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The EU Green Infrastructure Strategy update on EU actions

The EU Green Infrastructure Strategy update on EU actions. Julie Raynal (European Commission, DG Environment, Biodiversity Unit, Belgium). addressing main drivers of biodiversity loss and aiming to reduce key pressures. specific, partly time-bound measures.

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The EU Green Infrastructure Strategy update on EU actions

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  1. The EU Green Infrastructure Strategyupdate on EU actions Julie Raynal (European Commission, DG Environment, Biodiversity Unit, Belgium)

  2. addressing main drivers of biodiversity loss and aiming to reduce key pressures specific, partly time-bound measures

  3. Target 2 Ecosystem Restoration & Green Infrastructure Objective: Maintain and enhance ecosystems and their services within and beyond protected areas by 2020 by: • Restoring at least 15% of degraded ecosystems, through strategic Restoration Prioritisation framework (Action 6a) • Establishing ‘Green Infrastructure’ throughout the EU (Action 6b)

  4. Action 5 of the Biodiversity Strategy • Improve the knowledge of ecosystems and their services in EU • Member States, with the assistance of the Commission, are required to map and assess the state of ecosystems and their services in their national territory by 2014, assess the economic value of such services, and promote the integration of these values into accounting and reporting systems at EU and national level by 2020. • Action 5 is one of the keystones of the strategy providing a knowledge base for Europe’s green infrastructure, the restoration of 15% of degraded ecosystems and the No Net Loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services initiative. • http://biodiversity.europa.eu/maes

  5. Action 6b: Developing a Strategy on Green Infrastructure Spatial and functional structure delivering nature benefits to people Green Infrastructure • A strategically planned network of natural and semi-natural areas with other environmental features designed and managed to deliver wide range of ecosystem services (in terrestrial, aquatic, coastal & marine environments) • The structure enabling healthy ecosystems to deliver their multiple, valuable, economically important goods and services to people, such as: clean water and air, carbon storage, pollination etc., mitigation and adaptation to climate change

  6. RECREATION GOODS e.g. TIMBER INCREASEQUALITY OFLIFE MITIGATION Trees & Green spaces Green roofs Green walls help to cope with hot weather through shading & evaporation cooling, help save energy SPACE FOR NATURE FLOOD PROTECTION

  7. The EU’s Green InfrastructureStrategy • Policy context: EU Biodiversity strategy to 2020; 7th EAP (1st priority "to protect, conserve and enhance the Union’s natural capital") • The EU GI Strategy (2013) is made up of four main elements: • • Promoting Green Infrastructure in main EU policy areas • • Supporting EU-level GI projects • • Improving access to finance for GI projects • • Improving information and promoting innovation

  8. 2015 Mid Term review of the EU Biodiversity Strategy Target 2: Maintain and restore ecosystems and their services • Progress on policy (EU Green Infrastructure Strategy) and knowledge base improvement (MAES) • Some restoration activities in Member States • However, degradation of ecosystems and services continues • Challenges until 2020: develop and implement national and regional frameworks to promote restoration and green infrastructure; • Ensure no net loss of ordinary biodiversity outside Natura 2000.

  9. Promoting Green Infrastructure through EU’s main policy areas and legislation • GI: can be significant contribution to many of the EU’s main policy objectives, especially as regards • Sustainable growth and jobs / Europe 2020 • Cohesion, regional and rural development • Urban policy • Climate change mitigation and adaptation • Disaster risk reduction and management • Agriculture/forestry, water and the environment • Horizon 2020

  10. Urban Green Infrastructure • Urban GI provides multiple solutions in cost-effective way • EU develops knowledge on urban GI: already proposes flexible indicator framework to support assessment of urban ecosystems condition and their services in cities across the EU: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/knowledge/ecosystem_assessment/pdf/102.pdf • Next phase: testing further the methodology with more cities across the EU (2017-18)

  11. Spatial Planning & Integrated land management: Giving space to ecosystems • Degraded, fragmented ecosystems: lower species richness and unable to offer the same services than healthy ecosystems. Such relationships spatially analysed in EEA's report on Spatial analysis of green infrastructure in Europe (2014). • New study launched by DG ENV on "The potential of spatial planning for protection and management of the Natura 2000 network" • Developing Green Infrastructure will e.g. enhance land's permeability for migrating species and re-connect habitats which had been separated by e.g. intensive land use, transport routes or urban sprawl.

  12. Technical Standards • COM should Assess the contribution technical standards could make to "growing the market" of GI products • Inclusion of assessing benefits and risks of standard setting for GI into Union Work Programme on European Standardisation

  13. TEN-G Assessingopportunities of developing a TEN-G instrument • would not only have significant benefits for securing the resilience and vitality of some of Europe ecosystems and the services they provide to society • but could act as important flagship for promoting GI at national, regional and local levels and boosting the importance of GI in policy, planning and financing decisions. • Findings from a recent contract on assessing costs and benefits of a TEN-G available on DG ENV website: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/ecosystems/docs/green_infrastructures/GI%20Final%20Report.pdf Major rivers and transboundary mountain ranges are obvious candidates for EU-level GI projects. N2000: Backbone of a future TEN-G network.

  14. Action 6a: Ecosystem restoration • Member States and the Commission continue to work on the development of Frameworks for the Prioritization of Restoration Actions. • On-going contract to assess the economic, social and environmental benefits of ecosystem restoration across the EU.

  15. Financial support • Structural Funds (European Regional Development Fund & European Social Fund), Cohesion Fund, European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, LIFE+, & research funding programmes (Horizon 2020) • Funding for climate change mitigation and adaptation could also provide significant co-benefits for GI • Natural Capital Financing Facility (NCFF)

  16. Next meetings • EU technical workshop on knowledge base and spatial and technical data for GI and restoration: operationalisation of information and knowledge currently available on ecosystems and their services in Europe to guide policy decisions on GI and restoration • Brussels, 24 & 25 October 2016 • EU WG on Green Infrastructure and Restoration: Spring 2017

  17. More info on DG ENV, BISE, and NWRM webpages http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/ecosystems/index_en.htm http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/adaptation/ecosystemstorage.htm http://biodiversity.europa.eu/bise-catalogue > Green Infrastructure http://www.nwrm.eu

  18. Thank you for your attention

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