Birdlife forestry NATURA2000

What are the potential synergies between

Forestry and Natura2000?

Dr. Peri KourakliForest Task Force Coordinator

WHO WE ARE

Birdlife International is the largest global partnership of conservation organisations

We conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources

Stichting BirdLife Europe is a partnership of 45 nature conservation organisations with almost 3,000 staff, 1.9 million members and more than 6,000 reserves covering over 300,000 hectares in Europe, Central Asia and Israel

What about forestry and NATURA2000 forests in the EU?

FOREST EUROPE Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe

There are several pan National initiatives to foster “Sustainable Forest Management (SFM)”:46 countries (from EU to Russia)Define “SFM” (Helsinki 1993)“General guidelines for SFM” (Helsinki 1993)“Pan-European Operational Guidelines for SFM”

(Lisbon 1998)“Improved Pan-European Indicators for SFM”

(Vienna 2002)Negotiations for a Legally Binding

Agreement/LBA on Forests in Europe (Oslo 2011)

indicative Article 3 1. …. Member States shall take the requisite measures to preserve, maintain or re-establish a sufficient diversity and area of habitats for all the species of birds....

2. The preservation, maintenance and re-establishment of biotopes and habitats shall include primarily the following measures: …….. (b) upkeep and management in accordance with the ecological needs of habitats inside and outside the protected zones……

CONSERVATION OF WILD BIRDS DIRECTIVE 2009/147/EC

5//19

Art. 2: “to maintain or restore, at favourable conservation status, natural habitats and species of wild fauna and flora of Community interest”

Art. 10: “MS shall endeavour (…) in their land use planning and development policies (…), with a view to improving the ecological coherence of the Natura 2000 network , to encourage the management of features of the landscape of major importance for wild flora and fauna (…)”

Art. 6.1: “establish necessary conservation measures, if need be management plans – specifically designed or integrated to other plans – and appropriate (…) measures corresponding to the ecological requirement of habitats and species present on the sites”

HABITAT AND SPECIES DIRECTIVE 92/43/EC

indicative

By 2020, Forest Management Plans or equivalent instruments, in line with Sustainable Forest Management (SFM), are in place for all forests that are publicly owned and for forest holdings above a certain size* that receive funding under the EU Rural Development Policy so as to bring about a measurable improvement (*) in the conservation status of species and habitats that depend on or are affected by forestry and in the provision of related ecosystem services as compared to the EU 2010 Baseline.(*) Improvement is to be measured against the quantified enhancement targets for

the conservation status of species and habitats of EU interest in Target 1 and the restoration of degraded ecosystems under target 2.

(**) For smaller forest holdings, Member States may provide additional incentives to encourage the adoption of Management Plans or equivalent instruments that

are in line with SFM.

2020 BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY

Most relevent element Target 3b: Sustainable Forestry

Are these appliedby the MS?

?

Unsustainable forest management, fragmentation, airborne pollution and climate change are major threats to Europe's forest biodiversity

Interacting pressures on forest ecosystems are increasing, they threaten species and habitats of European interest

Old growth forests are the most valuable forest type in terms of storing biodiversity (including genetic variety) and carbon but only 4% of Europe’s forests are undisturbed by humans

Remaining old-growth forests are being felled

European Environmental Agencykey findings on forest biodiversity, 2010

Source: ETC/BD,in EEA 2010

MESSAGES FROM FOREST ECOSYSTEMS

West EuropeCentral & East Europe

North EuropeSouth Europe

REGIONAL INDICATORS OF COMMON FOREST BIRDS IN 4 EUROPEAN REGIONS

Source: European Bird Census Council, www.ebcc.info

Forest Birds in EU

Trend of species increasing 12 declining 11 stable 7 uncertain 3

“On the Way to Recovery“Birdlife Assessment of the Progress

on the EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy Progress assessment summary:Wood production is the main goal of forest

managementForest undisturbed by humans are only 4% in

Europe Guidelines and monitoring for SFM is lacking

Any future messages for synergies between forestry and

NATURA2000 management?

Key Actions of 2020 Biodiversity StrategyTarget 1: Conservation status assessment (Bird& Habitats Directives)

MS have started assessments and have displayed several good practices

Biogeographical Seminars to ensure good management of Natura 2000 sites

Seminars held include only habitats’ management

Target 3b: Encourage forest holders to establish-fund Management Plans

& Integrate biodiversity measures in forest management plansCAP/ RDR forest measures: Management Plans or

equivalent are included but MEPs have asked for these to be removed, while several oppose any biodiversity measures

EU LEVEL

Article 3/ Bird’s Directive asks MS to “..take the requisite measures to preserve, maintain or re-establish a sufficient diversity and area of habitats for all the species of birds....”

Some MS have designated special measures for wild birds including forestry; most haven’t implemented N2k

management plans in forestsArticle 8.4/ Habitats’ Directive asks the EC to “… adopt, having

regard to the available sources of funding … a prioritised action framework of measures involving co-financing…”

Under developed by MS&EC. Funding is one of the main obstacles for biodiversity-friendly forest management.

EU Budget under discussion & biodiversity under pressure

Development of a new 2020 Forest Strategy MS & EC have decided to aim for forest multi-functionality and

coherence in application; if not well planned, it will fail

Development of LULUCF legislation

EU LEVEL

NATIONAL LEVEL

Several MS have taken small steps forward due to their forest or biodiversity strategy, eg. Germany started serious discussions on forest protection

(Project “Impacts of nature protection requirements on forestry -forest sector”)

Sweden implemented measures for the enhancement of forest biodiversity over the last CAP period

Bulgaria have started to monitor dead wood of forests GB have started to measure each habitats condition

Significant volunteer initiatives are taking place, eg. Austria; SFM guidelines developed through the

cooperation of BirdLife Austria and Austrian Federal Company (ÖBf)

Volunteer certification schemes have supported forest biodiversity in some countries (eg. FSC in Spain & UK)

Are we on the right track to achieve the

2020 Biodiversity Strategy goals for

forests?

Are we ready to take advantage of the opportunities

of the biodiversity- friendly forest management in

NATURA2000?

Let’s discuss this

[email protected]