scholarly journals Benthic habitat mapping of Plazh Gradina – Zlatna ribka (Black Sea) and Karpathos and Saria Islands (Mediterranean Sea)

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stamatina Nikolopoulou ◽  
Dimitar Berov ◽  
Stefania Klayn ◽  
Lyubomir Dimitrov ◽  
Kiril Velkovsky ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Black Sea ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Natura 2000 ◽  
Habitat Mapping ◽  
Habitats Directive ◽  
Benthic Habitat ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Marine Habitats

Habitat mapping is nеcessary for the efficient conservation and protection of marine ecosystems. In addition, it is a requirement for EU Member States as stated in the European Union (EU) Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), as well as necessary for the achievement and maintenance of 'good environmental status (GES)' of benthic marine habitats in the framework of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EC). This study provides baseline information on the marine benthic habitats of Sozopol Bay (Black Sea) and Karpathos and Saria Islands (Mediterranean Sea). These two Natura 2000 sites were selected as study sites of the RECONNECT project, which aimed at creating a transnational cooperative network to confront the environmental threats of ecosystems with a high natural and cultural interest, by the establishment of common practices and a joint regional strategy. The specific objective was to map the marine habitats using a defined a priori classification (EUNIS), with the ultimate purpose of supporting government marine spatial planning, management and decision-making processes through the development of a Decision Support System.

scholarly journals Benthic habitat mapping of Plazh Gradina – Zlatna ribka (Black Sea) and Karpathos and Saria islands (Mediterranean Sea)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stamatina Nikolopoulou ◽  
Dimitar Berov ◽  
Stefania Klayn ◽  
Lyubomir Dimitrov ◽  
Kiril Velkovsky ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Black Sea ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Natura 2000 ◽  
Habitat Mapping ◽  
Habitats Directive ◽  
Benthic Habitat ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Marine Habitats

Habitat mapping is nеcessary for the efficient conservation and protection of marine ecosystems. In addition, it is a requirement for EU Member States as stated in the European Union (EU) Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), as well as necessary for the achievement and maintenance of 'good environmental status (GES)' of benthic marine habitats in the framework of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EC). This study provides baseline information on the marine benthic habitats of Sozopol Bay (Black Sea) and Karpathos and Saria islands (Mediterranean Sea). These two Natura 2000 sites were selected as study sites of the RECONNECT project, which aimed at creating a transnational cooperative network to confront the environmental threats of ecosystems with a high natural and cultural interest, by the establishment of common practices and a joint regional strategy. The specific objective was to map the marine habitats using a defined a priori classification (EUNIS), with the ultimate purpose of supporting government marine spatial planning, management and decision-making processes through the development of a Decision Support System.

scholarly journals Natura 2000 habitat mapping in Kattegat, Denmark: an example from Læsø Trindel

1969 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 25-28
Author(s):  
Zyad K. Al-Hamdani ◽  
Laura G. Addington
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Natura 2000 ◽  
Habitat Mapping ◽  
Habitats Directive ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Nature Protection ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Birds Directive

Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas established by the European Union under the Habitats Directive (European Union 1992). The aim is to assure long-term survival of the most valuable and endangered species and habitats in Europe. The network comprises special areas of conservation and protection designated by the member states under, respectively, the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive. The establishment of the network of protected areas also fulfils a community obligation under the Convention of Biological Diversity of the United Nations.

scholarly journals Long-term monitoring for the surveillance of the conservation status of Tursiops truncatus in an EU Natura2000 site in the Mediterranean Sea. A pilot study in the Tuscan Archipelago

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANTONELLA ARCANGELI ◽  
ROBERTO CROSTI ◽  
ILARIA CAMPANA ◽  
LARA CAROSSO ◽  
MARTINA GREGORIETTI ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphin ◽  
Tursiops Truncatus ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Natura 2000 ◽  
Research Network ◽  
Habitats Directive ◽  
Common Bottlenose Dolphin ◽  
The Mediterranean

