Outcomes of the Continental, Pannonian, Steppic and Black ... · Pannonian, Steppic and Black Sea Biogeographical Region Kick-off Seminar ... Continental, Pannonian, Steppic and Black

Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process

Outcomes of the Continental,

Pannonian, Steppic and Black Sea Biogeographical

Region Kick-off Seminar

CEEweb Academy on Building Blue-Green Infrastructure -

How can we make the Water Framework Directive

and the Birds and Habitats Directives work together?

Budapest, Hungary

7 October 2015

Kristijan Civic, ECNC


Introduction to the Natura 2000 biogeographical process

Main outcomes of the Continental, Pannonian, Steppic and Black Sea Biogeographical Region Kick-off Seminar

What am I going to say?


The Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process

at the heart of the EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy and achieving its targets

by strengthening implementation of Natura 2000

achieve favourable conservation status for habitats & species of Community importance

Process is a practical framework for networking and knowledge building between Member States & all stakeholders.

Natura 2000 is a network of sites - the Process creates network of knowledge and people - new opportunities to manage sites collectively and ‘connectedly’.


The Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process

Working at the level of biogeographical regions

long-term & continuing process – seminars are milestone events, designed to spark new networking and knowledge-building

Increasing momentum is being established re practical management insights

– Identify common priorities/ major issues where there is scope & value to collaborate

– Decide together where cooperation can add value and have positive impacts

Involvement is voluntary – but, the Process provides added-value means to increase focus on shared strategic outcomes – depends on active involvement!

That is why I joined

N2k NBP!


The Process so far …

(5) biogeographical regions started the process:

– Boreal, Finland, 2012; Atlantic, the Netherlands, 2012; Alpine, Austria, 2013; Mediterranean, Greece, 2014; Continental, Pannonian, Steppic & Black Sea Regions, Luxembourg 29 June to 1 July 2015

– The 'Kick off’ Marine Seminar, 5 to 7 May 2015 in St. Malo, France

Each Seminar focuses on habitats (& species) identified for ‘priority consideration’:

– There is extensive consultation to gather management information & share experience

– These can be presented in the form of case studies, ‘Knowledge Market’, via the Seminar Document & through the Platform

– Other habitats / species can also be discussed!

– Networking is a continuing process


There is significant scope for future LIFE or INTERREG projects!

Scope for cooperative actions identified in the following areas of common interest

Integrated management approaches – e.g. estuaries management.

Integrated governance approaches

Policy integration in the form of models & practical approaches

Cross-border cooperation

Hydrological restoration

Re-establishing ecological connectivity

Increased focus on and communication of multiple benefits from Natura 2000

Sustainable forest management or grazing

Natura 2000 & Farmland/ rural development


Observations/ lessons being learned

Significant progress is being achieved – as a continuing Process, there are new opportunities to maintain & increase momentum.

Greater stakeholder mobilisation is being achieved, especially inputs from nature conservation practitioners.

Awareness of (cost-effective) problem solving & learning benefits from sharing practical experiences is increasing - e.g. about how to avoid problems/ duplicate solutions; new know-how is developed collectively.

Your work & projects are essential to sharpen focus on common priorities and shared interest - Member States and stakeholders working together to identify cooperative actions to strengthen implementation of Natura 2000 on sites and as a network.


Process, follow-up & ‘linked’ events

Region Title Date Country

... ... ... ...

CONT, PAN, BLS,

STE

Continental Biogeographical Region Kick-off Seminar 29 June-1 July 2015 Luxembourg

ATL Sharing wetland centre best practice between

Natura 2000 sites along the East Atlantic flyway

13-16 September 2015 Spain

all Natura 2000 Farmland Management and Biodiversity Conference

28 September - 1 October 2015

Spain

CONT, PAN, BLS,

STE

How can we make the Water Framework Directive

and the Birds and Habitats Directives work

together?

7 October 2015 Hungary

all Natura 2000 Monitoring workshop 19-21 October 2015 Spain

PAN, BLS, STE Follow up event of the biogeographical seminar for

Pannonian, Black Sea and Steppic Regions

4-6 November 2015 Romania

ATL Dutch Nitrogen Tour 23 - 25 November 2015 Netherlands

ALP Alpine Grassland Management Workshop 9 - 11 December 2015 Germany


Support available through the Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process

The EC’s contractor can support your networking … together we can

Decide on the event’s format (conference, workshop, expert meeting etc.)

