Management plans for Natura 2000 sites - an area for combined
ecological/economic advice?
Ralf Döring
University of Greifswald
Overview
• Natura 2000 – New tool for nature conservation– Economic perspective
– Network in Germany’s coastal waters and EEZ
• Fisheries economics and the ecosystem approach – Background
– Experiences
• Management plans in Natura 2000 sites• Conclusions/Outlook
Ralf Döring, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald 550 Years1456-2006
FAME WorkshopJune 6-8
2007
Natura 2000 – New tool for nature conservation
• EU Bird- and Flora Fauna Habitat-Directive defines species
and habitats which are to preserve
• Obligation of member states to designate areas
• Six years after designation the status of species and habitats
must be reviewed
• If some degradation happend further restrictions on activities
Ralf Döring, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald 550 Years1456-2006
FAME WorkshopJune 6-8
2007
Natura 2000 – Economic perspective
• Weak Sustainability
– Overall capital stock, Measuring benefits and costs of individual projects
(sand and gravel removal, fishing, wind parks) => ‚relative scarcity‘, ‚efficient investments‘
Ralf Döring, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald 550 Years1456-2006
FAME WorkshopJune 6-8
2007
• Strong Sustainability– Preservation of a certain amount of ‚natural capital‘ to preserve
ecological services, long-term resource use‚absolut scarcity‘, efficient resource use‘
Natura 2000 – Economic perspective
• Switch from the ‚normal‘ case of Cost-Benefit-Analysis to
setting of limits to the use of resources/areas/ species etc.
• Natura 2000 sites: minimum level necessary to preserve
‚unsubstitutable‘ ecological services
• Role of Economics
– Limits set target reference points (standards)
– Economists shall calculate efficient ways to hold the limits
– Fisheries will phase restrictions on fishing practice in
Natura 2000 sites => opportunity costs?
Ralf Döring, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald 550 Years1456-2006
FAME WorkshopJune 6-8
2007
Natura 2000 sites – North Sea
SPA (Birds)
FFH-Directive
Source: www.habitatmarenatura2000.de
Natura 2000 sites – Baltic Sea
SPA (Birds)
FFH-Directive
Source: www.habitatmarenatura2000.de
Fisheries economics and the ecosystem-based-approach - Background
• Multi-species-models
• Optimisation models (long-term yields)
• Interactions between fish stocks and the environment (pollution?)
Ralf Döring, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald 550 Years1456-2006
FAME WorkshopJune 6-8
2007
Herring Sprat
Cod Salmon
Seals
Human
Juvenile Cod
Mysidaceen 0-Group Herring
Big zooplankton0-Group Sprat
0-Group Cod
Cod eggsSmall zooplankton
Phytoplankton & Bacteria
Nutrients
Other fish species feeding plankton
Mysidaceen 0- 0- 0-
Phytoplankton
Fisheries economics and the ecosystem-based-approach - Background
Source: Döring et al. 2005
Fisheries economics and the ecosystem-based-approach - Background
• Multi-species-models
• Optimisation models (long-term yields)
• Interactions between fish stocks and the environment (pollution?)
• Sustainable fisheries
Ralf Döring, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald 550 Years1456-2006
FAME WorkshopJune 6-8
2007
Sustainable Fisheries
Stock perspective• Precautionary approach (Bpa,
Blim, minimum stock size)
• Long-term management plans
• Recovery of overused stocks
Ecosystem perspective• External Effects – Measurement
• Opportunity costs of fishing methods
• Preserving ecosystem services
Combined ecological/economic research!
Ralf Döring, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald 550 Years1456-2006
FAME WorkshopJune 6-8
2007
Fisheries economics and the ecosystem-based-approach - Experiences
Typical Quote - Economist
„Why we should care about the environment? We careabout the fishing sector, the fishermen, human activities
and nothing else.“
Ralf Döring, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald 550 Years1456-2006
FAME WorkshopJune 6-8
2007
Fisheries economics and the ecosystem-based-approach - Experiences
Typical Quote - Ecologist
„Why should we care about fishermen? We care about the fish stocks, the environment. Fisheries ruin the ecosystems.“
Ralf Döring, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald 550 Years1456-2006
FAME WorkshopJune 6-8
2007
• Problem: How to reach a sustainable Baltic Cod fishery (overused stock, many external effects (esp. bird bycatch)?
• Two phase strategy developed in a paper: – recover the cod stock as most necessary action for Baltic
Cod, – afterwards switch to longlines as fishing method with few
negative ecological consequences (then economically possible)
• Result: Sustainable Fishery (healthy stock, few negative externalities)?