A pilot study, using the dataset from the research network ‘FLT Med Net’, which regularly monitors transborder regions in the Mediterranean Sea using ferries as platform for systematic surveys, was undertaken to assess common bottlenose dolphin range and population trends within the Natura 2000 EU marine site “Tutela del Tursiops truncatus”. The site was recently designated by the Tuscany Region (Italy) within the requirement of the EU Habitats Directive. In order to evaluate the conservation status of bottlenose dolphin according to the surveillance scheme of the Directive, two six-year periods (2007-2012; 2013-2018) were compared to assess trends in distribution-occurrence (range); Sightings Per Unit of Effort and Density (population). In total, 18146 NM were surveyed along two fixed transects, recording 90 sightings of Tursiops truncatus and a total of 268 specimens. Between the two periods, slight but not statistically significant differences were assessed, with decreasing trend in range and population  of the species; no variation was detected in mean group sizes. Travelling was the most common behaviour, and juveniles were present in 20% of the sightings, concentrated during spring and summer. The consistent FLT Med Net dataset was found to be appropriate to evaluate important parameters for the assessment of trends in the conservation status of Tursiops truncatus at the Natura2000 site scale. 

Obligaciones de los Estados miembros en materia de gestión de los Espacios Natura 2000 derivadas de los apartados 1 y 2 del artículo 6 de la Directiva Hábitats

2014 ◽  
pp. 2455-2494
Author(s):  
Juan José PÉREZ PÉREZ
Keyword(s):  
Natura 2000 ◽  
Habitats Directive ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Natura 2000 Network ◽  
Ecological Requirements ◽  
Wild Fauna ◽  
Community Interest ◽  
European Court ◽  
La Red

LABURPENA: Habitaten Zuzentarauaren bidez, Natura 2000 Sarea sortu zen. Europar Batasuneko kontserbazio-eremu berezien sare ekologiko koherentea da, fauna- eta flora-espezie basatien zein Europar Batasunerako garrantzitsuak diren habitat naturalen kontserbaziorako. Estatu kideek zuzentarauaren 6. artikuluan xedatutako lan batzuk egin behar dituzte. Arau hori funtsezkoa da, Natura 2000 Sareko eremuen kudeaketari dagokionez. Lan honetan, ez zaio heltzen eremu horietan eragina izan dezaketen planen eta proiektuen ebaluazioa egiteko betebeharra aztertzeari, oso espezifikoa baita. Hain zuzen ere, Batzordeko erreferentziazko dokumentazioaren eta Europar Batasuneko Justizia Auzitegiaren jurisprudentziaren azterketa oinarri hartuta, honako hauek azaltzen saiatuko da lan honetan: zer jasotzen den babestu beharreko habitaten eta espezieen eskakizun ekologikoak betetzeko neurrietan, eta zein diren hartu beharreko neurri egokiak habitat eta espezie horiek hondamendi edo aldaketa nabarmenik ez izateko, eta zuzentarauaren helburuak betetzeko. RESUMEN: La Directiva Hábitats crea la Red Natura 2000, una red ecológica europea coherente de Zonas Especiales de Conservación existente en la Unión para la conservación de especies de fauna y flora silvestres y de hábitats naturales de importancia comunitaria. Los Estados miembros tienen que acometer unas tareas contempladas en el artículo 6 de la Directiva, precepto fundamental en cuanto a la gestión de los lugares Natura 2000 concierne. En este trabajo, sin abordar, por su especifidad, la obligación de evaluar planes y proyectos que puedan afectar a estos lugares, y analizando documentación de referencia de la Comisión y la jurisprudencia del TJUE, se intenta explicar en qué consisten esas medidas de conservación necesarias que respondan a las exigencias ecológicas de los hábitats y especies a proteger, así como las medidas apropiadas para evitar, en esos hábitats y especies, deterioros y alteraciones con efectos apreciables en los objetivos de la Directiva. ABSTRACT: The Habitats Directive established the Natura 2000 network, a coherent European ecological network of special areas of conservation that exists in the European Union for the conservation of species of wild fauna and flora and natural habitats of Community interest. Member states have to undertake some tasks contemplated in article 6 of the Directive, an essential provision as far as the management of Natura 2000 sites is concerned. This work, without tackling the duty to assess plans and projects that might affect these sites because of their specifity, and analyzing the documentation of reference of Commission and the caselaw of the European Court of Justice, tries to explain those necessary measures of conservation that meet the ecological requirements of habitats and species to protect together with the appropriate measures to avoid in those habitats and species, deteriorations and alterations in so far as such disturbance could be significant in relation to the objectives of the Directive.

