Natura 2000 farmland management and biodiversity

A follow-up event of the Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process

28 September – 1 October 2015 – Madrid (ES)

European Commission – DG ENV – Ludovic Le Maresquier.

The Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process

2

Enhance

implementation

of nature

legislation

Restore

ecosystems

est. Green

Infrastructure

Sustainable

Agriculture

&

Forestry

Sustainable

Fisheries

Combat

Alien Invasive

Species

Contribute to

averting global

biodiversity

loss

ACTIONS

6 TARGETS

EU biodiversity strategy

A 2050 VISION

European Union biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides – its

natural capital – are protected, valued and appropriately restored…

A 2020 HEADLINE TARGET

Halt the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the EU and restore

them insofar as feasible, and step up the EU's contribution to averting global

biodiversity loss.

Working together in Natura 2000

For improving the status of conservation/trends.

A voluntary process fulfilling legal obligations

under the Nature Directives strongly depending on

active involvement

The ultimate objective

=

«favourable conservation

status »/trends

Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process

FSC?

Reality on

the field

What do you have? What do you want?

YES

NO Conservation

objectives :

S - pecific

M - easurable

A - chievable

R - ealistic

T - imeframed

Objective

How can you do?

Conservation

measures

Need knowledge on:

- Technical practices,

- Technical solutions,

- Technical

recommandations,

- Technical

management.

Measures

LIVING

PROCESS!

restauration HOW?

maintenance HOW?

Goal

What do you need?

FSC

COMMISSION

NOTE ON

SETTING

CONSERVATION

OBJECTIVES

FOR

NATURA 2000

SITES

Working at level of Biogeographical Regions…

… to help Member States to manage the sites… … to achieve the EU Biodiversity Strategy targets.

For each region :

- Steering Committees

- Seminars

- Follow-up events/

expert meetings

Pre-scoping doc.(Top 20 list) – Background doc. – Seminar doc. & report – N2000 Platform.

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/platform/index_en.htm

Agriculture, Natura 2000 and biodiversity

8

72 % UE territory

Target 3 :

Increase the contribution of agriculture and forestry to maintaining and enhancing biodiversity

http://ici.radio-canada.ca/regions/saguenay-lac/2013/11/20/006-philippe-couillard-foret.shtml http://www.environnement-savoie.fr/4690-biodiversite.htm

https://www.google.com/search?q=foret&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=6ZR8VJ70OIrcatfogcAG&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAg&biw=1024&bih=652#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=iw46qX2L1eAYzM%253A%3Bx-Fagrng1f7wfM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ffr.academic.ru%252Fpictures%252Ffrwiki%252F70%252FForetLandes.JPG%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ffr.academic.ru%252Fdic.nsf%252Ffrwiki%252F645394%3B1280%3B727

http://www.gnis-pedagogie.org/colza-production-semence-multiplication.html

Many concerns with regard to status of conservation/trends

Main leverage: CAP

EC Communication

on EU forest strategy (2013) http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/forest/strategy/communication_en.pdf

State of Nature

"grasslands"

10

Grassland ecosystem and the nature directives

Grassland habitats: 45 habitats

Birds species associated with grasslands: 75 species

Non-bird species associated with grasslands: 309 species

Conservation status of habitats (MS level)

11%

3%

37%

49%

Favourable

Unknown

Unfavourable-inadequate

Unfavourable-bad

Conservation status of habitats associated with

grassland ecosystems at Member State level

(overview)

Conservation trends of habitats (MS level)

11%

3%

4%

14%

29%

39%

Favourable

Unknown

Unfavourable-improving

Unfavourable-unknown-trend

Unfavourable-stable

Unfavourable-declining

Conservation trends of habitats associated with

grassland ecosystem at Member State level

(overview)

Conservation status and trends of non-bird

species associated with grassland ecosystems

Unfavourable conservation status of

species per taxonomic group:

• non-vascular plants (U1 - 50%, U2 -

50%)

• amphibians (FV - 15% , U1 - 85%)

Grassland butterflies declined 50% (1990-

2011)

20%

16%

4% 16%

23%

21%

Grassland: species status and trends (609

assessments)

FavourableUnknownUnfavourable-improvingUnfavourable-unknown-trendUnfavourable-stableUnfavourable-declining

Population status and trends in birds species

25%

7%

23%

45%

Grassland: short-term trends

Increasing

Uncertain/Unknown

Stable/Fluctuating

Decreasing

Results confirm Common farmland

index – 30% declining in 1990-2012

Declining trends:

• ortolan bunting (Emberiza

hortulana)

• crested lark (Galerida cristata)

• grey partridge (Perdix perdix)

respectively: 88%, 90%, 90% in long-

term trend (1980-2012).

