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Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process
Continental, Pannonian, Black Sea and Steppic Region
Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process
Continental, Pannonian, Black Sea and Steppic Region
Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process
Continental, Pannonian, Black Sea and Steppic
Kick-off Seminar
Luxembourg, 29 June – 1 July 2015
Coastal Working Group
Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process
Continental, Pannonian, Black Sea and Steppic Region
Selected habitats:
Open sea and tidal habitats:
•Estuaries (1130)
•Coastal lagoons (1150)
Shingle and stony beaches:
•Annual vegetation of drift lines (1210)
•Vegetated sea cliffs of the Mediterranean coasts with endemic Limonium spp. (1240)
Salt marshes and salt meadows:
•Salicornia and other annuals colonizing mud and sand (1310)
•Mediterranean salt meadows (Juncetalia maritimi; 1410)
Sea dunes:
•Embryonic shifting dunes (2110)
•Fixed coastal dunes with herbaceous vegetation (grey dunes; 2130 *)
•Humid dune slacks (2190)
Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process
Continental, Pannonian, Black Sea and Steppic Region
Case 1: Strandja Nature Park, Bulgaria (MAB)
– Problems: mass tourism, development plans for linear urbanisation, harmful agricultural subsidies
– Solutions: using the Aarhus Convention, scientist and voluntary work, ecotourism, planting orchards, slow food initiatives, promoting local cultural heritige
– Participated in making a Joint Transnational Action Plan on Coastal Sand Dunes (Italy, Greece, Austria, Hungary and Bulgaria)
Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process
Continental, Pannonian, Black Sea and Steppic Region
Life project SandLife 2012-2018
Objectives:
– habitat restoration
– raising awareness
– communicating new management methods
Activities:
– opening sand habitats & restarting of succession
– controlling invasive species
Lessons learnt:
– military training areas are important for biodiversity
– comprehensive information for the local community is crucial
– it is important to change the Swedish CAP payments to enable farmers to continue grazing on patchy sandy grasslands
Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process
Continental, Pannonian, Black Sea and Steppic Region
Priority issues selected by the group members
Involvement of municipalities
Public awareness
Local development and nature
Transbourdary cooperation
Cross-sectorial approach
Filling knowledge gaps (e.g. in the Danube Delta)
Implementation of comprehensive planning
Climate change
Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystem Services
Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process
Continental, Pannonian, Black Sea and Steppic Region
Involvement of local municipalities:
Involvement is very important as municipalities are often the primary landowner and decisive body
Municipalities are concerned with revenue and support investment more than with nature and environment
However: income often flows out of the community
It is important to change the mindset and the image of what is „development”
Solutions: Communication through excursions, fieldtrips and training courses,
provision of information, organising local councils, workdays and lobbying both through politicians and through voters
Comprehensive spatial planning is needed (especially in new EU countries), sometimes the top-down approach is necessary
Emphasis should be on far-sighted approach rather than short-term economic gain
Development should be sustainable!
Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process
Continental, Pannonian, Black Sea and Steppic Region
Public awareness:
Solutions: Things may change, e.g. degrowth debates are appearing and investments
don’t need only to be short-sighted. Planning can suport far-sighted growth.
More EU financial mechanisms and instruments are needed for public awareness and communication on nature conservation.
Baltic Sea Black Sea
Local resistence towards change that is coming from the outside
Landowners welcome any investment
Top-down decisions are often rejected
Not enough money is available for the proces of stakeholder engagement (rather than projects)
Nature is not considered a priority for financing (but infrastructure is)
Stakeholder involvement in projects is voluntary and should therefore be motivated
Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process
Continental, Pannonian, Black Sea and Steppic Region
Local development and nature:
Conflict between development needs and nature conservation objectives
Solutions: Proper spatial planning should be executed (rather
than just on paper)
Strategic Environmental Assessment should be properly done
Environmental Impact Assessment is good for locating a project, but not as a yes/no decisive method
Increase the understanding of the benefits of Natura 2000.This is easier when there is an obvious shortage of ecosystem services.
Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process
Continental, Pannonian, Black Sea and Steppic Region
Transboundary cooperation:
Issues to be addressed:
– Garbage
– Nutrients
– Migrating species (e.g. grey seal)
– Invasive species
Solutions: Utilising regional conventions, EU initiatives and
agreements such as:
– Garbage in the Danube Delta could be tackled through the Danube Convention (but: there is also garbage coming from Crimea!)