Develop programmes for events – e.g. help identify (and invite) speakers and participants

Facilitate / moderate networking events

Provide (some) financial support for networking events & participants’ travel & accommodation costs

Promote your event

Share information – e.g. upload guidance documents on to the Natura 2000 Platform etc.

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


Issues being addressed in follow up actions

Eutrophication (in particular Nitrogen deposition) - ATL

Forest management: rewilding / sustainable forestry – ALP & CONT

Hydromorphological modification - BOR & ALP (ATL, MED)

Increased benefits from greater policy integration and improved governance arrangements - MED

Benefits of clarifying different interpretations of Favourable Conservation Status– ALP (BOR, ATL, MED)

Land use polarisation: intensification vs abandonment – ALP (ATL, MED)


Other common priority issues

Lack of stakeholder understanding about / ways to achieve meaningful engagement in Natura 2000 management processes – BOR, ATL, ALP

Fragmentation, including land tenure, land use and ownership related issues – ATL, ALP, MED

Visitor and tourism disturbance – ALP, MED

Cross-border issues (e.g. connectivity) – BOR, ATL, ALP

Lack of integration between policies and (sometimes) unhelpful use of subsidies – BOR

Climate change - ALP


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


Continental, Pannonian, Steppic and Black Sea Biogeographical Region Kick-off Seminar - main outcomes

The Seminar, hosted by the Duchy of Luxembourg, in close cooperation with the EC from 29th June to 1st July 2015. The Seminar was attended by 115 delegates – all EU MS from the Continental, Pannonian, Steppic and Black Sea region participated.

59 habitats of Community interest selected for priority consideration, to provide scope for collaboration and for the development of future action

Kick-off Seminar aims at identifying common issues and solutions and opportunities for joint actions to address these issues (based on best-practice examples)

the Knowledge Market brought together 30+projects and initiatives from the concerned regions

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/platform/events/events-upcoming/145_continental_kickoff_seminar_en.htm

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/platform/events/events-upcoming/145_continental_kickoff_seminar_en.htm


Coastal habitats (9) - selected for priority consideration

NATURA 2000 CODE NAME

1130 Estuaries

1150 Coastal lagoons

1210 Annual vegetation of drift lines

1240 Vegetated sea cliffs of the Mediterranean coasts with endemic Limoniumspp.

1310 Salicornia and other annuals colonizing mud and sand

1410 Mediterranean salt marshes (Juncetalia maritime)

2110 Embryonic shifting dunes

2130 Fixed coastal dunes with herbaceous vegetation (grey dunes)

2190 Humid dune slacks


Forest habitats (14) - selected for priority consideration

NATURA 2000 CODE NAME

9110 Luzulo-Fagetum beech forests

91E0 Alluvial forests with Alnus glutinosa and Fraxinus excelsior (Alno-Padion, Alnion incanae, Salicion albae)

9180 Tilio-Acerion forests of slopes, screes and ravines

91D0 Bog woodland

91F0 Riparian mixed forests of Quercus robur, Ulmus laevis and Ulmus minor, Fraxinus excelsior or Fraxinus angustifolia, along the great rivers (Ulmenion minoris)

9160 Sub-Atlantic and medio-European oak or oak-hornbeam forests of the Carpinion betuli

9170 Galio-Carpinetum oak-hornbeam forests

91H0 Pannonian woods with Quercus pubescens

92A0 Salix alba and Populus alba galleries

91I0 Euro-Siberian steppic woods with Quercus spp.

91G0 Pannonic woods with Quercus petraea and Carpinus betulus

91M0 Pannonian-Balkanic Turkey oak – sessile oak forests

91AA Eastern white oak woods

92D0 Southern riparian galleries and thickets (Nerio-Tamaricetea and Securinegion tinctoriae)


Freshwater and wetland habitats (13) - selected for priority consideration

NATURA 2000

CODE

NAME

7110* Active raised bogs (Continental, Pannonian)

7120 Degraded raised bogs still capable of natural regeneration (Continental)

7140 Transition mires and quaking bogs (Continental, Pannonian)

7150 Depressions on peat substrates of the Rhynchosporion (Continental, Pannonian)

7210* Calcareous fens with Cladium mariscus and species of the Caricion davallianae (Continental, Steppic)

