Cream-spot Tiger Arctia villica. Photo: Peter Creed

April 2020

Welcome to the April 2020 edition of the Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process

Newsletter!

It has been a busy period since our last newsletter in December, and Europe is struck by

the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. These are challenging times for everyone and the

importance of natural sites near our homes and cities is now clearer than ever.

As well as reporting on a few past events, we are happy to inform you about the

upcoming seminars and special events in 2020 and share the latest news about an

interesting project on exploring new approaches to improving knowledge and capacity

amongst Natura 2000 managers across the EU.

If you have any questions, comments or remarks about the content of this newsletter,

please do contact us at natura2000platform@wur.nl

In this edition:

• Forthcoming events

• Meeting reports

• Project focus

• 5 minutes with

• Other news

The following events will be held during the coming months, although due to the

ongoing Covid-19 outbreak the dates and details provided are provisional and many

will be confirmed later in the year. Updates can be found on our website, or by following

the N2K Biogeographical Process Twitter account.

We are already busy planning two Natura 2000 biogeographical seminars, which we hope

to hold in September and October 2020. These seminars involve a lot of preparatory work

including exchanging with the Steering Committees, deciding on agendas for the

seminars, preparing background documentation and assisting the host organisations in

arranging the conference facilities and field excursions.

In addition to the seminars, a wide range of topical workshops and networking events are

in the pipeline thanks to a strong response to our call for proposals in January. Two

events were already approved last year. We received a total of 12 excellent new

proposals, of which nine have been selected for support. The networking events cover

most biogeographical regions and a wide variety of themes. Most events are listed below.

3rd Alpine Natura 2000 seminar, 8-10 September 2020, Sweden

Triglav National Park, Slovenia. Photo: Paul Goriup

The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), on behalf of the Swedish Ministry

of Environment, are preparing to host the third Natura 2000 seminar for the Alpine

biogeographical region on 8-10 September 2020. The region covers the five longest and

highest mountain ranges in the EU: The Alps, the Apennines, the Pyrenees, the Scandes

and the Carpathians. It is host to a very rich biodiversity, including 105 habitat types, 97

plants and 134 animal species listed in the Habitats Directive.

The provisional list of themes for the seminar was discussed with the Steering Committee.

It includes: defining the restoration agenda in the Alpine region; managing land use to

improve conservation of Alpine Natura 2000 habitats and species; practices, harmonising

reporting on and monitoring of habitats and species; optimising co-benefits of Natura

2000 management with climate change and mitigation and improving landscape

connectivity for Natura 2000 Alpine habitats and species. Participants will discuss setting

priorities for nature conservation actions and exchange good examples of steps taken in

cooperation with others.

Documents relating to the Alpine seminars can be found here.

3rd Mediterranean Natura 2000 seminar, 12-16 October 2020, Italy

The next seminar will be hosted by Italy and is planned for 16-24 October 2020. The host

will be the Park authorities of Sila national park, with the support of the Region of

Calabria. Sila National Park holds important Natura 2000 habitats, in particular various

forest habitats and freshwater habitats. Some Mediterranean coastal habitats are also

close to the seminar venue.

The themes agreed following the Mediterranean Steering Committee meeting in March

include: defining a Natura 2000 restoration agenda for the Mediterranean region;

addressing land abandonment in the Mediterranean region; drought and fire risk

management in Mediterranean Natura 2000 sites; defining conservation objectives at site

level and monitoring the impact of the measures; capacity building for Natura 2000

management.

Documents relating to the Mediterranean seminars can be found here.

Monitoring restoration success of coastal Natura 2000 ecosystems in Western

France, 6-11 July 2020, Brittany, France

The University of Brest will deliver a 6-day summer school programme on “Monitoring

restoration success of coastal ecosystems” in July, under the auspices of the Society for

Ecological Restoration Europe (SER-Europe), Eurosite and REVER (French restoration

network). The schedule includes lectures to provide a theoretical background, field work

and excursions to train participants in practical research skills and learn about specific

restoration projects, as well as short presentations of research projects by participants

themselves.

This course is intended for PhD students who work in restoration ecology and related

fields, as well as practitioners, restorationists, site managers, employees of governmental

agencies and policy makers.

