The EU's Green Infrastructure Strategy

Transcription

1 The EU's Green Infrastructure Strategy Strahil Christov, DG Environment Arad,

2 Green Infrastructure: What is it? Green Infrastructure: a strategically planned network of natural and semi-natural areas with other environmental features designed and managed to deliver a wide range of ecosystem services (in terrestrial, aquatic, coastal & marine environments). Spatial structure delivering nature benefits to people In short: Structure enabling healthy and diverse ecosystems Delivering multiple and economically important goods and services to people Examples: clean water and air, carbon storage, pollination etc. GI also helps fight climate change impacts by protecting us against floods and other environmental disasters.

3 What are the problems? Increasing urbanization Unsustainable land use and fragmentation Loss of biodiversity in the EU Unsustainable use of ecosystem goods & services

4 Potential components of a Green Infrastructure (1) Core areas of high biodiversity value, Non-protected areas of large healthy ecosystems Restored habitats reconnecting natural areas Natural wildlife corridors Artificial features enhancing ecosystem services

5 Potential components of a Green Infrastructure (2) Buffer zones Multi-functional zones

6 The EU s Green Infrastructure Strategy May 2011: EU adopts a Biodiversity Strategy to halt biodiversity loss in Europe by 2020 Target 2: by 2020, ecosystems and their services are maintained and enhanced by establishing Green Infrastructure and restoring at least 15% of degraded ecosystems May 2013: Commission's Green Infrastructure Strategy. It places GI in context of "Europe 2020 Growth Strategy" which calls for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth across the EU

7 The EU s Green Infrastructure Strategy (2) The new GI strategy 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 Promoting Green Infrastructure through EU s main policy areas 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 and the environment

9 Natural Water Retention Measures NWRM: no-regret measures that implement water framework and floods Directives and also contribute to other policies, including GI Spatial planning is key for the successful implementation of NWRM Urban planners should make the water cycle explicit in their territorial planning Enhanced coordination between planning processes across different policy areas (e.g. River Basin and Flood Risk Management, but also nature protection, rural development and land use/spatial planning) will provide more opportunities for NWRM and for their multiple benefits to be considered WFD limate change The Water Framework Directive The Birds & Habitats Directive Legislation Strategies The Floods Directive Floods Birds/habitats EU strategy on adaptation to climate change Others EU strategy on Green Infrastructure (GI) Citizens have also higher demands for ecosystem services & amenities, especially in densely populated urban areas. Urban planning

10 Examples of Natural Water Retention Measures Intercropping (Agriculture) Green roof (Urban) Benefits: slow runoff, increase infiltration, reduce erosion, filtrate pollution, reduce flood risks, protect ecosystems Land use conversion (Forestry) Benefits: slow and store runoff, Increase evapotranspiration, climate change adaptation and mitigation, flood risk reduction, aesthetic and cultural value Re-meandering (Hydro-Morphology) Benefits: slow and store runoff, Increase evapotranspiration, increase infiltration, reduce pollutant sources, intercept pollution, reduce erosion Benefits: slow river water, intercept pollution, reduce erosion, create aquatic and riparian habitat, natural biomass production, biodiversity preservation

11 Green Infrastructure and Climate change Climate change and infrastructure development make disasterprone areas more vulnerable to extreme weather events and natural disasters (landslides, avalanches, floods, soil erosion, etc.) Impacts of such events on human society and environment can often be reduced using green infrastructure solutions EEA s new report "Exploring nature-based solutions": overview of where specific weather- and climate-related natural hazards are likely to occur; where well-functioning ecosystem services can support disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation; and where the provision of ecosystem services may be improved.

12 TEN-G Assess opportunities for developing an EU TEN-G initiatives Already available: Analysing projects which could serve as examples of trans-european GI Major rivers and mountain ranges are obvious candidates for EU-level GI projects. Upcoming: Study to assess the opportunities for TEN-G, including assessment of costs and economic, social and environmental benefits by end 2015

13 GI guidance The Commission will develop technical guidance setting out how Green Infrastructure will be integrated into the implementation of the main policies and their associated funding mechanisms from 2014 to 2020 Already available: Better environmental options for flood risk management Guidance on connectivity Natural water retention measures (link to adaptation) Integration of biodiversity and climate change into SEA and EIA Connecting Smart and Sustainable Growth through Smart Specialisation Smart guide to multi-benefit investments Next upcoming guidance: Agriculture/Climate adaptation

14 Technical standards Assess the contribution technical standards could make to "growing the market" of GI products Already available: Inclusion of assessing benefits and risks of standard setting for GI into Union work programme on European standardisation Upcoming: Working meetings with relevant DGs, e.g. ENTR, MARKT, JRC and with business organisations Further screening of available standards within ISO, EMAS, COST, with ICLEI

15 GI in Romania Romania is called to address four main issues under the European Semester including: flood management, energy efficiency, management of Natura 2000 sites Hydropower

16 GI in Romania With all five eco-regions present over its territory, Romania is extremely rich in biodiversity and about 20% of its surface belongs to the Natura 2000 Network; However, habitat fragmentation and excessive resource exploitation are a major threat for many plants and animal species as a result of economic development.

17 GI in Romania During the EU programming period Romania has allocated about EUR 172 million under the European Territorial Cooperation objective for the implementation of adequate management systems for nature protection The Partnership Agreement (PA) reiterates the need to promote GI giving ecological corridors, green bridges and eco-passages as examples in order to reconnect artificially fragmented natural areas

18 GI in Romania European Strategy for the Danube region and the PA identifies following funding sources of Thematic Objective 6: Conservation and protection of the environmental and promotion of efficient use of resources: National Rural Development Program (EARDF amounting overall to 1.12 bln EUR) for the restoration, conservation and extension of agriculture and forestry dependent ecosystems; Operational Program Big Infrastructure (ERDF amounting overall to 0.61 bln EUR and CF amounting overall to 1.7 bln EUR) for protecting biodiversity through the elaboration of management plans and investments in renovation and conservation measures.

19 GI in Romania Also, the Master Plan for Transport in Romania 2030 mentions the need to respect conservation measures in future projects including integrating nonstructural and GI measures Furthermore, the LIFE Program has two relevant components: Environment, with nature and biodiversity as one priority; and Climate Action, with combating and adapting to climate change as priorities. In the Territorial Development Strategy of Romania 2035 there is a clear reference to GI as an efficient way to adapt to climate change and diminish natural risks compared to physical or grey infrastructure.

20 Which Financial support? (1) EU s main policies and their accompanying financial instruments vital to mobilise the potential of stakeholders to invest in GI 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

21 Which Financial support? (2) Natural Capital Financing Facility (NCFF) set up by Commission and European Investment Bank: will finance investments in natural capital projects, including GI, which generate revenues or save costs and contribute to nature, biodiversity and climate change adaptation objectives NCFF open to public and private entities, where appropriate cooperating in partnerships. Investments could e.g. on ecosystem restoration projects as insurance against floods or draughts or to improve water quality

22 More info on DG ENV, BISE, and NWRM webpages > Green Infrastructure

23 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). proposed methodology to help policymakers & practitioners to identify a landscape GI network where key habitats can be reconnected and overall ecological quality improved Developing Green Infrastructure will enhance the 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.