– Bonn Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals
– Ramsar initiative for the Black Sea
Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process
Continental, Pannonian, Black Sea and Steppic Region
Cross-sectorial approach:
Contraditions in planning, financing and priorities
– E.g perverse subsidies in the CAP, ineligibility of majority of small farmers for subsidies related to ecological measures
Solutions: Coordination and biodiversity proofing within:
– Transport
– Tourism
– Agriculture
• Improving the Common Agricultural Policy
• Supporting small-scale farming
– Forestry
– Fisheries and Hunting
– Pollution management
– Water management
• River Basin Management Plans
Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process
Continental, Pannonian, Black Sea and Steppic Region
Lack of knowledge:
E.g. on the Black Sea Coast (and in the Danube Delta)
There is a need for a clear and better interpretation of the habitat types in the Habitats Directive (e.g. regarding estuaries)
Romania has a problem with the interpretation manual (e.g. the definition of the `Estuary` as a terrestrial habitat is only used in the Baltic Sea it is needed to add the Black Sea as another exception)
Solutions: Information exchange updated interpretation manual
Evaluation of the effects of projects should be carried out, in order to evaluate what went wrong and why
Sharing best practice on site management and effects of practices should be collected when making new projects (no need to re-invent the wheel)
Simple data should be collected (e.g. habitat maps around the Danube in Romania)
Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process
Continental, Pannonian, Black Sea and Steppic Region
Lack of comprehensive planning:
In Denmark: planning will probablz be weakened there will be risk of construction in coastal zones
In Romania: plans exist but are not implemented
Natura 2000 protection often has low importance in coastal planning activities
Solutions: Integrated Planning Approach, e.g.:
– Following the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Directive
Better enforcement of EU and national regulations is needed
Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process
Continental, Pannonian, Black Sea and Steppic Region
Climate change:
Climate change is not sufficiently mentioned in the seminar input document
Climate change raises many sectorial conflicts
There are direct effects such as:
– species distribution
– coastal processes
– weather changes
– erosion
And indirect effects such as:
– coastal protection
– wind turbine farms and other renewable energy installations (e.g shale gas extraction)
– increased production of wood chips
Solutions: Mitigate the effects of climate change through maintaining
Favourable Conservation Status of habitats
Improve the dispersal possibilities for plants and animals
Plan for potential new substitute sites for sites that will be lost through sea level rise
Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process
Continental, Pannonian, Black Sea and Steppic Region
Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystem Services:
Obligation under CBD, an Aichi target and Action 5 under 2020 Biodiversity Strategy
Natura 2000 is here to protect rare species and habitats and deals with unique features, while ecosystem services are mass services
Not all habitats of conservation importance are of economic value
Solutions: Promote experience and exchange of knowledge on
mapping methods
Raise awareness regarding the intrinsic value of nature as well as the value of habitats and ecosystem services (provisioning, regulating and cultural)
Pay more attention to ecological aspects of local traditions
Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process
Continental, Pannonian, Black Sea and Steppic Region
Planning for action
Romania will organise a follow-up seminar for Pannonian, Black Sea and Steppic grassland habitats in autumn 2015 (tbc).
The Sand Life Project will share best (and worst!) practice in municipality involvment.
It would be useful to create a database of good and bad management practices and which habitats they are successful in.
– We propose that the LIFE Platform/ Natura 2000 Communication Platform cases should be searchable by management practice.
Strandja Nature Park will communicate to other nature parks the benefits of being part of the Slow Food movement (and other community involvement methods)
We will communicate the benefits of Natura 2000 though promoting successful projects (e.g. ADEPT NGO working with farmers) and awareness raising campaigns (e.g. Natura 2000 Day)
– Bulgaria has prepared a Communication Strategy for Natura 2000 for 2014-2020 with concrete actions and will share it through the Natura 2000 Platform
0
Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process
Continental, Pannonian, Black Sea and Steppic Region
Planning for action We should designate more transboundary sites. Bulgaria and Romania will
strive to communicate better regarding transboundary management plans (which is challenging due to lack of a Natura 2000 administrative body in Romania)
We should apply for more transboundary projects )e.g. using regional strategies
We should make better use of the experience from the HELCOM Convention
Best practice presented at the seminar will be publicised
We shall discuss the possibility of utilising scientific funds for data collection and inventories as part of conservation projects
There should be greater inclusion of biodiversity in plans and strategies
– We should praise and promote plans which include environmental measures
We should support municipalities to set aside land for nature in due time before coastal habitats are being flooded by sea level rise
Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process
Continental, Pannonian, Black Sea and Steppic Region
Thank You!