More information can be found here.

Restore and maintain habitat 6310 (dehesas), 21-25 September 2020, at PECSRL

2020, Jaén and Baeza, Spain

Dehesa habitat, Spain. Photo: Juan Beni, Pixabay

Dehesa dry grassland supports an outstanding level of biodiversity, but much like 57 other

habitat types within the Natura 2000 network it relies on appropriate agricultural practices.

The viability of these key farmland habitats is precarious because of their low productivity,

which encourages intensification and, if not possible, land abandonment - resulting in

dramatic adverse social, economic, landscape and biodiversity consequences.

The Permanent European Conference for the Study of the Rural Landscapes (PECSRL)

is an international network of landscape researchers who convene every two years. At

one of the workshops, hosted jointly by the University of Jaén and the UNIA-Antonio

Machado in Baeza, they aim to explore ways of integrating EU biodiversity conservation

policy objectives with those of the farming sector, provide guidance through the

identification of good practices and explore the role of Natura 2000 management plans.

For more information and details on registration see here.

Mediterranean workshop 3: Protocols for standardised assessment of structure

and function of habitat types of Community interest, September 2020, Valencia,

Spain

The Second Mediterranean Natura 2000 Seminar, held in Limassol in November 2017,

identified a number of weaknesses in the assessment of the conservation status of habitat

types of community interest at a biogeographical scale. The Spanish Ministry for

Ecological Transition (MITECO) is therefore organising a series of focused workshops to

address these issues. This 2020 workshop will be the third of five, with the aim of creating

a working group made up of experts from the Member States of the Mediterranean region.

This will allow for the sharing, analysis and evaluation of methodologies used by different

Members States.

The product of each workshop will contribute towards the Mediterranean roadmap as well

as a proposal of a harmonised method of evaluating the "Structure and Function"

parameter according to the Habitats Directive in the Mediterranean biogeographical

region. This event was to have been held in May but has been postponed until

coronavirus containment measures have been lifted.

More information can be found here.

Mediterranean workshop 4: Development of standardised procedures for assessing

pressures and threats to habitat types of Community interest, September 2020,

Valencia, Spain

The Second Mediterranean Natura 2000 Seminar, held in Limassol in November 2017,

identified a number of weaknesses in the assessment of the conservation status of habitat

types of community interest at a biogeographical scale. The Spanish Ministry for

Ecological Transition (MITECO) is therefore organising a series of focused workshops to

address these issues. The September 2020 workshop will be the fourth of five, with the

aim of providing a common framework and a roadmap for the future assessment of

pressures and threats that may affect the HCIs.

The product of each workshop will contribute towards the Mediterranean roadmap as well

as a proposal of a harmonised method of evaluating the "Structure and Function" parameter

according to the Habitats Directive in the Mediterranean biogeographical region.

More information can be found here.

Regional workshop on common approaches to habitats and species conservation

in the Marine Black Sea biogeographical region, 29 September-1 October 2020,

Varna, Bulgaria

Black Sea coast at Kaliakra, Bulgaria. Photo: Paul Goriup

During the discussions on habitats in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions, held

within the Second Natura 2000 seminar for the Baltic, Atlantic, Macaronesian,

Mediterranean & Black Sea marine biogeographical regions, participants identified a

number of discrepancies between the Bulgarian and Romanian interpretations of several

habitat types. Another pending issue for the Black sea region is gaps in the current

knowledge on the density and abundance of the Black Sea cetaceans. Therefore,

cooperation and collaboration between relevant research institutions of Bulgaria and

Romania should be undertaken to design and implement joint surveys and assessments

to meet reporting obligations whenever possible.

The Ministry of Environment and Water is taking this opportunity to host a networking

regional event to start resolving these issues. This 3-day workshop will result in a report

containing draft interpretations of habitat definitions, common approaches on FRVs,

modalities for data exchange, possibilities for joint monitoring and reporting – alongside a

summary of the next steps and way forward.

For more information see here.

