BLOCK 01 THE FACTS Which benefits could be obtained by a town, or specifically a cattle or land farmer, for being within the Natura 2000 Network? The policies of the European Union will particularly favour those areas that are within the Natura 2000 Network. So, the production of biological or special foodstuffs, ecological tourism, the maintence of land or cattle farming methods that are beneficial for the conservation of species or environmental education activities will have the opportunity of benefiting from funding. Likewise, the LIFE funds will show preference for those areas within the Natura 2000 Network. Who must inform about the possible aids or legal constraints for those that undertake an activity within the Natura 2000 Network? It is the official bodies of each autonomous communities who must give all information regarding the Natura 2000 Network: the environment or rural development departments, in the first place, and other sectors secondarily (industry, environmental quality, etc.) The Life+ Natura 2000: Connecting people with Biodiversity project has set up a toll free phone number to give information in this respect 900 667 790. How much does the mangement of the Natura 2000 Network cost? The Spanish government has estimated the investment need for the corect management of the Natura 2000 Network in 1.000 million euros per year. The European Commision, back in 2010, estimated the cost of managing the network in 5.800 million euros per year. How will this investment be paid for? There is no specific European financing tool for the management of the Natura 2000 Network, but it will receive investment coming from different European funds: rural development funds FEADER and FEDER, fisheries funds or LIFE funds, for example. That is, the fishing, agricultural, forestry or rural development policies will be embedded with environmental values and must seriously take into account, when investing money, whether a territory is within the Natura 2000 Network. In this way, belonging to the network can mean an advantage over areas outside it. The percentage of investment that each country must make will vary in each case according to the objectives and the assigned European funds. Which benefits does the Natura 2000 bring? 200.000-300.000 millions euros per year. The EU itself considers this estimate conservative, as only a subset of environmental services has been evaluated, such as carbon sequestration, the provision and purification of water, the prevention of natural disasters and the possibilities for developing tourism and leisure activities, among others. If we didn´t have natural ecosystems to rend these services to us, we would have to pay for them: water, oxygen, landscape, etc. That would cost us between 200.000 and 300.000 million euros per year. Is it profitable to invest in the Natura 2000 Network? If we take into account that correctly managing Natura 2000 in the whole of the EU would cost us 5.800 million euros per year and that it yields 300.000 million euros value per year, its a highly profitable investment. Besides, we must take into account the enormous investment required for trying to restore a habitat once it has deteriorated. That is why it is much more practical to opt for preventive conservation than to have to remedy the losses later. Who benefits the most from a sustainable management of the resources of Natura 2000? The society at large benefits from it, but the populations and persons living within the network benefit even more directly: those who use its natural resources, those who live in a natural environment that is a synonym for health and wellbeing or those who may suffer the effects of natural disasters, as great floods, due to an unsustainable use of the territory. 14 Natura 2000 Network. Handbook for journalists
Natura 2000 Network. Handbook for journalists 15