In February 2018, the new consortium team started preparing for the Natura 2000 biogeographical seminars which are planned for 2018. Different partners are involved in the organisation of these key events: REC for the Continental, Pannonian, Steppic and the Black Sea seminar, Mae d’Agua and ECOGest for the Macaronesian seminar, and NatureBureau for the Marine seminar. All seminars are planned after the summer, with the first now planned in September. These are the larger events for the Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process with up to 120 participants and span 2-3 days and include a field excursion. More details on these events are provided below.
Up to date information on seminars events can be found here.
|
|
Upcoming Seminar – Macaronesian (September 2018)
The Macaronesian biogeographical seminar is being prepared, which focuses on the Canaries, Madeira, and Azores. The Spanish and Portuguese governments are currently planning the seminar, which is likely to be held in September 2018. We will provide more information on this seminar when it is available, and assist the Member States in the organisation and drafting of the agenda.
Up to date information can be found here.
If you would like to know more about these seminars, please contact natura2000platform@wur.nl for further details.
|
|
Upcoming Seminar – Continental, Pannonian, Steppic and the Black Sea (October 2018)
A meeting was held in Brussels with the Steering Committee for the Biogeographical Process in the Continental, Pannonian, Steppic and the Black Sea regions. This seminar is one of the largest and involves 16 Member States. Currently, we are planning the seminar for October 2018. We hope to inform you within a few weeks about the actual dates and venue for the seminar, and to ask the Member States for the nominations of participants.
The themes for the seminar have been discussed and prepared with the Member States and representatives of stakeholders organisations and include: establishing links between conservation objectives, identifying and resolving problems related to differences in habitat definitions between Member States, working with Natura 2000 stakeholders (including the agriculture and forestry sectors), and prioritising conservation and management issues under EU financial instruments. Currently, we are planning the seminar for October 2018.
We hope to inform you within a few weeks about the venue for the seminar, and to ask the Member States for the nominations of participants.
Up to date information can be found here.
If you would like to know more about these seminars, please contact natura2000platform@wur.nl for further details.
|
|
Upcoming Seminar – Marine (October 2018)
Two meetings have been held in relation to the preparation of the 2nd seminar for the Marine biogeographic regions, which will likely take place in October 2018. The Marine seminars differ from the terrestrial biogeographic regions seminars, in that they include participants, talks and workshops from all of the Marine biogeographic regions (North-East Atlantic, Mediterranean Sea, Baltic Sea and the Black Sea).
The seminar will focus on expanding the theme of conservation objectives, which was an important theme of the inaugural Marine seminar held in 2015 in France. A concept note on the Marine seminar will soon be distributed to the Marine Expert Group and will include the themes and a proposed schedule for the three-day event.
Up to date information can be found here.
If you would like to know more about these seminars, please contact natura2000platform@wur.nl for further details.
|
|
Networking events differ from seminars and are generally for a smaller group of participants and experts. They tackle more specific subjects in relation to conservation and management issues related to habitat types, species and management themes of the Natura 2000 network.
We are currently planning three networking events, while also putting out an invitation to submit proposals for further potential events for 2018.
Up to date information on upcoming networking events can be found here.
|
|
Invitation for Networking Events Proposals
The project team have recently circulated an invitation for networking event proposals for 2018.
The events can be proposed, hosted and organised by a Member State, a regional or local authority, a Natura 2000 management body, a nature conservation or land owners association, a scientific institute or any other organisation involved in the management of Natura 2000.
Supporting the organisation and success of the networking events is part of the service contract for the Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process, which is executed by Wageningen Environmental Research for the European Commission. These events will be advertised on the EC's dedicated Biogeographical Process webpages and using other communication tools (e.g. the present newsletter).
There are resources and some funding available to facilitate the meetings and/or provide technical input for networking events and / or pay for some travel costs and speakers. Participant organisations will pay their own costs.
Proposals for the first round of networking events need to be submitted before the 31st May 2018 and final selection announced by 18th June 2018 with further calls for proposals being announced on the Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process website and via future issues of this newsletter.
For further details please contact: natura2000platform@wur.nl
|
|
Upcoming Networking Event – Cooperation for Grassland Conservation, Sulmona, Italy (4th-8th June 2018)
The 2018 Eurasian Grassland Conference aims to promote exchange and collaboration between those interested in all aspects of semi-natural and natural grassland research and conservation across the Palaearctic biogeographical realm.
The main topic of the conference will be the conservation of grasslands through transdisciplinary and transnational cooperation. The conference will aim to establish cooperation groups within the EDGG (Eurasian Dry Grassland Group). In addition to regular scientific sessions, knowledge exchange and excursions, the conference hosts a networking event that is supported by the Natura2000 Biogeographical Process of the European Commission and represents a follow-up of the first Seminar for the Mediterranean Biogeographical Region (2014) and of a cooperation workshop held during the EGC 2015.
Other topics for discussion include: Habitat classification and indicators for conservation status; Pressures and threats; Conservation goals and appropriate measures; Setting conservation priorities; Cooperating for grassland conservation.
Registration is open until the 10th of May 2018 at: http://edgg.org/egc2018
More information on the programme can be found at: https://edgg.namupro.de/sites/default/files/page/EGC2018%20SECOND%20CALL.pdf
Please email Sabina Burrascano (sabina.burrascano@uniroma1.it) for further details.
|
|
Upcoming Networking Event – International Workshop on the Management of Coastal Dunes and Sandy Beaches, Dunkirk (12th-14th June 2018)
Within the framework of the LIFE+FLANDRE project on the protection and the management of the transboundary coastal dune complex between Dunkerque and Westende (www.lifeflandre.be), the Agency of Nature and Forest (Flemish Authority) and the Université du Littoral Côte d’Opale invite you to participate in the international workshop on coastal dunes and sandy beaches management and restoration.
