NATURA 2000 implementation in Bulgaria Andrey Kovatchev Natura 2000 Expert, BALKANI Wildlife...

NATURA 2000 implementation in Bulgaria

Andrey KovatchevNatura 2000 Expert, BALKANI Wildlife Society, Bulgaria

Budget: 500 000 Euro

Non systematic approach – field inventories of preliminary identified territories (CORINE Biotops Sites, protected areas, expert opinion) on 12.5% of the countries territory

Lack of division between pSCIs and pSPAs.

At the end – based on best expert opinion identified as potential NATURA 2000 sites on 34% of the countries territory. 16 % of them studied.

DEPA project - Green Balkans Federation NGOin cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Waters

CORINE Biotops project

Other territoriesNon protected territories

National Parks

Natural Reserves

Nature Parks

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Map of potential NATURA 2000 sites at the end of 2004

34% of the country’s territory coverage of all potential sites.

16% of the country’s territory studied by the end of 2004.

Projects financed by Bulgarian Government:

for inventory of pSCIs and coordination of this action with other projects: Green Balkans Federation NGO, budget: 700 000 EURO

for inventory of pSPAs and coordination of this action with other projects: Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BirdLife Bulgaria), budget: 150 000 EURO

Division of work on the designation of pSCIs and pSPAs

Contribution of other projects with international financing – overall more than 2 500 000 EURO

• Project of NGO coalition “NATURA 2000 in Bulgaria – public contribution”, PIN MATRA

• Projects of WWF DCP in Danube basin• GEF project “Conservation of globally important biodiversity in the

Rhodope landscape” • Project “Prime Butterfly Areas” of Butterfly Conservation Europe

(Wageningen) and National Natural History Museum, PIN MATRA program

• Project of Forestry Institute of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences“Inventory and strategy for protection of old growth forests in Bulgaria”, PIN MATRA

• Development of Brown bear action plan, coordinated by BALKANI Wildlife Society, PIN MATRA and BBI MATRA

• Development of Chamois Action Plan: 2007 -2016, implemented by Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation

• Project of Bulgarian Academy of Sciences on new Bulgarian Red Data Book

• A number of smaller projects

Till October 2006 - submitted scientific proposals for pSCIs covering 35% of country’s land territory

October –November 2006 - working group initiated by NGOs:•Participants – NGOs, key experts, Ministry of Environment and Waters, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry•Tasks: to complete sufficient scientific list of pSCIs according to the criteria of Stage 2 •Results – Optimization of submitted documentation to 225 sites occupying 28,6 % of country’s land territory

Comparison - version 20 October (35%) and version 20 November (28,6%)

NGOs submitted proposals - Green Balkans Federation, BALKANI Wildlife Society, WWF – DCP Bulgaria, Center for Environmental Information and Education, Association of Parks

NGOs submitted proposals - Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds

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20020077Political process of designation of NATURA 2000 network

Delayed decision of the Council of Ministers

• The decision on list of pSCIs and pSPAs is made on 15 February 2007 – one and a half months after EU accession date

•The decision is made available to public on 5 March 2007.

•The decision is to cut both list of sites leading to drastic insufficiencies in both lists.

•The decision is justified on purely economic grounds. It stipulates future exclusion from borders of SPAs and SACs of all areas with development demands and spatial plans appeared to date of issuing of designation order.

List of SPAs – excluded (red) and adopted (green)

List of pSCIs – excluded (red) and adopted (green)

20020077

Every week protests for NATURA 2000 in front of the Council of MinistersPolitical umbrella…

Soap opera

Coins to pay EU sanctions

Species left outside of NATURA 2000

20020077

•Written statements and submission in Brussels, meetings with representatives of EU Commission and with the European Commissioner Stavros Dimas (April 2007)(with support of international networks) - network so week that even biogeographical seminar could not be started

•Number of other street protest for protection of NATURA sites and against different threats•Campaign within government – letters, position papers, meetings with Ministers

After 1 year of an NGO campaign almost all proposed sites adopted in December 2007 and submitted in EU – SPAs and pSCIs

Overlapping between pSCIs (28,6) and SPAs (23,4)–together 34,5%

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20020077

Political process of designation of NATURA 2000 network

Final differences – scientific proposal – political decision (despite 1 year delay)

• pSCIs – missing site “Rila – buffer” – question lefto to be decided by the biogeographical seminars

•SPAs – significantly reduced sites Pirin, Rila, Central Balkan, Rhodopi Zapadni and Kaliakra. Started in 2007 infringement procedure by the European Commission. In 2010 with the exception of Kaliakra (still pending) all sites finally designated in near original scientific borders by the Government in order to prevent appeal in the Court of justice.

