Making the Network Reality: Natura 2000 and Lower Danube Green Corridor

Geographical location:

Europe/Middle-East > -Regions- > Danube-Carpathian

Europe/Middle-East > Eastern Europe > Bulgaria
Europe/Middle-East > Eastern Europe > Moldova
Europe/Middle-East > Eastern Europe > Romania
Europe/Middle-East > Eastern Europe > Ukraine
Europe/Middle-East > Europe General

Summary

The project contributes to implementation of the European Union (EU) Habitats and Wild Birds Directives in Romania and Bulgaria by demonstrating participatory management of Natura 2000 sites and related opportunities for socio-economic development of local stakeholders, and feeding this experience into national-level policy making and programming, especially for the mid-term evaluation of rural development, fisheries and the EU Structural and Cohesion Funds. Project activities will take place within the framework of the Lower Danube Green Corridor Agreement and contribute to the practical implementation of this ambitious international floodplain protection and restoration project.

In addition to developing model management guidelines and management plans for Natura 2000 sites, the project will help a range of key local stakeholders to develop Natura 2000-related development activities, especially related to sustainable management of fisheries, agriculture and tourism. A key lever for achieving project aims will be capacity building and practical support for stakeholders to benefit from relevant EU funds, with at least EUR 1 million in support raised for Natura 2000-related activities by 2009.
Lessons learned from the project will be shared with relevant authorities and stakeholders at national level and across the Lower Danube Green Corridor, including areas of Moldova and Ukraine.

Background

By entering the EU in January 2007 Romania is obliged to implement the Natura 2000 Network . The Romanian government is still in the process of completing selection of sites and is currently expected to submit its proposed list of sites to the European Commission (EC) in mid summer 2007. There is still much to do in terms of site selection, as there are still a number of areas, habitats and species where data is either outdated or sparse. However problematic, the process of Natura 2000 site selection in Romania is moving forward, and at this point there appear to be sufficient resources to finish the job. Better late than never, a recently started Phase project that will run through spring 2008 is expected to address many of the remaining problems.

A greater challenge will almost certainly be posed by actual implementation of the network. In Bulgaria, for comparison, the issue of Natura 2000 exploded into the centre of public attention following first government debate on proposed sites at the end of 2006. Natura 2000 filled the newspapers and news programmes for 2 months, and demonstrators walked the streets in favour and against the EU’s conservation network. As happened in many other countries, much of the discussion and conflict was based on myths or misunderstandings regarding the network - e.g. that land would be confiscated from owners or socio-economic activities would no longer be possible. Under severe pressure particularly from developers, the government finally voted to cut out half of the scientific list, including valuable forest areas and virtually the entire Black Sea coast.

In Romania the situation has been much different, with Natura 2000 receiving scarcely any public mention or attention, probably because the issue has not reached governmental decision making. However, this is likely to change - at the latest when the government submits its proposed list of sites to the European Commission.

Experience from Bulgaria and many other countries underlines the importance of being able to provide accurate information regarding Natura 2000 before or latest when the issue enters the focus of public attention, and engaging with key stakeholder groups in order to dispel popular misconceptions and largely unfounded fears regarding the network. It is important that people understand the reason for the network, its requirements and implications as well as potential opportunities that it holds for them. As underlined by the case of Bulgaria, this is especially important in a country where very many people depend on the land, forests and other natural resources for their existence, where there is a strong development imperative and only limited experience with EU policies.

Beyond providing accurate information to people and preventing unfounded fears regarding the network, a deeper and longer-term challenge is to actually move forward and integrate Natura 2000 and broader concern for nature and the environment into decision making across sectors and interests and at all levels, from national to local. As in other post-communist societies, there is still little experience in Romania of integrated approaches to development or cross-sectoral cooperation.

Objectives

Demonstrate participatory management of Natura 2000 sites and related development opportunities for local stakeholders in the Lower Danube Green Corridor in Romania and Bulgaria.

Solution

The proposed project contributes to implementation of the EU Habitats and Wild Birds Directives, and especially Natura 2000 in Romania by:

1) Supporting the inter-ministerial working group on Natura 2000 that was recently created by the Romanian Ministry of Environment and Water, and which currently includes representatives of the Ministries of Agriculture and Forests, Interior, Finance, Transportation and Tourism, and Defense.

2) Raising awareness and promoting understanding of Natura 2000 and related requirements, implications and opportunities, particularly among key stakeholders including the most relevant government ministries, foresters and forest owners and private businesses.

3) Demonstrating and promoting stakeholder involvement in Natura 2000 management through the creation of stakeholder platforms for Natura 2000 in the regions of Maramures and the Danube Delta.