Assessment and management of Natura 2000 freshwater habitats, 9-11 November

2020, Rome, Italy

Following-on from a cross-regional workshop in Hungary in 2017, concerted efforts have

been made to develop a network of relevant freshwater contacts across Member States to

help focus on tackling key generic issues associated with Natura 2000 freshwater

habitats. The November 2020 workshop will allow freshwater specialists with a sound

understanding of the Nature Directives and practical knowledge of their application from

various Member States to develop a roadmap for technical collaboration on freshwater

habitats covered by the Habitats Directive. It will focus on ecological rationale and

effective management processes in the achievement of favourable conservation status.

For more information and to express interest in the event see here.

Baltic Natura 2000 sites as migration hotspots, autumn 2020, Gdansk, Poland

Red-necked Phalarope. Photo: Paul Goriup

The migratory behaviour of birds makes their welfare an international issue that needs

cross-boundary consideration. The East Atlantic Flyway Initiative (EAFI) has been

established by BirdLife International, comprising 32 participatory organisations stretching

from the far north of Europe to the far south of Africa. The EAFI aims to improve of

management of hotspots that are essential for migratory birds.

This networking event, organised by BirdLife Poland and the University of Gdansk, will

bring together Natura 2000 management experts and specialists to review current

management approaches in their Natura 2000 sites, identify the precise gaps and needs

for conserving migratory birds, and elaborate management practices that can be

introduced into the Natura 2000 system along the entire length of the Flyway in the EU.

The expected outcome will be a set of management guidelines for Natura 2000 sites in

the Baltic Sea region that can be used alongside existing management practices in

Natura 2000 sites - focusing on habitat features essential for migratory birds.

For more information see here.

ASCOBANS workshop on management of MPAs for small cetaceans, autumn 2020,

Helsinki, Finland

This two-day event aims to gather experts, managers and policy makers in order to obtain

an overview of the current scale of Marine Protected Areas and to review best practice

approaches for their management. Workshop attendees will identify the main threats to be

mitigated around MPAs and the measures available to combat them, leading to published

management recommendations. This event was to have been held in April but has been

postponed until coronavirus containment measures have been lifted.

More information can be found here.

Cross-border Harbour Porpoise conservation and management workshop for the

North-East Atlantic, autumn 2020, The Netherlands

The conservation of a wide range of migratory species cannot only be addressed on a

national level, but requires a wider approach involving cooperation between EU Member

States. This networking event aims to promote and enhance the exchange of expertise

and knowledge between policymakers and experts involved with Harbour Porpoise

(Phocoena phocoena) conservation in the North East Atlantic.

Attendees will discuss the prioritised needs for action in terms of both research and policy

matters, with an overall objective to achieve an integrated management and research

approach for the conservation of migratory species, in this case, the Harbour Porpoise.

More information can be found here.

Protection of meadow birds in the EU, autumn 2020, The Netherlands

Many species of meadow birds are rapidly declining in the EU and the need to manage

their Natura 2000 breeding sites effectively is of great importance. Hosted by

Boerennatuur and Vogelbescherming Nederland, this workshop will assemble experts

with direct experience in the management of meadow birds, researchers and

policymakers directly responsible for the development of plans and programmes. The

results will be the exchange of information, the development of best practices, and design

of new programmes for the protection of meadow birds.

More information can be found here.

Multi-island conservation strategies in Macaronesia, 2020, Azores, Portugal

Habitats and species populations are distributed across various islands and archipelagos

in the Macaronesian region, driving the need for cross-boundary strategies and polices.

This one-day event will be hosted by the CONNECT.GENE Project, the University of

Azores and Regional Secretary of Forests of Azores. It will bring together managers,

practitioners and researchers involved in such multi-island/archipelago conservation

projects in Macaronesia to discuss practices, problems and solutions. This event was to

have been held in April but has been postponed until coronavirus containment measures

have been lifted.

More information can be found here.

Top

Anchors Away Networking Event, 21-22 November 2019, Athens,

Greece

Anchor amongst Posidonia. Photo: Yiannis Issaris

In the previous newsletter we reported on the Anchors Away networking event. The

workshop presentations and the short documentary film can be found here. The series of

recommendations formulated during the workshop regarding several scientific, technical,

legislative and financial issues toward the effective protection of Posidonia beds from

anchoring can be found in the final report here.

