“Natura 2000” ecological network in the aspect of sustainable development
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The work discusses the operation of the “Natura 2000” European Ecological Network in aspects related to sustainable development, i.e. taking into account economic undertakings and planned business projects which conform to the idea of sound management of natural resources. The legal basis for the Natura 2000 network is the Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC and the Birds Directive 79/409/EEC, which have been transposed into the Polish law, especially in the Act of 16 April 2004 on the protection of nature. Both environmental conservation directives seek to establish an ecological network of protected areas (so-called Natura 2000 sites) across Europe. In Poland, Natura 2000 comprises Special Protection Areas for birds (SPAs, or bird sites), Special Areas of Conservation (SACs, or habitat sites) and Sites of Community Importance (SCIs) (based on the Act on the protection of nature). Studies have demonstrated that Poland currently has a total of 141 SPAs with an area of 55,228 km2, which makes up 15.6% of Poland’s land area, and 364 SACs occupying 2.89 million ha, which represents 8.95% of the total area of Poland. The Natura 2000 European Ecological Network Programme supports the principle of sustainable development in the context of guidelines set out in Art. 6 (3) and (4) of the Habitats Directive (92/42/EEC) under which any plan or project which is likely to have a significant impact on a Natura 2000 site should be subject to appropriate assessment to determine how it affects the site. Environmental impact assessment is a preventative nature conservation tool which, based on thorough consideration of different implementation options of specific projects combined with public opinion research, helps eliminate solutions that fail to comply with the overriding principle of sustainable development.Keywords:
Natura 2000
Habitats Directive
Ecological network
Directive
European Ecological Network Natura 2000 is a system of protection of threatened components of biodiversity in the EU. The legal basis for the creation of the Natura 2000 network is Council Directive 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979 on the conservation of wild birds (Birds Directive) and Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and wild fauna and flora (Habitats Directive). Natura 2000 sites are the youngest form of nature conservation in Poland. The author presents developing and geographical location of the Natura 2000 network in the Lublin Region. Against the background of Poland, the Lublin Region has the most – 123 – designated Natura 2000 sites: 100 habitat sites and 23 birds sites. These areas are extremely diverse in terms of location, area and character. Location of Natura 2000 in the Lublin Region is uneven. Their position refers in large part to a pre-existing network of the protected areas. Only 5 habitat sites and 23 bird sites designated in areas not covered so far areal forms of nature conservation. None of Lublin Natura 2000 areas has, as required by law, protection plans, for the eight habitat sites there are created conservation work plans. Also missing is good, kept up to map, the entire Natura 2000 network in Poland and the Lublin Region. The process of creating the Natura 2000 network in Poland is still ongoing. To meet the Natura 2000, its role of protection of species and habitat conservation plans are needed and their consistent implementation, taking into account the investment process and building public support for the existence and functioning of the newest forms of nature conservation in our country.
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In 1992, the famous European Natura 2000 network, designed in the late 1980s and early 1990s found its way into the EU’s key biodiversity instrument, the Habitats Directive. The word ‘network’ indicates that protected areas are linked to each other and, thus, establish connectivity. It was only in the decade after the adoption of the Habitats Directive, that the term ‘connectivity’ was coined, mainly in connection to climate change. It is generally thought that connecting natural areas allows species and habitats to adapt to the changing climate. One would, therefore, think that a) the EU was well ahead of time when instituting the Natura 2000 network, and b) already has the legal tools available to facilitate or even require connectivity measures to be taken. This contribution will show that this is true only to a certain extent. The main question addressed in this paper is: does the current legislative framework establishing the EU’s Natura 2000 network require Member States to implement connectivity measures? Following steps will be taken to address this question. First, I will very briefly explain what connectivity is and show that there is a growing need for connectivity measures to be taken. Then, I will deal with the Natura 2000 network, both the way it has been put into legal provisions (law in the books) and the way it works in practice (law in action). From this section, it will become apparent that current Natura 2000 law does not provide the robust legal framework that is needed to meet the growing need for connectivity. It shows that the current legislative framework depends much upon voluntary actions by the EU Member States and that more stringent formulations of connectivity requirements in the Habitats Directive are needed to ascertain connectivity conservation throughout Europe. I present several ways forward, drawing on recent case law by the EU Court of Justice.
