Farming for Natura 2000 Guidance on How to Support Natura 2000 Farming Systems to Achieve Conservation Objectives, Based on Member States Good Practice Experiences

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Farming for Natura 2000 Guidance on How to Support Natura 2000 Farming Systems to Achieve Conservation Objectives, Based on Member States Good Practice Experiences Farming for Natura 2000 Guidance on how to support Natura 2000 farming systems to achieve conservation objectives, based on Member States good practice experiences Environment Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for the use that might be made of the following information. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2018 © European Union, 2018 Reuse is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. The reuse policy of European Commission documents is regulated by Decision 2011/833/EU (OJ L 330, 14.12.2011, p. 39). For any use or reproduction of photos or other material that is not under the EU copyright, permission must be sought directly from the copyright holders. PDF ISBN 978-92-79-95905-9 doi:10.2779/85823 KH-06-18-168-EN-N Getting in touch with the EU In person All over the European Union there are hundreds of Europe Direct information centres. You can find the address of the centre nearest you at: https://europa.eu/european-union/contact_en On the phone or by email Europe Direct is a service that answers your questions about the European Union. You can contact this service: • by freephone: 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (certain operators may charge for these calls), • at the following standard number: +32 22999696 or • by email via: https://europa.eu/european-union/contact_en Finding information about the EU Online Information about the European Union in all the official languages of the EU is available on the Europa web- site at: https://europa.eu/european-union/index_en EU publications You can download or order free and priced EU publications at: https://publications.europa.eu/en/publications. Multiple copies of free publications may be obtained by contacting Europe Direct or your local information centre (see https://europa.eu/european-union/contact_en). EU law and related documents For access to legal information from the EU, including all EU law since 1952 in all the official language ver- sions, go to EUR-Lex at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu Open data from the EU The EU Open Data Portal (http://data.europa.eu/euodp/en) provides access to datasets from the EU. Data can be downloaded and reused for free, both for commercial and non-commercial purposes. This document reflects the view of the European Commission and is not of a binding nature. © European Commission, 2018 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. This document has been prepared for the European Commission by Concha Olmeda (Atecma/N2K GROUP), Clunie Keenleyside, Graham Tucker and Evelyn Underwood (IEEP) under contract N° 070307/2010/580710/SER/B3 Acknowledgements: Some N2K Group members provided helpful comments and contributions, especially: Miroslava Plassmann, Oliviero Spinelli, Marc Thauront and Daniela Zaghi. Kerstin Sundseth revised the final draft and provided useful comments and suggestions. We also thank the following experts at IEEP for their contributions: Christina Ieronymidou, Marianne Kettunen, Ceri Margerison, Andrew McConville and Caitlin McCormack. Guy Beaufoy (European Forum on Nature Conservation and Pastoralism) provided advice and important inputs. An ad-hoc group with participants from different Member States and relevant stakeholders provided expert advice for the development of the guidance, particularly on the policy measures. DG Agriculture and Rural Development has also contributed to this guidance document. Front cover: farming in Mala Fatra mountains, Slovakia, © Gettyimages/phbcz TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................ I-XV PURPOSE OF THIS GUIDE..............................................................................................................1 What is this guidance for? ......................................................................................................................1 Who is this guidance for?........................................................................................................................1 What can you find in this document?.....................................................................................................2 1. INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................4 1.1 Farming across the ages....................................................................................................................4 1.2 Reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy.....................................................................................5 1.3 EU and Member States’ policy commitments on biodiversity .........................................................5 1.4 The Natura 2000 Network ................................................................................................................7 1.5 A partnership between farmers and society ....................................................................................8 2. FARMLAND IN NATURA 2000...................................................................................................9 2.1 What kind of farmland is included in Natura 2000?.........................................................................9 2.2 Which habitats and species of Community interest are concerned?.............................................12 2.2.1 Key farmland habitats of Community interest.............................................................................12 2.2.2 Key farmland species of Community interest..............................................................................17 2.3 What is the current conservation status of habitats and species dependent on agriculture? ......19 2.4 What are the main drivers of agricultural change that need to be addressed?.............................21 2.5 What are the main pressures and threats to habitats and species dependent on agriculture?....21 3. AN OVERVIEW OF THE MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS FOR NATURA 2000............................. 29 3.1 How are Natura 2000 sites to be managed and protected?...........................................................29 3.2 implementing Article 6.1 on Natura 2000 farmland sites ..............................................................33 3.3 Identifying the resources needed for managing Natura 2000 sites ...............................................39 4. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR AGRICULTURAL MANAGEMENT OF NATURA 2000 HABITATS AND SPECIES ................................................................................................................................ 42 4.1 Habitat management......................................................................................................................42 4.2 Species management......................................................................................................................48 4.3 Key considerations for planning the management of Natura 2000 farmland................................51 5. THE CAP AND OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDING FOR NATURA 2000 FARMING SYSTEMS.............. 53 5.1 EU funding for Natura 2000 farmland ............................................................................................53 5.2 Introduction to the reformed CAP as a key source of funding for Natura 2000 farmland.............56 5.3 The environmental reference level for CAP payments...................................................................58 5.4 A new definition of permanent grassland and permanent pasture ...............................................62 5.5 Eligibility of Natura 2000 farmland for CAP payments ...................................................................63 5.6 The importance of supporting the farming system not just the land management ......................65 5.7 CAP support to ensure economic viability of extensive Natura 2000 farming systems.................66 5.8 CAP support for building the capacity of the Natura 2000 farms...................................................71 5.9 CAP and other support for adding value to the produce of Natura 2000 farms............................75 5.10 CAP support for the management of Natura 2000 farmland habitats and species .....................79 5.11 CAP payments for co-operation projects and local partnerships.................................................87 5.12 Other EU funds for Natura 2000...................................................................................................90 5.13 Market-based instruments and innovative instruments..............................................................93 6. DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF MEASURES TO SUPPORT NATURA 2000 FARMLAND MANAGEMENT ..................................................................................................................... 96 6.1 Strategic planning and prioritisation of conservation objectives and funding...............................96 6.2 Identifying Natura 2000 farmland and farming systems, and engaging with the farmers.............99 6.3 Ensuring eligibility for CAP support and setting the reference level............................................103 6.4 Designing and targeting coherent packages of CAP support for Natura 2000 farms...................105 6.5 Securing financial, technical, advisory and administrative resources for implementation..........111 6.6 Monitoring, evaluation and review ..............................................................................................112 REFERENCES ...........................................................................................................................
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