The network of experts involved in the workshop goes on interacting, and indeed the first

ever Greek Posidonia festival is now due to be held in Rafina on 5-6 September 2020.

More information can be found here.

Top

LIFE e-Natura2000.edu: Supporting e-learning and capacity

building for Natura 2000 Managers (2018 – 2021) Contributed by Neil Mcintosh, project manager

This pioneering three-year LIFE

Preparatory project explores the

potential to improve knowledge and

capacity amongst Natura 2000

managers, in both public and private

land, across the EU. Taking a

competence-based approach, LIFE e-

Natura2000.edu (or ‘LIFEedu’, for

short) is designed to enable Natura

2000 managers to connect and learn

about what they need to know and be

able to do. The project mixes new technology with face-to-face workshops and a Summer

School: in a nutshell, that is the blended learning approach being applied in the project!

The project’s goal is to improve practical Natura 2000 management know-how. LIFEedu

focuses on core competencies identified as being specifically required for effective Natura

2000 management via the technical report, which can be found here. It provides new

ways to access information covering the multiple skills required for practical Natura 2000

management and policy implementation.

During 2020, three pilot courses will be delivered to three groups of ‘core’ project

participants. The courses are: Applied Conservation Biology (in Romanian); Building

Alliances for Natura 2000 (in Spanish); and, Competent Inclusive Communication (in

English). The course modules are delivered via newly created Moodle platforms using a

range of e-learning tools, such as webinars, as well as interactive tasks and activities to

stimulate networking and peer-to-peer experience sharing and learning. In addition, a new

Smartphone App and online Natura 2000 Training Needs Analysis tool are being

developed.

The digital App is purpose-built to enable Natura 2000 site managers and private

landowners to connect with each other. It will function as a ‘Virtual Twinning’ hub and help

Natura 2000 managers to identify issues, solve common problems that they face and

communicate with each other directly. The App will also enable users to discuss

challenges that arise in the management of Natura 2000 lands and to develop solutions.

This practical tool will enable Natura2000 land managers to network across regions,

countries, and land types. Project participants come from the full spectrum of managers

working with and involved in implementation of Natura 2000 – site-based staff, protected

area practitioners, rangers, specialist ecologists and private landowners.

Interest in the project has been extremely high: so far, six times as many people have

applied to join the Summer School than there are places available. However, there are

many other opportunities to become involved in the project, for example, by using the App

and by registering for the series of webinars being planned. Each webinar is led by

external experts who will each address a different topic related to competencies required

for effective management of Natura 2000.

If you would like to find out more and get involved in LIFEedu, you can sign up to their

newsletter here, and visit the project webpages here.

Top

What is your role as the chair of

ASCOBANS Jastarnia Group?

ASCOBANS is the Agreement on the

Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the

Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North

Seas. Within ASCOBANS, we have regional

recovery and conservation plans for some

species and populations. As a chair, I’m

involved in the coordination and evaluation

efforts under the ASCOBANS recovery plan

for the Baltic Sea Harbour Porpoises (the

Jastarnia plan) and the conservation plan for the Harbour Porpoise population in the

Western Baltic, the Belt Sea and the Kattegat (the WBBK plan).

The group consists of experts on different aspects of Harbour Porpoise ecology,

conservation and threats from ASCOBANS parties in the Baltic Sea Region. Of course, I

also chair the annual meetings of the group, and between meetings I also try to stay in

touch with the group experts, keeping track of new results from monitoring, research and

conservation activities in the different countries. The aim of the group is to coordinate

efforts and encourage action in line with the action plans. So, at the meetings we discuss

the latest news and what actions are needed in the near future to make progress and

ensure the survival of these two populations of Harbour Porpoises.

What is your view about the conservation status of small cetaceans in the Baltic

and North Seas?

