METHODOLOGY FOR BIRD SPECIES RECOVERY PLANNING IN THE EUROPEAN UNION Final Report Contract ENV.B.2./SER/2009/0076r Scientific and technical assistance supporting the implementation of the Birds Directive Prepared by: BirdLife International Sub-contractor: FACE March 2012 0 1 Executive Summary • The European Commission has nearly 20 years of experience in developing and implementing bird species recovery plans. Some of this experience has led to the best known conservation success stories in the EU. However, successful achievement of the EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy requires further strengthening of species recovery efforts, as some of the key targets will depend on that. • The current report was prepared by BirdLife International for the European Commission under service Contract ENV.B.2./SER/2009/0076r “Scientific and technical assistance supporting the implementation of the Birds Directive”. The objective of this contract is to elaborate a new process of producing, approval, monitoring and updating documents supporting the implementation of the Birds Directive (methodology). These documents are: - Species Action Plans for threatened birds listed in Annex I of the Birds Directive; - Species Management Plans for huntable birds considered to be in unfavourable conservation status, listed Annex II of the Birds Directive; - Key Concepts of Article 7(4) of Directive 79/409/EEC. • The contract was implemented by BirdLife International, with the Federation of Associations of Hunting and Conservation in the EU (FACE) as sub-contractor. • For the purpose of this contract, the following tasks were undertaken by the contractors: • Taking stock of the experience with species recovery planning in the EU and analysis of the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for improvement (e.g. coordinated prioritisation, development, review and implementation); • Proposing an objective method to draw up, approve and regularly revise the list of species in need of EU action plans (Annex III) • Elaboration of methods to produce plans, monitor and facilitate their implementation and update (Part 3) • Drawing up a list of species for which plans or population status assessments should be produced (Section 3.2 and Annex III). • Preparation of species status reports for four species (Annex IV) and lessons learned from this exercise were incorporated into the proposed method. • Organisation of an international conference on bird species recovery (Brussels, 23-24 November 2010) and production of conference report (Annex VI). • Analyse strengths, weaknesses and identify opportunities for improving the Key Concepts document and propose a methodology for updating and reviewing the information it contains (Annex VIII). • Issues investigated • Aims of species recovery in international legislation and the EU Biodiversity policy. • Target audience, users and stakeholders to be considered in recovery plans. • Process and procedures of development, approval, review and revision of plans: strengths and weaknesses of the current approach, opportunities for improvement. 2 • Member State experience with species recovery plans at national and international levels. Experience with the implementation of such plans at local level. • Methods for objective selection of species based on prioritisation. Suggested priorities for action plan development, review and LIFE funding. • Assessment of four species with insufficient knowledge of their conservation status by collating and analysing the latest available data from scientific, conservation and resources use stakeholders and investigating the issues involved with the conservation of the species. • In relation to the Key Concepts document, examination of the criteria used for identifying the pre-nuptial and reproductive period, and review of some recent research on this subject. • As the content and methodology of Species Action Plans and Management Plans are very similar a proposal is made to merge them into a single type – Species Recovery Plan, although it should be clear that depending on the species some differences will remain. Proposals are made as to how to adapt the internationally recognised format of the AEWA Single Species Action Plan format to serve this purpose for the EU. • Part 1 of the report presents the policy basis and aims for bird species recovery in the EU. It summarizes the key obligations for the EU Member States arising from international legislation as well as recent decisions under the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) • Part 2 deals with the results of an assessment of the current experience with international species recovery plans in the EU. In order to examine in detail certain issues some examples of national species plans are given. Information for this assessment was collected through literature review, discussion with relevant experts and practitioners and a survey among the member states, which can be found in Annex II of the report. • Part 3 presents proposals for improvement of the species recovery planning process following the life-cycle of the recovery plans. • Part 4 summarises the conclusions from the assessment and the most important recommendations for the future of species recovery in the EU. They are: • Species prioritization criteria should be explicit and linked to threat status (Red list); prioritization exercises should be run periodically, in conjunction to conservation status assessments (e.g. every five-six years). • International coordination and synergies between relevant organisations should be maximized (e.g. European Coordination Group for Bird Species Conservation Planning). • The planning process should be organised in order to accommodate the necessary activities for stakeholder involvement and institutional coordination. • Recovery teams with broader competences should be convened to carry out the full spectrum of tasks envisaged in the planning process. • The planning cycle should be rationalized to provide clear options for monitoring, update and reporting. • The implementation arrangements should be developed and better organized, for example trough a Coordination centre for all plans, a Plan coordinator for each plan, national focal points and regular reporting and feedback. • The Commission and Member States should strive to facilitate better use of resources and access to funding for implementation of the plans by repackaging and communicating the plans into policy and budget relevant packages, targeted to the sectors that can ensure implementation. 3 Part of these proposals were discussed with member states and stakeholders during the Conference on bird species recovery (Brussels, 23-24 November 2010) and on subsequent meetings in the frame of this contract (e.g. the Ornis Committee). Other recommendations are made based on the experience of the contractor and sub-contractor. The most important source for recommendations was a survey among 15 Member States with experience in bird conservation planning. Direct communication with key organisations involved in species recovery actions such as the European Commission DG Environment, AEWA|CMS, the Bern Convention, specialist NGOs and individual experts was maintained throughout the contract. The compilers of this report would like to extend their sincere gratitude to the European Commission, DG Environment staff involved managing this contract for their extraordinary commitment to the subject, their guidance and rigorous quality control. 4 Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................... 2 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 7 Part 1 - Aims of Bird Species Recovery ....................................................................................................... 8 1.1 The Convention of Biological Diversity ..................................................................................... 8 1.2 Species recovery in the EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy ........................................................... 8 1.3 Species recovery aims in the Birds Directive ........................................................................... 9 1.4 Other International commitments of the EU and Member States related to conservation of wild birds ........................................................................................................................................... 10 Part 2 - Experience with Bird Species Recovery Plans in the EU ................................................................ 16 2.1 Bird Species Recovery plans produced by the European Commission: Overview ................ 16 2.2 Scope and methods of the assessment ................................................................................. 17 2.3 Jurisdiction of the recovery plans .......................................................................................... 17 2.4 Who are the recovery plans written for? Definition of their target audience ...................... 18 2.5 Recovery planning cycle ......................................................................................................... 19 2.6 Setting priorities: Selecting species for recovery plans ......................................................... 20 2.7 Defining the scope of the plans ............................................................................................. 22 2.8 Development of recovery plans