7220* Petrifying springs with tufa formation (Cratoneurion) (Continental, Pannonian, Black Sea)

7230 Alkaline fens (Continental, Pannonian)

3130 Oligotrophic to mesotrophic standing waters with vegetation of the Littorelletea uniflorae and/or of the Isoëto-Nanojuncetea

3140 Hard oligo-mesotrophic waters with benthic vegetation of Chara spp.

3150 Natural eutrophic lakes with Magnopotamion or Hydrocharition-type vegetation

3160 Natural dystrophic lakes and ponds

3260 Water courses of plain to montane levels with the Ranunculion fluitantis and Callitricho-Batrachion vegetation

3270 Rivers with muddy banks with Chenopodion rubri p.p. and Bidention p.p. vegetation


NATURA 2000

CODE

NAME

1340 Inland salt meadows

1530 Pannonic salt steppes and salt marshes

2330 Inland dunes with open Corynephorus and Agrostis grasslands

2340 Pannonic inland dunes

4030 European dry heaths40A0 Subcontinental peri-Pannonic scrub

40C0 Ponto-Sarmatic deciduous thickets

5130 Juniperus communis formations on heaths or calcareous grasslands

6110 Rupicolous calcareous or basophilic grasslands of the Alysso-Sedion

albi

6120 Xeric sand calcareous grasslands

6210 Semi-natural dry grasslands and scrubland facies on calcareous

substrates (Festuco-Brometalia) (* important orchid sites)

6230 Species-rich Nardus grasslands, on silicious substrates in mountain

areas (and submountain areas in Continental Europe)

6240 Sub-Pannonic steppic grasslands

6250 Pannonic loess steppic grasslands

6260 Pannonic sand steppes

62C0 Ponto-Sarmatic steppes

6410 Molinia meadows on calcareous, peaty or clayey-silt-laden soils

(Molinion caeruleae)

6420 Mediterranean tall humid grasslands of the Molinio-Holoschoenion

6430 Hydrophilous tall herb fringe communities of plains and of the

montane to alpine levels

6440 Alluvial meadows of river valleys of the Cnidion dubii

6510 Lowland hay meadows (Alopecurus pratensis, Sanguisorba officinalis)

6520 Mountain hay meadows

Grassland heaths and scrub habitats (22)- selected for priority consideration


Freshwater and wetland habitats working group

TOPIC ACTION OUTPUTS / MECHANISMS WHO WHEN

Policy integration Guidance and incentives

To have a guidance on the integration of Water Framework Directive (WFD), Nature Directives and Floods Directive (Nitrates Directive)

Short explanation of overlapping articles with good examples from MSs (FAQs from EC exists already

European Commission with all sectors and Member States (national + regional level) with consideration to set up an EU Working Group

As soon as possible

Translate the guidance into “simple language” for public and other stakeholders

Consultation process with stakeholders and documents in national languages

Member States with stakeholders

As soon as the guidance is available

Motivate sectors to integrate Nature Directives (agriculture, energy, forestry, tourism, transport, fisheries)

Incentives given on EU funding schemes

1. Multiannual Financial Framework Review 2017 to restructure the funds

2. Not to give support for activities with negative impacts on environment (how to set criteria, measures and who will decide on what basis)

European Commission with European Parliament and the Council-indirectly NGOs and other stakeholders to drive the process

Before 2017



Harmful subsidies Flexible, sustainable CAP

Not to have harmful subsidies and have environmental result based, WFD integrated CAP with more incentives for environmentally positive action

Reviewing CAP in 2017 - flexible, sustainable, environment result based CAP - to be site-specific, have more capacities and resources on the advisory system to farmers on how to implement what measures

To achieve sustainable and environmental-friendly CAP - provide evidence and make alliance with stakeholders (small scale farmers, health and youth sectors, tourism) water)

EC, EP, Council and MSs European Commission to collect cases from MSs and other stakeholders Lobby group (NGOs) and MSs to advocate for greener CAP

Before 2017

Science coordination and data sharing common platform

Coordination of sharing knowledge and methodology

To have a database and platform (or link it to existing Natura 2000 communication platform) to find and liaise data at different levels and connect managers and science

Formal group of identified expert from different levels

Online, physical meetings of the formal groups

Scientific societies, Natura 2000 managers, NGOs driven by European Commission

ASAP

Hydromorphology, water quality and habitat Integration

Improvement of hydromorph-ology by integration of WFD and Nature Directives and improving monitoring Water quality improvement Habitat fragmentation

