ECNC

Shaping the European Ecological Network

Joint Secretariat of the programme element ‘Establishment of the Pan-European Ecological Network’ of the Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy
ECNC, together with the Council of Europe’s Natural Heritage and Biological Diversity Division, holds the Secretariat of the Pan-European Ecological Network (PEEN). This Secretariat facilitates the implementation of the PEEN as part of the Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy (PEBLDS). In October 2008 ECNC attended (as part of the PEEN Secretariat) the meeting of the Committee of Experts for the development of the Pan-European Ecological Network, in Strasbourg, France. ECNC staff presented on the project 'Ecological networks, from spatial strategy to implementation' (SPEN – see below) and reported on the outcomes of the international workshop on planning, stakeholder involvement, practical delivery and cost-benefits of ecological networks, organized as part of the project and held in Oisterwijk (the Netherlands) on 1 and 2 October 2008. As part of its role in the PEEN Secretariat, ECNC has also been involved in the preparation of an International Conference on Protected Areas and Ecological Networks that will be held in Spain, in 2010.

Funding: ECNC core funding.

Restoring ecological networks across transport corridors in Bulgaria
Transport corridors, such as roads and railways, have been proven to be major causes of habitat fragmentation. They not only cause the loss of natural habitats but also affect the quality of adjacent habitats, inhibit animal movements and increase unnatural wildlife mortality due to collisions with traffic. The main objective of the project was to develop a long-term programme for defragmentation measures at transport corridors in Bulgaria in order to restore ecological networks and preserve biodiversity. ECNC took part in the project’s Expert Group and provided input to the final report of the project which is available at: www.roadecology-bulgaria.com/documents.

Funding: Netherlands Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (BBI-Matra).
Partners:  Alterra (the Netherlands; lead partner); one European partner and six Bulgarian partners.
More details: www.ecnc.org/completed-projects_37.html?action=detail&id=61
www.alterra.wur.nl

Development of a Carpathian Ecological Network
The aim of the project is to design, implement and provide a platform for the future management of the ecological network for the Carpathians. ECNC is participating in the Project Steering Committee to monitor the project implementation process and give guidance to the implementation in order to secure the project outcomes, meet the policy needs and wishes of responsible ministries of Romania, Ukraine and Serbia and of the Carpathian Convention, as well as to monitor the coherence and compatibility of the Ecological Network for the Carpathians with the Pan-European Ecological Network and with the implementation process of the Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy (PEBLDS).

In 2008 ECNC participated in one meeting of experts (in Kyiv, Ukraine) and attended a further workshop to develop the process of building the network (in Kosice, Slovakia). The final project meeting will be held in Bratislava in 2009 and ECNC will also contribute to the content and editing of the final report for the project.

This project is an excellent example of a cross-boundary ecological network being promoted across a biogeographic region, with a number of interesting innovations such as a 'threats map' to identify areas of greatest opportunity for implementation of the network. There may be a number of opportunities to develop follow-up projects based on the outcomes of the final report.

Funding: Netherlands Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (BBI-Matra).
Partners: Wageningen International (the Netherlands; lead partner); Bio/consult Ltd. (Denmark); DAPHNE-Institute of Applied Ecology (Slovakia); Alterra (the Netherlands); Carpathian Convention Bureau; Carpathian EcoRegion Initiative (CERI; Slovakia); WWF-Danube Carpathian Programme.
More details: www.ecnc.org/ongoing-projects_36.html?action=detail&id=62
www.carpates.org

Spatial planning and ecological networks – SPEN
Spatial planning is a decisive sector in the planning of land use in space and therefore in the implementation of ecological networks. SPEN has been one of the first comparative studies on the interaction between policy on spatial planning and ecological networks in Europe. This aim of this project, which was coordinated by ECNC, was therefore to fill this gap in research. The project aimed at mapping the level of interaction between policy on spatial planning and ecological networks in Europe and in five selected countries (Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain) and at stimulating the involvement of spatial planning in the further development of ecological networks in Europe.

In 2008 the project delivered a final report, the 'project portfolio', which included an overview of most recent insights, concepts and approaches regarding spatial planning and ecological networks in European countries or regions; an analysis of interactions and possible bottlenecks between both circuits and the position of territorial nature policy and landscape policy in relation to spatial planning; five country reports with overview of national policy fields; and a database of national and international contacts and organizations. The final seminar of the project took the form of an international workshop on planning, stakeholder involvement, practical delivery and cost-benefits of ecological networks, held in Oisterwijk (the Netherlands), on 1 and 2 October 2008; some 60 participants received the portfolio.

The project time span is April 2007 to January 2009.

Funding: Netherlands Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, Directorate Knowledge Management.
Partners: Syzygy (the Netherlands); Orbicon A/S (Denmark); Leibniz Institute of Ecological and Regional Development (IÖR, Germany); Agency for Nature Conservation and Landscape Protection of the Czech Republic (AOPK; Czech Republic); Terra (Spain).
More details:  www.ecnc.org/ongoing-projects_36.html?action=detail&id=59
www.ecologicalnetworks.eu

Development of a national ecological network in FYR Macedonia – MAK-NEN
The main objective of this project, coordinated by ECNC, is to develop a National Ecological Network in Macedonia as part of the Pan-European Ecological Network (PEEN). The project started in July 2008, and will run until 2011.

One of the main objectives of the project is the production of a MAK-NEN map, which will include ecological corridors and restoration areas of national importance in Macedonia and connect them with the existing core areas and buffer zones to provide ecological connectivity. In addition, to further promote the PEEN and ecological networks, the project will develop a Management Plan for an ecological corridor for large carnivores, with special focus on the Brown Bear (Ursus arctos), involving all the key stakeholders (such as ministries, national institutions, landowners, forestry officers, national park management, local municipalities and local people). In parallel with these activities there will be a national awareness-raising campaign about the newly prepared ecological network targeted at both the relevant stakeholders and the general public.

The first project team meeting was held on 25 and 26 November 2008 in Skopje, FYR Macedonia. A plan was drawn up for the national awareness-raising campaign, defining target groups, the messages to be addressed to them and the means of delivering those messages. Progress was also made on preparing a review of the biodiversity of FYR Macedonia in an international context, and a scientific study of the Brown bear.

Funding: Netherlands Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (BBI-Matra).
Partners: Macedonian Ecological Society (MES; FYR Macedonia).
More details: www.ecnc.org/ongoing-projects_30.html?action=detail&id=63