I’m focused on the two Baltic Harbour Porpoise populations: the so-called Baltic Proper

population has an estimated population of a few hundred individuals and is threatened by

bycatch in gillnet fisheries, environmental contaminants, underwater noise and ecosystem

changes which can influence the availability of prey. We know that in the past the

population was tens of thousands of individuals. More to the west, towards Denmark,

there is a separate much larger population with tens of thousands of individuals, which is

currently less threatened but where bycatch levels may still be unsustainable. I think we

need to do much more, especially for the critically endangered Baltic Sea Harbour

Porpoise. Today there are extremely few real conservation actions in place for any

cetacean population.

In your opinion, what are the most important Natura 2000 sites in the Baltic and

why?

In the Baltic Sea, the most important Natura 2000 site is without a doubt the very large

(10,511 km2) Swedish ”Hoburgs Bank och Midsjöbankarna” (SE0330308). This site was

designated based on the result from the EU Life+ project ‘Static Acoustic Monitoring of the

Baltic Sea Harbour Porpoise’ (SAMBAH) that investigated the abundance and distribution

of Harbour Porpoises in the Baltic Sea. The site covers the area where Baltic Sea

Harbour Porpoises seem to spend most of their time during the summer breeding period.

Therefore, the site is key to saving this population.

What is your favourite Baltic Natura 2000 site and why?

My favourite site is most definitely the site mentioned above. It is large and placed exactly

where it needs to be. It has an amazing potential for the conservation of this critically

endangered population.

In 2020 ASCOBANS will host a networking event organised with the support of the

Natura 2000 biogeographical process on MPA management for small cetaceans.

What results are you hoping to achieve from this event?

During the workshop we want to develop and provide tools to managers of Natura 2000

and other marine protected areas focusing on small cetaceans. We have two main aims.

First, we want to discuss and make recommendations on how to set clear conservation

objectives for Natura 2000 sites. Conservation objectives are legally very important and

steer the conservation measures taken within the site. Setting relevant and clear

objectives can be a little tricky. During the workshop we hope to arrive at criteria for well-

formulated conservation objectives with the help of examples.

The second aim is about taking measures: we want to discuss and arrive at a toolbox of

ambitious and innovative conservation measures that makes it easier for managers to set

relevant conservation measures for a site.

Top

EU LIFE 2020 call: new features relating to the COVID-19

pandemic

The European Commission has launched its 2020 call for project proposals under the

LIFE programme. More than €450 million have been earmarked this year for nature

conservation, environmental protection and climate action projects.

On 1 April 2020, new measures were introduced to lessen the impact of restrictions due

to the Covid-19 pandemic, including:

• All submission deadlines are being extended by one month;

• Applicants may register for a one-to-one short discussion about their project

concept with one of our project advisors;

• Private entities are no longer obliged to launch open tenders for contracts above

139,000 euros (but of course, they will have to comply with the ‘value for money’

and ‘absence of conflict of interest’ requirements;

• Projects may financially support local initiatives (within certain limits);

• A special section on start-up companies has been integrated into the guidelines,

with larger companies being invited to consider their LIFE project as a potential

incubator for start-ups.

Moreover, Angelo Salsi, head of the LIFE unit at EASME, has said "I encourage all

applicants - businesses, both big and small, institutions and NGOs - to look at their project

idea and identify any element that could potentially improve our collective ability to avoid

or to deal with a similar future crisis. There are undoubtedly strong links between our

environment and climate and human health that we should explore."

All applicants are invited to again visit LIFE’s website by the end of April to check for

updates on the call and any possible changes.

LIFE Project RedBosques (September 2016 – October 2019)

This three-year LIFE project which aimed to improve the management of Spanish

Mediterranean forests within the Natura 2000 network has now reached its conclusion. It

employed education and training to encourage forest managers to effectively include

biodiversity conservation and EU climate change adaptation objectives in daily practices.

More information can be found here.

Top

Biogeographical Process on Twitter

Visit our Biogeographical Process Twitter account for the latest updates on seminars and

networking events, as well as live postings from ongoing meetings. We also cover news

from related projects such as LIFE+ projects or the work of organisations working towards

Natura 2000 objectives.

Follow us on Twitter

Disclaimer:

This newsletter is financially supported by the European Commission. The Natura 2000

Biographical Process Consortium is solely responsible for the content. Content does not

represent the opinion of the European Commission, nor is the European Commission

responsible for any use that might be made of information appearing herein.