Biogeographical seminar

Habitats Directive: •Art. 4 (1) and Annex III Stage 1- National list (pSCIs) •Art. 4 (2) and Annex III Stage 2 – Assessment by the Commission in agreement with Member State (biogeographic seminars followed by bilateral negotiations)

Formal requirement – to select SCIs from a larger list of pSCIs (criteria in Stage 1 define broader set of zones)

Reality during biogeographical seminars – to assess insufficiencies in the official Member state proposals and identify places for upgrading with new sites to achieve coherence


Preparation - the European Topic Centre on Biological Diversity (ETC/BD) (important to be lobbied by the NGOs)• official advisory scientific body, participating at the seminar•Preliminary technical and scientific analysis of the pSCIs •Preparation of the official documentation prior the seminars:a. The reference lists for each biogeographical region b. The Natura 2000 standard data forms of all the sites proposed by the Member States for the biogeographical regionc. Maps of sites proposed - each habitat/species per biogeographical region d. A summary table - each habitat/species per biogeographical region , - the number of sites proposed by each Member States- the coverage (indicated by %)- Coherence analyses, first preliminary conclusions and comments

Criteria stage 2 for selecting SCIs (Annex III Habitats Directive)-•relative national value•migration routes of species •cross-border ecosystem (internal Community frontiers)•total area of the site•number of habitats and species in the site •global ecological value (unique aspect of its features) of the site


Stage 2 - criteria in Hab. 97/2 rev. 4 18/11/97

“Pre-selection” phase 20-60% Rule (biogeographical region) – applied during the seminar.

The habitats/species which occurrence is covered to an extent:

•higher than 60% are considered, in principle, as sufficiently represented•lower than 20% are considered, in principle, as insufficiently represented•between 20% and 60% are the subject of a case-by-case analysis

For priority, rare, endangered species and habitats lowest required threshold for coverage in the region is 60%!


Hab. 97/2 rev. 4 18/11/97“Case by case "phase (biogeographical region)•“Priority” criterion - at least one priority habitat or species•“Uniqueness” criterion - containing the only significant example of a non priority habitat or species•“High-quality” criterion - having a high national value for at least one non-priority habitat or species •“High-diversity” criterion - containing a significant number of non-priority habitats and/or species •“Network coherence” criterion - playing a role to ensure the coherence (as well structural as functional) of the Natura 2000 Network - migration routes, ecological corridors, “relic” localisations, cross-border ecosystems, bordering a major protected area, restoration measures for at least one priority habitat or species•“Safeguard clause” criterion – safeguarding sufficient coverage


The seminarThe seminars discuss

•reference lists per biogeographical regions

•the sufficiency of each species and habitat, according to the agreed reference lists separately for each biogeographical region


Criteria used during the biogeographical seminarSimplified and reversed criteria of Hab. 97/2 rev. 4 18/11/97 to answer the question - is the submitted list of pSCIs sufficient?

•“Pre-selection” criterion 20-60% widely used (low coverage)•Geographical insufficiency/gap – missing sites in certain area with proven distribution or at the border of natural distribution •Missing locality – for rare species with few localities•Missing best/representative locality or several best/representative localities•Missing locality/site playing role of stepping stone bio-corridor – ecological coherence (site should host species permanently in order to be accepted)•Not presented important variation (subtype, subspecies)


Possible decisions on sufficiency – habitats/species review•SUF (Sufficient) No further sites needed•IN MAJ (Insufficient major) No sites proposed at present. A major effort to designate sites is needed.•IN MOD (Insufficient moderate). One or a number of additional sites (or maybe extension to sites) required.• IN MOD GEO - means that additional site(s) are required in certain region to eliminate geographical gap.•IN MIN (Insufficient minor) - habitat/species should be noted on sites already proposed for other habitats/species•CD (Correction of data) Data needs to be corrected/completed/deleted •Sci Res (Scientific reserve) A definite conclusion is not possible: need to investigate/clarify a scientific issue


Participants•European Commission

•ETC/BD

•Independent experts invited by the Commission

•National Governments and their experts

•NGOs (through Habitats Forum)

•Observers

Decisions – consensus leaded by the chairmen from the Commission, input from the ETC/BD and independent experts crucial (lobby them!!)


NGOs - how to prepare prior seminars

a.Ensure good unofficial cooperation scientists/NGOs (scientists are not always in a position to say freely everything, but NGOs could be)b.Establish good communication with the Commission and ETC/BD on the topic as soon as possible c.Choose as fast as possible your representatives (knowledgable and trustable), 1-3 persons for the seminar through consensusd.Lobby through European Habitats Forum members (WWF-European Policy Office, CEEWEB, BirdLife) and directly through the Commission to receive invitation for these personse.Prepare alternative NGOs assessments, shadow lists and reports and distribute them as early as possible


NGOs - how to prepare prior seminars

a.Make critical analyses of the Governmental proposal

b. Revise reference lists – they should be truly presented in the biogeographical region/ or missing species/habitats

c. For every or for most important habitat and species from the reference list:•make an assessment of coverage and coherence of the official list•try to propose a shadow list of sites•prepare a report with maps (shadow list, localities of the species, habitats etc) and submit it to the secretariat of the convention and the ETC prior the seminar (as early as possible)


NGO’s shadow lists – could be a•Complicated map - containing detailed NATURA 2000 data base and border of sites (in some countries NGOs developed official proposals)

•Simplified map - polygons (GIS or even GOOGLE EARTH) accompanied with a simple EXCEL table with a referent list of species and habitats for each polygon

•Or even a map of localities for particular species and habitats

The shadow list is our demand for enlarging the network – there was no case in other EU countries NGOs to be satisfied by the Governmental proposal.