• Reviewer: I‘m deeply worried about using a single-species approach when you want to describe an ecosystem-based-approach – you need a multi-species-model!
Fisheries economics and the ecosystem-based-approach - Experiences
Ralf Döring, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald 550 Years1456-2006
FAME WorkshopJune 6-8
2007
Herring Sprat
Cod Salmon
Seals
Human
Juvenile Cod
Mysidaceen 0-Group Herring
Big zooplankton0-Group Sprat
0-Group Cod
Cod eggsSmall zooplankton
Phytoplankton & Bacteria
Nutrients
Other fish species feeding plankton
Mysidaceen 0- 0- 0-
Phytoplankton
Fisheries economics and the ecosystem-based-approach - Experiences
Remember!
Management plans in Natura 2000 sites
• Natura 2000 sites in German waters need management plans in a few years
• Debate started what and how to manage• Lack of data on many ecological conse-
quences of fishing– Bird bycatch– Marine Mammal bycatch– Exact fishing grounds of fishing with trawls– Etc.
Ralf Döring, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald 550 Years1456-2006
FAME WorkshopJune 6-8
2007
Fishing effort and bird densities
Clangula hyemalis density and gill nets
Source: Döring et al. 2005
Trawling in sensitive habitats
Sensitive habitats at Kriegers Flak
Trawling tracks
Sand and gravel areas
Source: Döring et al. 2005
Trawling in sensitive habitats
Fishing effort by Germanvessels in the ICES rectangles
38G3
Source: Döring et al. 2005
• Suggestion: Few negative impacts of trawling in 38 G3 and Kriegers Flak but
some change in fishing practice seems necessary to reach the goals
=> Opportunity Costs!
Example: Cod fishery again – fishing methods and costs
Management plans in Natura 2000 sites
Ralf Döring, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald 550 Years1456-2006
FAME WorkshopJune 6-8
2007
Fishing methods and external effectsTable 1. External effects of different fishing methods in Baltic Sea fisheries (Döring et al., 2005)
Bycatch of Fishing Gear
Undersized Specimens of
Target Species
Non-target Species
Birds and Marine
Mammals
Negative Consequences
for Overall Ecosystem
Gill net Low Low, for carefully selected fishing places
Partially high, use of pinger (i.e., sound device) hardly successful
Low, because used in open water
Trap net Low, but greater than with gill nets
No real problem because bycatch survives
Traps must be covered, little information about bycatch of marine mammals
Low, because of fixed position
Longlines Low Low, in most cases
Problematic in some fisheries
Low
Pelagic trawl
Depends on mesh sizes, low survival rate of escaped fishes
Problematic in some areas, e.g. cod bycatch in the Baltic Sea
Low Low
Bottom trawl
High, because escape windows or mesh sizes are inadequate to avoid bycatch
High, because all fishes in front of the ground rope are caught (up to 95%)
Low High, destruction of seabed, plowing of ocean floors, leveling of structural elements etc.
Fishing methods – Longlines vs. Trawls*
Table 2. Fishing costs estimates for Baltic Sea cod fisheries based on the 2004 EU target fleet size (Döring et al., 2005)
Fishing Gear Annual Landings (tonnes) Fishing Costs (Euros per tonne)
1 Bottom trawl 25,000 1,700
2 Bottom trawl 50,000 1,200
3 Bottom trawl 150,000 850
4 Longlines 150,000 1,000
*Estimation of costs compared to allowed landings (row 1 and 2: recovery phase, row 3 + 4: after recovery, stock above Bpa
• Problem: Some change in fishing practice seems necessary to reach the goals – > Opportunity Costs!
• Solutions: – 1. Calculation of these opportunity costs (research planned
with commercial fishing vessels)– 2. If Opportunity Costs are severe payments for fishermen
who avoid external effects (like agri-environmental schemes) – Impossible at the moment
– 3. Certification possible? Selling of fish from these areas under a certain label.
Management plans in Natura 2000 sites
Ralf Döring, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald 550 Years1456-2006
FAME WorkshopJune 6-8
2007
Conclusions/Outlook
• Impact assessments are the first joint efforts in STECF – problems on both sites
• Work ont joined environmental and economic goals (stock levels, less negative impacts, etc.) with an idea about the future of fishing fleets
• Natura 2000 managment plans will be a field of joint advice
• It takes some time to learn at least the basics of biology/ecology as economists
• More complex models may not be the solution!
Ralf Döring, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald 550 Years1456-2006
FAME WorkshopJune 6-8
2007
Thank you very much!