Country-by-Country Reporting and Other Financial Transparency Measures Affecting the European Union

2021 ◽  
pp. 132-157
Author(s):  
Petr Janský ◽  
Andres Knobel ◽  
Markus Meinzer ◽  
Tereza Palanská ◽  
Miroslav Palanský
Keyword(s):  
Information Exchange ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Virgin Islands ◽  
Cayman Islands ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Member States ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Automatic Information ◽  
Financial Secrecy ◽  
The Eu

The EU faces large amounts of financial secrecy supplied to it by secrecy jurisdictions. In this chapter, we use the Bilateral Financial Secrecy Index to quantify which jurisdictions supply most secrecy to EU Member States. The chapter assesses the progress of two recent EU policy efforts to tackle financial secrecy: automatic exchange of country-by-country reporting (CbCR) data and black and grey list of non-cooperative jurisdictions. It is found that 34 per cent of the financial secrecy faced by the EU is supplied by other Member States, whose a priori exclusion from the blacklisting exercise reveals its fundamental flaw. Further 13 per cent is supplied by the EU’s dependencies, mainly the UK’s Cayman Islands, Bermuda, and Guernsey. The jurisdictions that supply the most secrecy not covered by automatic information exchange of CbCR data are the British Virgin Islands, United States, and Curacao. Finally the chapter discusses policy recommendations that stem from our analysis.

scholarly journals Domestic Cats (Felis catus) and European Nature Conservation Law—Applying the EU Birds and Habitats Directives to a Significant but Neglected Threat to Wildlife

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 391-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arie Trouwborst ◽  
Han Somsen
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Current Practice ◽  
Natura 2000 ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Domestic Cats ◽  
Protected Species ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
The Eu

Abstract Free-ranging domestic cats (Felis catus) impact biodiversity through predation, disturbance, competition, disease and hybridisation. Scientific knowledge regarding these impacts has recently increased. This article interprets the European Union (EU) Birds and Habitats Directives (Nature Directives) in light of this knowledge. The outcome indicates that various obligations in the Directives, particularly concerning Natura 2000 sites and the generic protection of birds and other species, have significant implications for the management of free-ranging domestic cats. Regarding (unowned) stray and feral cats, these must be removed or controlled when they pose a threat to protected species and/or sites. Regarding (owned) pet and farm cats, the Nature Directives require EU Member States to ensure that letting cats roam free outdoors is forbidden and effectively prevented. Current practice across the EU does not yet conform to these requirements. Whereas the article identifies and assesses various factors that may explain this compliance gap, legally valid justifications appear absent.

scholarly journals The Comparative Analysis of Pressures and Threats to The Natura 2000 Sites for Wild Birds Protection - Case Studies in Wetlands in Romania and Bulgaria

2013 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 183-192
Author(s):  
Doina Cioacă
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Natura 2000 ◽  
Habitats Directive ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Natural Protected Areas ◽  
Birds Directive ◽  
Green Corridor ◽  
Natura 2000 Site

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.

scholarly journals The Role of NGOs in Search and Rescue Operations in the Context of the European Union Migration Crisis