Integration of e-flow into Nature Directives

CAP subsidies to be rethought, develop more integrated land use management (buffer zones and rivers, drainage removal)

Integrated planning (rivers and floodplains to be considered together and integrated into spatial planning)

Define possibilities of reconnection

Small hydropower plants to be restricted

EC with MSs and

stakeholders

Coordination

between DG Agri

and DG Envi

Regional and

national actors

(spatial planners,

municipalities)

As soonas Possible

DuringRBMP planning



IAS and restoration Guidance and best practice

Invasive alien species River restoration

EU IAS manual on implementation and specific financing

Target setting and improved coordination by MSs and specific focus on IAS on N2000 sites interdisciplinary cooperation with water and agriculture

Provide restoration best practices (e.g. on profit-making restoration) and shift to integrated landscape planning

Cooperation EU and national level with users and beneficiaries

ASAP

Pollution Data sharing and inclusion

Pollution Sharing data on pollution (Rhone, Rhine, Danube)

Better use of Green Infrastructure

Identify pollution source and close the loops

Directorates convent, strat. (Ramsar, Danube Strategy), etc. related to riversand MONERIS, ICPDR and otherstakeholders(industry, science, farmers) MSs and regional/local levelStakeholders

ASAP

Improving management planning Integrative thinking

Guidelines on improving managements of mires and bogs

Member States to deliver case studies disseminated by Natura 2000 Communication Platform and endorsed by the Management Group on how resilient thinking can be taken into account

MSs 2016

Limited integration of directive Integration and knowledge sharing

Integration of WFD and mire and bogs status

Discussions of management integration to WFD through national or regional workshops

Sharing and disseminating good practices in hydromorphology among stakeholders -e.g. SER website of cases to be integrated into Natura 2000 platform and LFIE platform

MSs and water and nature conservation managers NGOs to take part and organise a meeting

Site planners are informed by consultants and EC

2015/ 2016

2016



Pollution Involvement of farmers

Links to farmers Local initiatives -farmers and conservationists to talk together -best practices presented and disseminated

Have a specificproject NGOs/MSs

As soon as possible

CAP Information sharing

Explore opportunities to have flexible approach for peatland management and provide recommendations for CAP

Hydrological integration to CAP (not only mowing, but also other peatland measures)

EC with good examples provided by MSs and stakeholders

As soon as possible

Climate change issues Exploration of integration

Explore possible links with Natura 2000 and rewetting peat bogs

If there are links-compile a report for recommendations

EC and consultant with cases provided by MSs and stakeholders

Main issues Policy integration CAP review

Science -data sharing

Workshop to address policy integration with an outcome of a brief guidance document bringing together water + nature sector issues showcasing good examples

Initiation of an (online) platform (or exploration of ways using already existing processes and platforms) to initiate discussions between water and nature sectors

Have knowledge markets/events on more specific issues to share knowledge

NGOs and MSs(Meetings suggested by Poland in 2016 and Hungary -October6-7) MSs (Visegrad4, Nature/Water/Marine Directors meeting) and NGOs and MSs(Czech Republic)

2015

2015

2016


Continental, Pannonian, Steppic and Black Sea Biogeographical Region Kick-off Seminar - main outcomes

Conservation practitioners in the 4 regions face many common issues.

The development and implementation of integrated approaches is a difficult task.

There is an urgent need for improvement to achieve/maintain favourable conservation status of habitats and species of Community interest.

The implemented approaches need more focus and should be more result oriented.

The exchange of experience and learning from each other can play a decisive role.


Follow-up actons up-to-date

Share best practice presented at the seminar

Create a database of good and bad management practices for specific habitats. LIFE Platform/ Natura 2000 Communication Platform cases should be searchable by management practice.

A follow-up seminar for PAN, BLS and STE habitats in autumn 2015 -4-6 Nov 2015, Arad Romania

Thank you very much

Supporting the implementation & development of the EC’s Natura 2000

Biogeographical Process & developing the Natura 2000 Platform

[email protected]




Documents

Outcomes of the Continental, Pannonian, Steppic and Black ... · Pannonian, Steppic and Black Sea Biogeographical Region Kick-off Seminar ... Continental, Pannonian, Steppic and Black