scholarly journals Integration of Conservation Measures Concerning Natura 2000 Sites into Marine Protected Areas Regulations: A Study Related to Sardinia

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 3460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corrado Zoppi

This study defines and discusses a spatial planning approach, which can be integrated into conservation measures, regarding the sites of the Natura 2000 Network—established under the provisions of Directive No. 92/43/EEC (the “Habitats” Directive), and Directive No. 2009/147/EC (the “Birds” Directive)—into the regulations of marine protected areas. The protected marine area of the Island of Tavolara and Cape Coda Cavallo, located in North-Eastern Sardinia (which is overlapped by a Natura 2000 Site) is the spatial context for the implementation of the proposed methodology. The comprehensive outcome of this study, that is, the implementation of the proposed spatial planning approach into regulations regarding the previously mentioned protected marine areas, is particularly relevant for the scientific and technical debate on spatial planning. This debate is related to protection of nature and natural resources, since the issue of integration of the conservation measures related to Natura 200 Network, into regulations of protected areas, is an open question, which needs further consideration and insights.

2013 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 183-192
Author(s):  
Doina Cioacă

ABSTRACT The Natura 2000 concept and wetlands protection are relatively new for Romania and Bulgaria, because they are former communist countries and, after the 1990s, had too little value placed on nature conservation in favour of infrastructure development and agriculture. The development of the European ecological network Natura 2000 on these territories has come as an obligation for accession of these countries to The European Union on 01.01.2007. During the period 2006-2009 I made an analysis for the management of protected areas along the Danube Green Corridor, between Romania and Bulgaria, especially for wetlands, similar to the results of the WWF Germany project “Lower Danube - Green Corridor (LDGC): Freshwater protected area management and freshwater restoration in Bulgaria, Romania and trans-boundary conservation along the Lower Danube”. To have a complete view of the situation of the protected areas management between Romania and Bulgaria, along the Lower Danube Green Corridor, and the perspectives for the next years, I carried out some evaluation for more than 20 Natura 2000 sites, which are alike in many ways, such as: the object of protection (Sites of Community Importance, SCI, under the Habitats Directive; Special Protection Areas for birds, SPAs, under the Birds Directive; natural protected areas of national importance for these two countries, or other natural and semi natural areas with the potential to be protected), human activities, pressures and threats, and other aspects. Later, I used these results to make a comparative analysis of the Cernica area (Ilfov County, Romania), to add another argument to include it in the Natura 2000 Network from Romania, as ROSPA0122 Cernica Lake and Forest. This analysis showed that Cernica faces approximately the same pressures and threats as other protected areas and has almost the same efficiency in management planning as the highest assessed Natura 2000 SPAs, respectively Iezer-Călăraşi in Romania and Srebarna of Bulgaria, which is an argument to establish this area as a Natura 2000 site.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-98
Author(s):  
Diep Ngoc Vo

In 2001, Viet Nam’s first mpa was established in Hòn Mun Island (Nha Trang). In 2010, a National mpa System Plan was officially adopted with a vision to establish 16 mpas by 2020. With an aim to report Viet Nam’s state practice concerning mpas, this article is divided into three parts. The first section will analyze the relevant legal framework on mpas, addressing the national jurisdictional basis for area-protection, authorities responsible for designating protected areas, administrative process and interaction of authorities responsible for activities within mpas. The second section will scrutinize each individual mpa project implemented in Viet Nam. The last part is an assessment of the progress of marine protection adopting marine spatial planning approach in Viet Nam by evaluating challenges and opportunities of the contemporary mpa system, identifying the gaps between legislative framework and practice, as well as the ways forward.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 2335
Author(s):  
Sabrina Lai

