The LIFE+ MAP Natura 2000 Spain project ends with the development of a Priority Action Framework to finance the Natura 2000 Network. The project LIFE+ MAP Natura 2000 Spain, co-financed by the European Commission and coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation and the Directorate-General for Environmental Quality and Assessment and the Natural Environment of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, has concluded, after two and a half years of work, with the preparation of a Priority Action Framework in which 5 strategic priorities and nearly 200 measures have been established for the conservation of the constituent areas of the Spanish Natura 2000 Network.
This LIFE project was born with the aim of improving the financing and management capacity of the Natura 2000 Network in Spain, the country that contributes the most territory to this Network in the European Union with more than 27% of the national area, a fact that illustrates the importance of this initiative.
This objective has been achieved through the preparation and implementation of a Priority Action Framework (MAP). This Framework establishes the strategic priorities in the management of the Natura 2000 Network at national level, defining the actions to be carried out in the Network and identifying the potential role that European funds have in its financing.
INFORMATION ON FUNDING NEEDS
The MAP is ultimately a document that should enable Member States to organise and provide the necessary information on their Natura 2000 funding needs. With its development, it is intended to contribute to the fulfilment of Article 8 of the Habitats Directive, which proposes the development of a European Priority Action Framework, based on the contributions of the Member States, which includes the measures to be developed for the habitats and species of the Habitats and Birds Directives.
During the two and a half years of work, this project has been developed through multiple phases. The first consisted of the creation of a Working Group made up of representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment and the public administrations responsible for the Natura 2000 Network areas.
This Working Group has collaborated in the definition and review of the contents of the MAP, providing the relevant information – management instruments, strategic priorities, conservation measures and experience in the use of European funds, among others – and reviewing the working documents. Likewise, a conference of public participation in which more than 120 experts at the national level made their contributions for the preparation of the final document.
The more than 200 measures necessary for the management of the Natura 2000 Network that have been outlined correspond to these five priorities: improvement of knowledge for management, ensuring the effective management of Natura 2000 Network protected areas (planning, promotion of compatible uses, etc.), maintenance or restoration of the favourable conservation status of Natura 2000 habitat types and species, surveillance and monitoring and information, training and awareness-raising.
In order to analyse the possibilities offered by the main European financial instruments to implement the necessary measures included in the MAP, the Working Group “Nature and Biodiversity Conservation and Community Funds” was created within the framework of the Network of Environmental Authorities. Thus, the integration of the priorities of the MAP in Spain with the financing instruments of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), the European Social Fund (ESF), the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) has been analysed. Finally, a pilot project for the regional application of the MAP has been developed through the realization of the MAP for Castilla y León.
In this context, other innovative financing instruments in addition to the financing resources traditionally used have also been assessed and analysed in the LIFE+ MAP Natura 2000 Spain. Among the resources available for this purpose and that have been analyzed in the study are capital funds, green funds, taxes, fees, tax benefits, carbon credits, payment for environmental services and conservation banks.
Once this phase was concluded, the pilot actions were selected and designed, the objective of which was to demonstrate the usefulness of the MAP for the management of the Natura 2000 Network. One of the pilot actions carried out has been the development of an innovative model of integrated and participatory management of the Natura 2000 Network of state competence in the marine environment.
All the information regarding the phases developed, as well as other aspects of LIFE+MAP Natura 2000 Spain can be found on the specific website of the project: www.prioridadrednatura2000.es
