreatmentduetonaturaltreatmentfromtheecosystems.Thesavingscanbepassedontoconsumers,resultinginlowerutilitycostsforEUresidents.

InformationfromthefourEuropeancitiesofBerlin,Vienna,OsloandMunichallowsanillustrationofthebenefitsofprotectedareasforwaterpurificationandprovision.Usingbenefit transfer, it canbeestimated that theannual economic benefits of water purification are between 7 and 16 million and of water provision between 12 and 91 million per city.Theaveragepercapitabenefitsare between 15 and 45 per year for both water purification and provisioncombinedinthefourEuropeancitiesanalysed.Thiscomparestoaveragehouseholdwaterbillsof200peryearinthecaseofGermany.

MARInE PROTEcTEd AREAS: Marine Natura sites, as part of a wider network of connected marine areas, may have positive effects on overexploited fish stocks

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), includingmarine Natura 2000 sites, support arangeofecosystemservices,whichhelpamongstotherstomaintainhealthyfishstocks.Thevalueofbenefitsdeliveredbythemarineareacurrentlyprotectedbythenetwork(equivalentto4.7%oftheEUsmarinearea)isapproximately 1.41.5 billion per year.

Thiswouldincreaseupto3.03.2billionperyearif10%oftheseaareawereprotected,and6.06.5billionperyearforprotectionof20%oftheseaarea.Thisshouldbeseenasaballparkvalue.Obtainingmorerobustresultswouldneedanimprovedunderstandingofhowprotectionwillinfluencehabitats,servicesandoff-sitefisheries,amongstothers.

For more details see the Commission report The economic benefits of the Natura 2000 Network: Synthesis report 2012

iStockphoto

RobertoRinaldi/naturepl.com

Cover:iStockphoto

Comparing costs and benefits of Natura 2000

Theprotectionof all 300Natura2000 sites inScotlandwasestimated tohaveanoverallbenefit-costratioofaroundsevenovera25-yearperiod.Thismeansthatoverallnationalwelfarebenefitsareseventimesgreaterthanthenationalcosts,representinggoodvalueformoney.

AspartofawidereconomicandinstitutionalassessmentofNatura2000inFrance,severalstudieswerecarriedouttodeterminethebenefitsarisingfromNatura2000acrossarangeofsites.AttheNatura2000sitePlainedelaCrau,thenetbenefitswerecalculatedtobearound142ha/year,i.e.aroundseventimeshigherthanthecostsassociatedwiththeNatura2000site.

In2009theFinnishNaturalHeritageServices(Metshallitus)andtheFinnishForestInstitute(Metla)carriedoutanationalassessmentoftheeconomic impactsofnaturetourismandnature-relatedrecreationalactivitieson local economies.According to the study, the total annual revenue linked to visitor spending innational parksamounted to70.1million and supported local employment by creating 893 person-years. In general, it was estimated that 1 of publicinvestmenttoprotectedareasprovided20inreturn.

iStockphoto/thinkstock

NickU

pton/naturepl.com

iStockphoto

Natura 2000: protecting Europe's natural capital for the benefit of nature and poeple.

5 6

16 natureandb iod ivers i tynewsletter | Ju ly 2013KH

-AA-13-001-EN-C

Climate change guideThe Commission guidance document on climate change and Natura 2000 has been fi nalised and is available on: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/climatechange/index_en.htm

Natura 2000 fl agsDG eNV has produced a number of large Natura 2000 fl ags (100 x 150 cm) to raise awareness for Natura 2000. The fl ags have been distributed to all LIFe-nature projects in Natura 2000 sites, and they are also available to all stakeholders who are interested in placing them in a prominent location to draw attention to Natura 2000. Send your requests to: [email protected]

New LIFE publication on managing habitats for birdsPublished in January 2013, this new LIFe brochure provides an overview of the role LIFe projects have played in managing and restoring habitats for europes threatened bird species. In total, more than half (156) of the 303 bird species listed in the annexes of the Birds Directive have been targeted at least once by a LIFe project. The two most targeted species have been the bittern Botaurus stellaris, and corncrake Crex crex, with 61 and 51 projects respectively, followed by the kingfi sher Alcedo atthis and red-backed shrike Lanius collurio. The new publication presents some of the key projects that have been funded over the years. Lessons are also drawn from these, which can be taken forward in the new LIFe programme (20142020).Go to: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/index.htm

40 years Working for Nature EUROPARC 2013 conferenceManagers and conservation experts from national parks, nature parks and other protected areas will meet in october in Hungary for the eURoPARC 2013 conference. Hosted by the

UNeSCo World Natural Heritage site Hortobgy National Park in Hungarys Pannonian region, the conference is dedicated to 40 Years Working for Nature and the achievement of europes protected areas to society over that time. The focus of the four-day conference is on Integrated Protected Area Management and the vast experience of eURoPARC experts will fl ow into this event. Recognising the new generation of eURoPARC s young nature ambassadors, the First eURoPARC Youth Conference will be held in parallel to the main conference.To see press release go to: http://europarc.org/uploaded/documents/1446.pdf

Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio: one of the species to have bene ted most from LIFE projects.

Grzegorz.Lesniew

ski/naturepl.com

TheNatura2000NewsletterisproducedbyDGEnvironment,EuropeanCommission

Author:KerstinSundsethEcosystemsLTD,BrusselsCommissionEditor:SusanneWegefelt,DGEnvironmentDesign:NatureBureau,UK

ThenewsletterisproducedtwiceayearandisavailableinEnglish,French,German,Spanish,ItalianandPolish.

Tobeaddedtothemailinglist,ortodownloadtheelectronicversion,visithttp://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/info/pubs:natura2000nl_en.htm

ThenewsletterdoesnotnecessarilyreecttheocialviewoftheEuropeanCommission.

PrintedonrecycledpaperthathasbeenawardedtheEUEcolabel(http://ec.europa.eu/ecolabel)

EuropeanUnion,(2013)Reproductionofcontentotherthanphotographsisauthorisedprovidedthesourceisacknowledged.

Photocredits:covernaturepl.com;p2and3Shutterstock;p4topD.Mladenovic/www.slovenia.info,bottomMarinTopi,Shutterstock;p5ShutterstockandiStock;p6naturepl.com;p7topiStock,bottomnaturepl.com;p10Shutterstock;p11naturepl.com;p12Shutterstock;p13topnaturepl.com,bottomandp14Shutterstock;p15topnaturepl.com,bottomFrancoisSchwaab;p16naturepl.com.

maxwemeText Box

Natura 2000 Croatia

Documents

Transcript of Natura 2000 Croatia