“Natura 2000” is a coordinated network of protected areas that stretches across the European Union in compliance with two directives (the so-called “Habitats Directive” and the “Birds Directive”) that underpin the Union’s policies on biodiversity conservation. This study is aimed at assessing the implementation of the network by qualitatively analyzing how Special Areas of Conservation are being designated. Such designation process, which is being implemented, although with great delay, in a number of member states, entails the establishment of site-specific conservation measures that may be included within appropriate management plans or other development plans. A systematic documental analysis of official acts establishing Special Areas of Conservation and approving conservation measures and management plans was performed by taking Italy as a case study. The analysis focuses on four key topics, as follows: use of conservation measures and appropriate management plans; multi-level governance of the Natura 2000 sites, in terms of involved institutions and tiers of government; stakeholders’ inclusion in the designation process; and the relationship between conservation measures and the wider spatial planning system. The results show significant differences regarding the implementation of the Natura 2000 network and highlight potential general hindrances to completing the designation process in the European Union.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (8) ◽  
pp. 2664
Author(s):  
J. Carlos Molina-Molina ◽  
Marouane Salhaoui ◽  
Antonio Guerrero-González ◽  
Mounir Arioua

The world’s oceans are one of the most valuable sources of biodiversity and resources on the planet, although there are areas where the marine ecosystem is threatened by human activities. Marine protected areas (MPAs) are distinctive spaces protected by law due to their unique characteristics, such as being the habitat of endangered marine species. Even with this protection, there are still illegal activities such as poaching or anchoring that threaten the survival of different marine species. In this context, we propose an autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) model system for the surveillance of marine areas by detecting and recognizing vessels through artificial intelligence (AI)-based image recognition services, in search of those carrying out illegal activities. Cloud and edge AI computing technologies were used for computer vision. These technologies have proven to be accurate and reliable in detecting shapes and objects for which they have been trained. Azure edge and cloud vision services offer the best option in terms of accuracy for this task. Due to the lack of 4G and 5G coverage in offshore marine environments, it is necessary to use radio links with a coastal base station to ensure communications, which may result in a high response time due to the high latency involved. The analysis of on-board images may not be sufficiently accurate; therefore, we proposed a smart algorithm for autonomy optimization by selecting the proper AI technology according to the current scenario (SAAO) capable of selecting the best AI source for the current scenario in real time, according to the required recognition accuracy or low latency. The SAAO optimizes the execution, efficiency, risk reduction, and results of each stage of the surveillance mission, taking appropriate decisions by selecting either cloud or edge vision models without human intervention.


ZooKeys ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 792 ◽  
pp. 133-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iulia V. Miu ◽  
Chisamera Gabriel B. ◽  
Viorel D. Popescu ◽  
Ruben Iosif ◽  
Andreea Nita ◽  
...  

Based on species occurrence records of museum collections, published literature, and unpublished records shared by mammalian experts, we compiled a distribution database for 59 terrestrial mammals populating the extensively protected Dobrogea Region of Romania. The spatial patterns of mammal distribution and diversity was evaluated and systematic conservation planning applied to identify priority areas for their conservation. The spatial analyses revealed that intensive sampling was not directly correlated to mammal diversity but rather to accessibility for inventory. The spatial prioritisation analysis indicated a relatively aggregated pattern of areas with a high or low conservation value with virtually no connecting corridors between them. The significant overlap between Natura 2000 sites and national protected areas induced an over-optimistic vision of the effectiveness and representativeness of existing Natura 2000 network for species found in Annexes II and IV of the Habitats Directive. These results represent a key step in identifying core areas for the protection of mammal diversity and dispersal corridors for improved connectivity, and to guide future conservation efforts in increasing the effectiveness of the existing protected areas in the context of environmental changes.


2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 847-855
Author(s):  
Mariano J. Aznar

Abstract Spain has just declared a new marine protected area in the Mediterranean. This follows a protective trend taken by Spanish authorities during the last decades and has permitted Spain to honour its international compromises under the Convention on Biological Diversity. It contributes to a framework of protected areas established under conventional regimes such as OSPAR, RAMSAR or EU Natura 2000. The new area protects a ‘cetacean corridor’ and will be inscribed in the list of Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance under the Barcelona Convention regional framework.


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