Natura 2000 and Forests
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Technical Report - 2015 - 088 ©Peter Loeffler Natura 2000 and Forests Part I-II Environment Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union New freephone number: 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 A great deal of additional information on the European Union is available on the Internet. It can be accessed through the Europa server (http://ec.europa.eu). Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2015 ISBN 978-92-79-49396-6 doi: 10.2779/699873 © European Union, 2015 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. Disclaimer This document is for information purposes only. It in no way creates any obligation for the Member States or project developers. The definitive interpretation of Union law is the sole prerogative of the Court of Justice of the EU. Cover Photo: Peter Löffler This document was prepared by François Kremer and Joseph Van der Stegen (DG ENV, Nature Unit) and Maria Gafo Gomez-Zamalloa and Tamas Szedlak (DG AGRI, Environment, forestry and climate change Unit) with the assistance of an ad-hoc working group on Natura 2000 and Forests composed by representatives from national nature conservation and forest authorities, scientific institutes and stakeholder organisations and of the N2K GROUP under contract to the European Commission, in particular Concha Olmeda, Carlos Ibero and David García (Atecma S.L) and Kerstin Sundseth (Ecosystems LTD). Natura 2000 and Forests Part I-II TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I - An introduction to Natura 2000, the EU forest policy and funding opportunities for forest in Natura 2000 PURPOSE OF THIS DOCUMENT ........................................................................................... 1 Why a new document on Natura 2000 and forests? ............................................................... 1 Why is there a need for a constructive dialogue? .................................................................... 2 What is the objective of this document? Who is it for? ............................................................ 4 What can you find in this document? ....................................................................................... 5 1. FORESTS AND THE EU POLICY CONTEXT ..................................................................... 8 1.1 State of the EU’s forests ................................................................................................... 8 1.1.1 Ecological background of forest habitats ................................................................ 9 1.1.2 Multifunctionality - a key principle in EU forests ...................................................... 9 1.1.3 Ecosystem services provided by EU forests to society .......................................... 10 1.1.4 Forest ownership ................................................................................................... 11 1.1.5 Key threats and pressures ..................................................................................... 11 1.1.6 Natural forest ecology and Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) in Europe ...... 12 1.2 EU policy context for forests ............................................................................................ 13 1.2.1 The new EU Forest Strategy ................................................................................. 13 1.2.2 EU financial support for forests ............................................................................. 14 1.2.3 LIFE + .................................................................................................................. 16 2. THE EU BIRDS AND HABITATS DIRECTIVES ................................................................ 19 2.1 The EU’s commitment to preserving Europe’s biodiversity ............................................... 19 2.2 The Birds and Habitats Directives .................................................................................... 20 2.3 The conservation status of EU protected species and habitats ....................................... 21 2.4 Main pressures and threats on forest habitats and species of EU Importance ................. 22 2.5 The Natura 2000 Network ................................................................................................ 25 2.6 The protection and management of Natura 2000 sites .................................................... 27 2.6.1 Setting conservation objectives ............................................................................. 29 2.6.2 Establishing the necessary conservation measures .............................................. 29 2.6.3 Natura 2000 management planning instruments ................................................... 30 2.6.4 Avoiding deterioration and preventing adverse effects .......................................... 30 2.6.5 Improving connectivity of the Natura 2000 network ............................................... 31 2.7 Financing the management of Natura 2000 sites ............................................................. 31 2.8 Species protection across the EU territory ....................................................................... 32 2.9 Tackling non-native species across the EU ...................................................................... 33 3. FORESTS IN NATURA 2000: AN OVERVIEW ................................................................. 34 3.1 European forests and their importance for biodiversity ..................................................... 34 3.2 Forests designated for Natura 2000 ................................................................................. 34 PART II 4. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ....................................................................... 38 4.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 38 4.2 Designating sites for Natura 2000 ................................................................................... 39 4.3 Setting conservation objectives for Natura 2000 sites ..................................................... 41 4.4 Implementing conservation measures for forest habitats/species in Natura 2000 sites .... 44 4.5 Ensuring the non-deterioration of Natura 2000 sites ........................................................ 55 4.6 Forest management practices and Natura 2000 requirements ......................................... 58 4.7 Financing the conservation and management of Natura 2000 sites ................................ 69 4.8 New activities in Natura 2000 sites ................................................................................. 76 4.9 Monitoring and evaluation ................................................................................................ 83 4.10 Communication, co-operation, active involvement of stakeholders................................ 85 4.11 The protection of species and habitats of EU importance across their range, outside Natura 2000 sites ................................................................................................................... 88 ANNEXES Annex 1: Glossary and acronyms ……………………………...………………………..………..90 Annex 2: List of forest habitat types and species of Community interest that require the designation of special areas of conservation and/or which require strict protection in accordance with the Habitats Directive, and bird species that shall be the subject of special conservation measures in accordance with the Birds Directives ..…………………...…………97 Annex 3: Main pressures and threats on EU forests ………………...………………………..104 PART III Good practice experiences from different Member States in managing forests in Natura 2000 1 Natura 2000 and Forests PURPOSE OF THIS DOCUMENT Why a new document on Natura 2000 and forests? This document has been produced in response to concerns raised by both forest owners and managers, and nature conservationists, over the management of forests in Natura 2000 sites and to take account of the new threats and opportunities that have become apparent since the last guidance1 was published. To address these concerns, the Commission services of DG Environment and DG Agriculture set up an ad-hoc working group in 2012 to bring together different stakeholders and allow for a full and frank discussion on the aims of Natura 2000 and its implications for landowners and managers whose forests are included in Natura 2000. This has led to the elaboration of the present document. Its aim is to outline, in an easily understandable way the key provisions of Natura 2000 in the context of other relevant EU policies and initiatives concerning forests (in particular the new EU Forest Strategy and the Common Agricultural Policy with its new Rural Development Regulation for 2014-2020); and to answer a number of questions and concerns that are frequently raised by stakeholders as regards the management of forests in Natura 2000.The document also aims at promoting the integration of Natura 2000 conservation objectives into the management of Natura 2000 forests while insisting on the importance of mutual information, understanding and cooperation between all parties affected by or involved in the management of forests in Natura 2000. In this way, the document should help optimizing the management of Natura 2000 forests with a view to achieving the goal of favourable conservation status of forest related habitats and species covered by Natura 2000 which will be a key contribution to meeting the EU 2020 targets on halting and reversing