The objectives of this workshop are networking and knowledge sharing between administrators, policy makers and scientists, and sharing of knowledge between past and ongoing nature restoration projects (LIFE, LIFE+, Interreg). There is an extra-focus on cross-border or transregional projects and the emergence of new cross-border nature partnerships.
The programme includes a field excursion to the transboundary Dune complex Westhoek: Dune du Perroquet (France) — fossil dunes of Ghyvelde and Adinkerke (Belgium).
The main topics for discussion at the event include the management and restoration of dune habitats, while other sessions will address the impact of climate change, sea level rise, coastal squeeze, restoring ecological connectivity and ecosystem services.
Registration is open until the 14th of May 2018 at: https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/LIFE-FLANDRE_registration
More information and the programme can be found on: www.natuurenbos.be/FLANDRE-international-workshop
E-mail: Dunes-2018-LIFE@bosplus.be
|
|
Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process Website update
We are currently in the process of reviewing the Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process website (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/platform/index_en.htm) to ensure that the information provided is current and easy to obtain in relation to upcoming Biogeographical Process events and the findings of previous seminars.
This review will be followed by an update of the structure and design of the website, which will include a news section that will directly link to future newsletters.
We anticipate that the update will go online in August 2018 and if users of the existing format of the website would like to provide any comments on its ease of use, then please do contact us.
|
|
Conservation Project Profile Requests
In future editions of the Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process newsletter, we would like to present a short profile of current Natura 2000 conservation projects, their goals and what has currently been achieved.
If you would like to suggest a project or submit a project profile for inclusion in the newsletter or on our revamped Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process website, then please do contact us. Preferably, project profiles will be approx. 500 words and include some photos.
|
|
Twitter account
There is a new twitter account created to help with the dissemination of relevant information about upcoming events and to provide live updates on seminars and workshops.. Note that this isn’t an ‘official ’ EC account, but is one that will that be managed by the consortium team.
If there is any news you think we should be aware of, please make sure you contact: natura2000platform@wur.nl
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BioGeoProcess
|
|
GDPR
As of May 2018, the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) will change how organisations communicate with their users and process their personal information.
Full details on the EC’s privacy notice can be found here, but it is important that all members of the Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process community who would like to continue receiving the newsletter by email, confirm that they are okay for us to store this information and disseminate to them information relating to events and the findings of work related to the Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process.
If you would like to continue receiving the Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process newsletter and emails relating to upcoming events and projects please confirm:
• Yes, I would like to stay on the Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process mailing list: Click here to confirm
• No, I would like to be removed from the Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process mailing list: Click here to confirm
|
|
 We asked Sophie Ouzet of the European Commission team working on the Natura 2000 Biogeographic Process some questions about her involvement in the project and some of her favourite nature sites.
Please tell us about your role at the European Commission
I am working in the Directorate-General for Environment, in the Natural Capital Directorate, where I am the desk officer for Finland and Sweden in the Unit in charge of the implementation of the Nature Directives. In this 28-staff team, we all have horizontal tasks in addition to country-related cases. This is where the Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process enters the scene: together with François Kremer, who has been involved in the development of this process since its beginning, we follow-up the organisation and coordination of the Process, with the assistance of the Consortium led by WENR.
What interesting projects have you worked on in the past?
The projects that are most inspiring to me are those that are aimed at building bridges. Not actual concrete bridges, but bridges between diverging interests. This is why being responsible for the administrative and financial support granted to the Natura 2000 site managers in a French region was so interesting to me. It also allowed me to support projects integrating several related policies: a common management plan between several protected areas in the Vallée de la Moselle, a regional action plan for Red Kites (Milvus milvus) that reaches out to foresters, farmers, wind energy promoters, etc.
What is your favourite Natura 2000 site and why?
In fact, there are lots of them. I could refer to the Vallée de la Moselle sauvage, the Vosges du Nord, the Forêt de la Reine, the bat colonies in the Lorraine or sites I came across during my holidays. What they all have in common is that I spent time there, either for work or with my family, tracking Beavers (Castor fiber), restoring salty habitats or contributing to citizen monitoring of the Bittern (Botaurus stellaris) and Corncrake (Crex crex), and I often know the site managers, officials, NGOs and stakeholders there are dedicated to implementing the Nature Directives on these areas. That these sites are important to me makes it clear, in my view, that the Natura 2000 network is not just a wildlife network, but also a network of people. It also shows that protecting biodiversity requires that people need to experience and get in touch with nature.
What do you think are the key challenges for the Biogeographical Process community to investigate this year?
In my view, the key-challenge is to build a real network of all actors involved in the management of Natura 2000, throughout national borders, including representatives of Member States' competent authorities, Natura 2000 site managers, involved land owners and other interested stakeholders. This will allow everybody involved to benefit form the huge experience and knowledge that is already available in the different countries and to strengthen cross-border cooperative action. The process will help increase our common know-how, solving shared conservation or restoration issues and, last but not least, achieving the best possible and coherent implementation of the Natura 2000 network across the EU.
Our first step in that direction is to agree on common needs and coordinate our action, which can be shaped into roadmaps for cooperative action. This is the objective of the Natura 2000 seminars and implementing the networking programme.
Which upcoming event are you most looking forward to?
We have been circulating an invitation to submit events that we could support through the Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process and I am really curious to see what preliminary ideas, proposals and requests for support we will receive.
At the same time, I am looking forward to the three big seminars we intend to organise by the end of this year: these are wonderful occasions for gathering knowledge, identifying fruitful partnerships and broadening the scope of our everyday work in order to better serve our common biodiversity targets.
|
|
|
|
|