Natura 2000
Habitats Directive
Ecological network
Directive
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European Ecological Network Natura 2000 is a system of protection of threatened components of biodiversity in the EU. The legal basis for the creation of the Natura 2000 network is Council Directive 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979 on the conservation of wild birds (Birds Directive) and Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and wild fauna and flora (Habitats Directive). Natura 2000 sites are the youngest form of nature conservation in Poland. The author presents developing and geographical location of the Natura 2000 network in the Lublin Region. Against the background of Poland, the Lublin Region has the most – 123 – designated Natura 2000 sites: 100 habitat sites and 23 birds sites. These areas are extremely diverse in terms of location, area and character. Location of Natura 2000 in the Lublin Region is uneven. Their position refers in large part to a pre-existing network of the protected areas. Only 5 habitat sites and 23 bird sites designated in areas not covered so far areal forms of nature conservation. None of Lublin Natura 2000 areas has, as required by law, protection plans, for the eight habitat sites there are created conservation work plans. Also missing is good, kept up to map, the entire Natura 2000 network in Poland and the Lublin Region. The process of creating the Natura 2000 network in Poland is still ongoing. To meet the Natura 2000, its role of protection of species and habitat conservation plans are needed and their consistent implementation, taking into account the investment process and building public support for the existence and functioning of the newest forms of nature conservation in our country.
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Habitats Directive
Ecological network
Directive
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Summary Environmental policy integration is an acknowledged principle of sustainable development. Spatial planning may be a useful means of integrating two policies with differing objectives. The Birds and Habitats Directives of the European Union (EU) aim at preserving biodiversity through the conservation of the Natura 2000 protected areas network, while the EU's Environmental Noise Directive aims at improving human health and wellbeing by controlling environmental noise, through the preservation of Quiet Areas (QAs). Using Greece as an example, an integrated network of Natura 2000 sites and QAs permitted the identification of potential spatial overlaps. The established Natura 2000 network incorporates more than 30% of the QAs located in the open countryside of Greece, and the combined network includes 17 out of the 19 conservation priority habitat types. Flagship species (like bear, wolf and wild goat) show a preference for sites containing QAs. It may be possible to combine these two EU policies efficiently, as protected and quiet areas appear to be mutually beneficial.
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In 1992, the famous European Natura 2000 network, designed in the late 1980s and early 1990s found its way into the EU’s key biodiversity instrument, the Habitats Directive. The word ‘network’ indicates that protected areas are linked to each other and, thus, establish connectivity. It was only in the decade after the adoption of the Habitats Directive, that the term ‘connectivity’ was coined, mainly in connection to climate change. It is generally thought that connecting natural areas allows species and habitats to adapt to the changing climate. One would, therefore, think that a) the EU was well ahead of time when instituting the Natura 2000 network, and b) already has the legal tools available to facilitate or even require connectivity measures to be taken. This contribution will show that this is true only to a certain extent. The main question addressed in this paper is: does the current legislative framework establishing the EU’s Natura 2000 network require Member States to implement connectivity measures? Following steps will be taken to address this question. First, I will very briefly explain what connectivity is and show that there is a growing need for connectivity measures to be taken. Then, I will deal with the Natura 2000 network, both the way it has been put into legal provisions (law in the books) and the way it works in practice (law in action). From this section, it will become apparent that current Natura 2000 law does not provide the robust legal framework that is needed to meet the growing need for connectivity. It shows that the current legislative framework depends much upon voluntary actions by the EU Member States and that more stringent formulations of connectivity requirements in the Habitats Directive are needed to ascertain connectivity conservation throughout Europe. I present several ways forward, drawing on recent case law by the EU Court of Justice.
Natura 2000
Habitats Directive
Ecological network
Directive
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Citations (2)
The work discusses the operation of the “Natura 2000” European Ecological Network in aspects related to sustainable development, i.e. taking into account economic undertakings and planned business projects which conform to the idea of sound management of natural resources. The legal basis for the Natura 2000 network is the Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC and the Birds Directive 79/409/EEC, which have been transposed into the Polish law, especially in the Act of 16 April 2004 on the protection of nature. Both environmental conservation directives seek to establish an ecological network of protected areas (so-called Natura 2000 sites) across Europe. In Poland, Natura 2000 comprises Special Protection Areas for birds (SPAs, or bird sites), Special Areas of Conservation (SACs, or habitat sites) and Sites of Community Importance (SCIs) (based on the Act on the protection of nature). Studies have demonstrated that Poland currently has a total of 141 SPAs with an area of 55,228 km2, which makes up 15.6% of Poland’s land area, and 364 SACs occupying 2.89 million ha, which represents 8.95% of the total area of Poland. The Natura 2000 European Ecological Network Programme supports the principle of sustainable development in the context of guidelines set out in Art. 6 (3) and (4) of the Habitats Directive (92/42/EEC) under which any plan or project which is likely to have a significant impact on a Natura 2000 site should be subject to appropriate assessment to determine how it affects the site. Environmental impact assessment is a preventative nature conservation tool which, based on thorough consideration of different implementation options of specific projects combined with public opinion research, helps eliminate solutions that fail to comply with the overriding principle of sustainable development.
