2005 - Communicating the Pan-European Ecological Network - ECNC

PEEN - a Europe wide ecological networkDuring the 3rd ‘Environment for Europe’ Ministerial Conference In 1995 up to 54 European countriesendorsed the action to establish the Pan-European Ecological Network. It was agreed to establish thisecological network within 20 years.The Pan-European Ecological Network (PEEN) aims to ensure that:● a full range of ecosystems, habitats, species and landscapes of European importance are conserved;● habitats are large enough to place species in a favourable conservation status;● there are sufficient opportunities for the dispersal and migration of species;● damaged parts of the key environmental systems are restored;● the key environmental systems are buffered from potential threats.The Pan-European Ecological Network will be built up of core areas, corridors and buffer zones.Restoration areas will be identified where it is considered necessary.The underlying philosophy of the establishment of the Pan-European Ecological Network is to promotesynergy between the existing nature policies, land use planning and rural and urban development. ThePan-European Ecological Network offers a framework that will build on and benefit from the existingagreements, programmes and initiatives in the field of nature conservation.Kyiv Ministerial Conference 2003 Highlights● The ''resolution on biodiversity" was born. The resolution includes the requirement for the implementation of a PEEN and a statement that all countries agree to the PEEN targets.● A target that by 2006, the Pan-European Ecological Network (core areas, restoration areas, corridorsand buffer zones, as appropriate) in all States of the pan European region will be identified and reflected on coherent indicative European maps, as a European contribution towards a global ecologicalnetwork.● A target that by 2008, PEEN guidance will apply to all major national, regional and international landuse and planning policies, as well as to the relevant economic and financial sectorsThe EU Water Framework Directive, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Ramsar Convention,the World Heritage Convention, the Bonn Convention and the Helsinki Convention are to a lesser extentalso relevant to the implementation of a European ecological network. Especially in the framework of theConvention on Biological Diversity attention for ecological networks is growing, with the 7th Conferenceof Parties accepting a work-program for protected areas that specifically also asks the parties to take intoaccount issues of connectivity and ecological networks.Challenges and opportunities for a PEENIn the course of this study interviews were held with individuals involved in European policymaking, theseincluded policymakers in DG Environment, but also representatives of European level non-conservationstakeholder associations. Researchers involved in European research on PEEN were also interviewed. Afirst conclusion can be that the policymaking respondents, who were working at the European policy levelin Brussels, would mainly consider a European ecological network in the form of networks created in EUMember State countries by conforming to Natura 2000 of the EU Habitats Directive. The issue of corridorsbetween sites did not feature strongly in their understanding, nor did ecological network initiatives developedunder the PEBLDS and Kyiv process. This is largely because Natura 2000 and the underlying EUDirectives area their main policy priority when considering ecological networks.Within the European Commission the concept of PEEN is not necessarily taken up as Natura 2000 is seenas its equivalent within the EU, and the Commission would prefer to continue with Natura 2000 than takeon any other initiative. Whilst it has been argued that Natura 2000 is not an ecological network due to thelack of connectivity, interviewees at the Commission consider Natura 2000 ito be better because it focuseson identifiable and specific areas rather than trying to cover “everything and therefore nothing at thesame time’. Their perception was that the method in Natura 2000, by focusing upon the designation ofareas, was more pragmatic. It was also thought that concepts such as PEEN and PEBLDS needed to be10