Increasing trends:

• common whitethroat (Sylvia

communis)

• white stork (Ciconia ciconia)

• lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni)

• eastern imperial eagle (Aquila

heliaca)

Changes in conservation status

2001-2006 and 2007-2012

11%

4%

39%

46%

0%

Favourable assessments

Improved assessments

Assessments which have deteriorated

Unfavourable and unknownassessments that did not change

20%

4%

22%

53%

1%

Favourable assessments

Improved assessments

Assessments which havedeterioratedUnfavourable and unknownassessments that did not changeAssessments that became'unknown'

Changes in conservation status of

non-bird species associated with MAES

agricultural ecosystems (cropland and

grassland) (% of number of assessments)

Changes in conservation status of

Annex I habitats associated with MAES

agricultural ecosystems (cropland and

grassland) (% of number of assessments)

Pressures from agriculture reported by MS

0% 5% 10% 15% 20%

G05 - Other humanintrusions and disturbances

H04 - Air pollution, air-bornepollutants

E01 - Urbanisation andhuman habitation

I01 - Invasive alien species

A08 - Fertilisation inagriculture

J02 - Changes in waterbodies conditions

A02 - Modification ofcultivation practices

A03 - Mowing or cuttinggrasslands

K02 - Vegetationsuccession/Biocenotic…

A04 - Grazing by livestock

Pressures Threats

Pressures on grassland ecosystems

Guidance document – Best practices:

towards a sustainable and biodiversity-friendly agriculture.

18

Farming for Natura 2000 Guidance: how to integrate Natura 2000 conservation objectives into

farming practices

Based on Member States

good practice experiences

Prepared through an active

dialogue with relevant

stakeholders (agricultural

and environmental authorities,

farmers’ organisations,

environmental NGOs)

Conservation measures based on MS reporting

• Maintaining grasslands and other open habitats

• Establish protected areas/sites

• Adapt forest management (dehesas and fennoscandian wooded pastures)

• Restoring/improving the hydrological regime (semi-natural humid meadows)

F – Grasslands fully dependent on agricultural management

• Maintaining grasslands and other open habitats

• Establish protected areas/sites

• Legal protection of habitats and species

P – Grasslands partially dependent

• Establish protected areas/sites

• Legal protection of habitats and species

• Maintaining grasslands and other open habitats

• Regulating/Management exploitation of natural resources on land

P/N – Grasslands hardly dependent

Farming for Natura 2000 A range of good practice examples

Supporting farmers in Natura 2000

in Transylvania, Romania

Horizontal

measures:

Estonia – agri-

environment

scheme for

coastal

meadows

Selling pasta in

support of

steppic birds in

Spain

Advice to farmers: Integrated farm conservation

advice based on partnership and mutual learning

(Partnerbetrieb Naturschutz), Germany

Farming for Natura 2000 A range of good practice examples

High quality productions can respect the environment

and encourage greater natural wealth of the territory in

which they are inserted, meeting the requirements of

producers, consumers and environment/biodiversity.

Examples:

• In 2007 LIPU (Birdlife Italy) made a study on the

agricultural areas where the famous "Parmigiano

Reggiano",

• DIVA project in France studying interection between

"public action, agriculture and biodiverity "Saint-

Nectaire" et "Salers",

• Etc…

…where Biodiveristy quality of production

LIFE – NAT programme:

• Valuable instrument to support initiatives that, otherwise would not be developed because of the lack of administrative capacity, or material means, financial supports.

• Effective tool to create a political and administrative awareness about the existence of environmental problems, and to tackle them.

• Importance as catalyst of initiatives and for promoting networking and better cooperation between the parties (e.g. different departments/ organisms of public administrations, different administrations, NGOs/ administration/ private sector,…).

• Enhance the dialogue and build trust between the administration and the stakeholders (farmers, hunters)

• Promote new solutions. Great potential for changing bad practices by providing examples that demonstrate the viability of the systems proposed and by gaining the trust of the stakeholders. The LIFE projects usually lead to a continuous sustained benefits: tendency to maintain the new models with a continued support from public administrations.

• Significant contribution for the development of management plans and the development of other instruments accepted and supported by local stakeholders.

• Effective instrument for improving technical skills.

• Significant support for the improvement of the knowledge on habitat and species.

LIFE for biodiversity-friendly agriculture

• LIFE (495 projects directly or indirectly related to

grassland habitats and species in 1992-2013)

• LIFE budget related to : 217 M€ (EU 119 M€)

– 6210 – Semi-natural dry grasslands

– 6220 – Pseudo-steppe dry grasslands

– Butterflies and dragonflies

– Falcons and kestrels

– Bustards

– Corncrake

Conclusions

Many HABITATS AND SPECIES in unfavourable status of conservation/trends

Many pressures and threats from agriculture

Good examples where biodiversity and agriculture supports each

other

Biodiversity can be enhanced where actions take place

Tools and financial opportunities do exist: make good choices within

EU intruments.

CAP Mid-term review

EU Biodiversity Strategy Mid-term

review

Those 3 days are a real chance to gather people and share knowledge on Natura 2000 farmland

management and biodiversity.

Thank you for your attention!