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457 Recent Developments in EU Environmental Policy and Law* This section briefly reports on significant political initiatives as well as legal acts and political strate- gies adopted in the environmental field between mid-July and mid-September. Biodiversity and Natural Resources Extension of Natura 2000 network According to the Commission, significant progress has been achieved in extending the Natura 2000 network to the ten new Member States.' The Natura 2ooo network is an EU-wide ecological net- work of special areas of protection set up under the Birds and Habitats Directives.2 The Birds Directive provides for the creation of 'Special Protection Areas' (SPAs)
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The work discusses the operation of the “Natura 2000” European Ecological Network in aspects related to sustainable development, i.e. taking into account economic undertakings and planned business projects which conform to the idea of sound management of natural resources. The legal basis for the Natura 2000 network is the Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC and the Birds Directive 79/409/EEC, which have been transposed into the Polish law, especially in the Act of 16 April 2004 on the protection of nature. Both environmental conservation directives seek to establish an ecological network of protected areas (so-called Natura 2000 sites) across Europe. In Poland, Natura 2000 comprises Special Protection Areas for birds (SPAs, or bird sites), Special Areas of Conservation (SACs, or habitat sites) and Sites of Community Importance (SCIs) (based on the Act on the protection of nature). Studies have demonstrated that Poland currently has a total of 141 SPAs with an area of 55,228 km2, which makes up 15.6% of Poland’s land area, and 364 SACs occupying 2.89 million ha, which represents 8.95% of the total area of Poland. The Natura 2000 European Ecological Network Programme supports the principle of sustainable development in the context of guidelines set out in Art. 6 (3) and (4) of the Habitats Directive (92/42/EEC) under which any plan or project which is likely to have a significant impact on a Natura 2000 site should be subject to appropriate assessment to determine how it affects the site. Environmental impact assessment is a preventative nature conservation tool which, based on thorough consideration of different implementation options of specific projects combined with public opinion research, helps eliminate solutions that fail to comply with the overriding principle of sustainable development.
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The Natura 2000 network is regarded as one of the conservation success stories in the global effort to protect biodiversity. However, significant challenges remain in Natura 2000 implementation, owing to its rapid expansion, and lack of a coherent vision for its future. Scientific research is critical for identifying conservation priorities, setting management goals, and reconciling biodiversity protection and society in the complex political European landscape. Thus, there is an urgent need for a comprehensive evaluation of published Natura 2000 research to highlight prevalent research themes, disciplinary approaches, and spatial entities. We conducted a systematic review of 572 scientific articles and conference proceedings focused on Natura 2000 research, published between 1996 and 2014. We grouped these articles into 'ecological' and 'social and policy' categories. Using a novel application of network analysis of article keywords, we found that Natura 2000 research forms a cohesive small-world network, owing to the emphasis on ecological research (79% of studies, with a strong focus on spatial conservation planning), and the underrepresentation of studies addressing 'social and policy' issues (typically focused on environmental impact assessment, multi-level governance, agri-environment policy, and ecosystem services valuation). 'Ecological' and 'social and policy' research shared only general concepts (e.g., Natura 2000, Habitats Directive) suggesting a disconnection between these disciplines. The UK and the Mediterranean basin countries dominated Natura 2000 research, and there was a weak correlation between number of studies and proportion of national territory protected. Approximately 40% of 'social and policy' research and 26% of 'ecological' studies highlighted negative implications of Natura 2000, while 21% of studies found positive social and biodiversity effects. We emphasize the need for designing inter- and transdisciplinary research in order to promote a social-ecological understanding of Natura 2000, and advance EU conservation policies.
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