Nature Conservation In Europe

A detailed description and analysis of European nature conservation and its achievements, focussing on the EU and last forty years.

The Rio Summit has pointed to the urgency for the development of an international conservation policy; and the post-Maastricht debates in Europe have highlighted the need for the EU to reassess structural funding in nature conservation, as well as the influences on policy and practice. This book is a 'route map' through the legislative and policy frameworks and explains how conservation works in Europe. It goes through the policies for nature conservation in the European Community and its constituent member states and sets out the mechanisms for delivering this policy. An understanding of the European legislative framework is now vital as its influence on local practice increases. Practitioners in the fields of countryside conservation and general land management will find the book an essential guide to the working of the EU, as well as helping an appreciation of their local role within the wider community objectives. This will, for example allow a better understanding of the grant system which many managers are now using.

This volume offers insight in the identification and selection procedure of marine protected areas in the German exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of the North - and Baltic Seas. EU Member States are obliged to establish a coherent network of protected areas, consisting of sites identified under the EC Habitats and Birds Directives. The goal of this Natura 2000 network is the conservation of biodiversity on land and in the sea. To fill important gaps in knowledge regarding the presence, abundance, and distribution of certain species and habitats in the German North- and Baltic Seas, the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) initiated a detailed research programme, involving researchers from many renowned German marine research institutes. This book contains the main results of the different projects under this research programme, which formed the basis for the identification and selection of the Natura 2000 sites. Information is given on two NATURA 2000 habitats (sandbanks and reefs), and benthic species, fish, birds and marine mammals, as well as on legal aspects and implementation procedures. Last but not least the book introduces the current status of NATURA 2000 in the German EEZ. Target audience are not only scientists, but also policymakers, environmental organisations and other stakeholders, and the book includes many illustrations.

The United Nations Conference on the Environment & Development drew over 100 governments together in Rio de Janeiro (3-14 June 1992) to agree action & legal bases for future protection of the environment. This book elucidates both the UNCED process & the Conference itself by assembling the key documents, including the final version of Agenda 21, & using them to recount how UNCED began, developed & finally, in Rio, came to fruition. Each document is preceded by analytical & highly informative commentary which renders large & sometimes technically complicated material accessible & places it in its correct perspective. This in turn is amplified by an excellent introduction, & a comprehensive index.

This plan sets out the policies and actions needed to ensure an adequate, effective and well-managed network of protected areas in Europe. It outlines how potential areas should be integrated with other sectors, such as agriculture, forestry and tourism; sets out priorities at European, sub-regional and national level; proposes actions to strengthen the legal framework, planning and management of Europe's protected areas, and explains how to create the public support necessary for success. Over 200 individuals and institutions have contributed to what has become IUCN's largest-ever exercise in regional collaboration between government agencies, NGOs and the individual staff of protected areas.