B - Convention on Biological Diversity

BII. Current ConditionsThere are currently various types of economic instruments in the Czech Republic that can have a favourable impacton biodiversity in the above sense. These instruments are categorized and described in the “OECD Classification”(e.g. Recommendation of the Council on the Use of Economic Instruments in Promoting the Conservation andSustainable Use of Biodiversity, OECD, 2004). From the standpoint of motivation of entities to conserve andincrease biodiversity, these instruments can be divided into instruments of positive stimulation (subsidies,support, exemptions, etc.) and instruments of negative stimulation (taxes, fees, sanctions). Another groupconsists in market conformable instruments – e.g. trading in permits for emissions of greenhouse gases (ActNo. 695/2004 Coll., on conditions for trading in permits for emissions of greenhouse gases and amending someActs), ecolabelling and voluntary activities of business entities. The effect of these instruments on biodiversityis not monitored separately.Instruments of positive stimulation (motivation instruments) include, e.g., the individual landscapemanagement programmes (e.g. the Landscape Management Programme and the River System RestorationProgramme) and support from the State Environmental Fund of the CR.Instruments of negative stimulation include fees for pollution of the individual components of the environment(e.g. fees for discharge of polluted water into surface waters), sanctions for illegal interventions and distributioninto nature (e.g. fees for illegal felling of tree species) and payments for withdrawal of agricultural and forestland from its purpose.The financing of measures to conserve and increase biodiversity is considered to be an independent aspect. At thepresent time, activities for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of its components in the CR are fi nancedfrom domestic and foreign sources. Domestic financial sources include the state budget, the State EnvironmentalFund, regional and municipal budgets, foundations and sponsor donations. The European Structural Fundsare an important source of foreign support. The Czech Republic regulates the use of these funds through itsprogramme documents. The Horizontal Rural Development Plan (HRDP) is a programme document that couldbe utilized to support activities on management of nature and the landscape. Agri-environmental schemesare an important instrument in nature conservation (if their environmental effectiveness is regularly checked andmonitored), where agricultural entities pledge to employ a certain environmentally sound farming method fora period of five years.I.II.III.IV.V.VI.VII.VIII.IX.X.XI.XII.Other programme documents include, e.g.: the Infrastructure Operation Programme and the AgricultureOperation Programme, some of whose measures are also concerned with affecting the means of managementfrom the standpoint of the interests of sustainable development, support for rural areas and conservation ofnature and the landscape, which can be subsequently reflected in a qualitative improvement in biodiversity.The LIFE Programme is an important initiative of the European Union and is intended for financing projectscontributing to conservation and management of the environment. One of its parts, Life-Nature, is an especiallyimportant initiative from the standpoint of nature conversation and the landscape protection, as it permits, e.g.,fi nancial support for projects in the Natura 2000 sites.The State Environmental Policy of the Czech Republic in general emphasizes strengthening of the partnershipbetween the public and private sectors. The private sector is gradually being accepted as an essential partner inbiodiversity conservation. Government Resolution No. 7 of January 7, 2004 on the Policy of the Government ofthe Czech Republic in the area of partnership of the public and private sectors is important in this respect.73