NGOs assessment of coverage

•Number of localities covered

•% of distribution - simple overlapping with UTM grids or similar simplified methods

•Maps of distribution

•Deductive models of suitable habitats (for species) using free GIS layers


2002006-20076-2007

Preparation by NGOsMapping species and habitats in 2006 and 2007

•Forest habitats – full forestry inventory (1: 5 000 scale) and assessment of the type of habitat by modeling of forestry data•Grasslands – partial inventory and modeling in scale 1:100 000 (CORINE Land Cover based)•Species – distributional data available for most of the species (presence/absence) and deductive models of suitable habitats developed in scale 1:100 000 (problems – old data or scarce data especially for invertebrates)

In 2007 critical reassessment of all network on systematic basis – on the base of developed GIS maps!!

Biogeographical seminar – Bulgarian case

20020088Biogeographical seminar – Bulgarian case

The documentation prepared by the NGOs in 2008

a.Analyses of coverage made for most of species and habitats

b. A report for 23 species and 9 habitats for which network was regarded to be insufficient for biogeographical region concerned. Maps and GIS accompanied every individual report.

c. Reports sent to the ETC in 10 April 2008, 2 months prior to the seminar – included in the preliminary official analyses of the ETC

d. BG – RO NGO preparation meeting in the end of April 2008.

e. Biogeographical seminars for BG and RO – June 2008. NGO participation – 3 experts (through European Habitats Forum)

Biogeographical seminar – Bulgarian case20020088

Low coverage: priority habitat with less than 60% coverage in the region. Geographical coherence: There are no sites in the area of Surnena Sredna Gora Mountain.

Continental region - coverage within the official list of sites: 54.5%

NGO assessment of sufficiency: Insufficient Moderate


Low coverage: glacial relict, endangered species Geographical coherence: There are no sites in the area of Rila Mountain (missing site Rila – buffer).

Alpine region - coverage within the official list of sites: 39%


20020088


Alpine region - coverage within the official list of sites: 67,25%. NGO assessment of sufficiency: Insufficient Moderate

Justification of the NGO assessment •Missing sites of high quality: Missing high quality site Rila buffer•Geographical coherence: Low coverage of the species in Rila Mountain region – only about 30 % of the population is covered by the submitted sites. Almost all summer habitats of the species in the Mountain are outside the protection as these sites are mostly encompassing alpine belt.•Ecological coherence: Missing site "providing bio-corridor habitats

20020088

Continental and Alpine regions - coverage within the official list of sites: 49%

• Ecological coherence: stepping stones along river valley of Struma River


• Geographical coherence: edge of distribution

of the species along the Struma and Mesta Rivers. Lack of pSCIs in Surnena Sredna Gora Mountain.

20020088Biogeographical seminar – Bulgarian case


Example of NGO’s BG-RO cross-border analyses (sent to the ETC and Commission in May 2008) – map of sites


Krajmorska Dobrudzha(130) Padurea Hagieni – Cotul Vaii (157)Plant 2125 Potentilla emilii-popii D +

Plant 2253 Centaurea jankae +

Plant 2327Himantoglossum caprinum

+

Invert 1060 Lycaena dispar +

Invert 1078Callimorpha quadripunctaria

+

Invert 1083 Lucanus cervus + +

Invert 1087 Rosalia alpina + Invert 1088 Cerambyx cerdo + Invert 1089 Morimus funereus +

Invert4027 Arytrura musculus

Missing in the national reference list

+

Invert 4033 Erannis ankeraria Missing in the national reference list +

Amp/Rep 1219 Testudo graeca + +

Amp/Rep 1279 Elaphe quatuorlineata + Mammal 1302 Rhinolophus mehelyi +

Mammal 1304Rhinolophus ferrumequinum

+

Mammal 1305 Rhinolophus euryale + Mammal 1310 Miniopterus schreibersi + +

Mammal 1335 Spermophilus citellus + +

Mammal 2609 Mesocricetus newtoni + +

Mammal 2633 Mustela eversmannii + +

Mammal 2635 Vormela peregusna +

Example of NGO’s BG-RO cross-border analyses (sent to the ETC and Commission in May 2008) – list of species in cross - border sites


Results – despite high % of the network number of moderate and minor insufficiencies and correction of data, as well as scientific reserves

State of progress in reaching sufficiency for the Habitat Directive Annex I habitats and Annex II species, June 2008


December 2008 DG Env. - decision for adoption BG sites as SCIs

Thank you for your attention Andrey Kovatchev

BALKANI Wildlife Society

[email protected]

www.balkani.org

NATURA 2000 implementation in Bulgaria Andrey Kovatchev Natura 2000 Expert, BALKANI Wildlife...

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