2020 ◽  
pp. 77-91
Author(s):  
U. Stoliarova
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Search And Rescue ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Migration Crisis ◽  
Immigration Issue

In the early 2010s due to the aggravation of the situation in the Middle East and North Africa, the European Union faced an unprecedented escalation of the migration problem, which put serious pressure on many EU mechanisms. The article analyzes Brussels’ response to the increase in the number of victims in the Mediterranean Sea during the migration crisis, which peaked in 2015. The adoption of new initiatives that were aimed at easing the immigration issue did not lead to the expected results. The EU struggled to cope with a rise in the number of migrants who sought to reach European shores. The real challenge for the arriving migrants was crossing the Mediterranean Sea. Amid the increase in unmanaged flows of refugees and regular shipwrecks that led to the death of many migrants, non-governmental organizations stepped out. The organization and conduct of search and rescue operations (SARs) by NGOs led to the emergence of a new type of SARs, non-state ones, since even large NGOs began to conduct such operations for the first time. The article examines the contribution of European non-governmental organizations to the provision of search and rescue operations, as well as analyzes the main problems and challenges that these NGOs faced while implementing such activities from 2014 to 2020. It is concluded that European non-governmental organizations have saved tens of thousands of lives of migrants and refugees, thus becoming an important element in the EU’s migration crisis settlement. At the same time, they faced a number of problems and challenges, including criticism from some EU member states, which considered the activities of NGOs as a pull-factor for new migrants.

scholarly journals Veronica longifolia L. as an important initial larval food plant of Scarce Fritillary Euphydryas maturna (LINNAEUS, 1758) (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae): the ecological uniqueness of populations from the Natura 2000 area “Dolina Biebrzy” (Biebrza Valley) in NE Poland

2016 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcin Sielezniew ◽  
Izabela Dziekańska
Keyword(s):  
Host Record ◽  
Natura 2000 ◽  
Food Plants ◽  
Habitats Directive ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Larval Food ◽  
The North ◽  
Ne Poland ◽  
Ecological Uniqueness ◽  
Herbal Plants

Abstract The Euro-Siberian Scarce Fritillary Euphydryas maturna is considered a vulnerable species in the European Union and is listed in Annexes II and IV of the Habitats Directive. The butterfly shows a complex pattern of larval plant use throughout its range. In central Europe females oviposit on some trees and bushes, especially Fraxinus spp., on which hatched larvae spend their pre-diapause phase of development feeding gregariously in conspicuous webs. However, some herbal plants are also reported in the north and east. During a study performed in the Natura 2000 area “Dolina Biebrzy” (Biebrza Valley) in NE Poland we recorded populations showing a unique mixture of ecological characteristics. Both Fraxinus excelsior and Veronica longifolia were used as larval food plants before hibernation, and some local populations seemed to be completely dependent on the latter plant. Moreover, in the spring, at one site, we observed larvae feeding on Salix rosmarinifolia - the first host record for this plant species. The importance of our findings for conservation, as well as for the monitoring of the butterfly, is discussed.

scholarly journals Integrating the Water Framework Directive into the Habitats Directive: analysis of distribution patterns of lacustrine EU habitats in lakes of Lombardy (northern Italy)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rossano Bolpagni ◽  
Mattia M. Azzella ◽  
Chiara Agostinelli ◽  
Andrea Beghi ◽  
Eugenia Bettoni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Framework Directive ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Natura 2000 ◽  
Northern Italy ◽  
Habitats Directive ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Aquatic Habitats ◽  
Eutrophic Lakes ◽  
Natura 2000 Network ◽  
Use Of Resources

<p>The existence of strong potential synergies between the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Habitats Directive (HD) is widely acknowledged. Indeed, ensuring favourable conservation conditions for aquatic habitats and species of conservation concern is closely related to the achievement of a good ecological status in water bodies. However, since these two sets of European laws are generally applied without any coordination, an inefficient use of resources may adversely affect their goals. The main negative outcome is an increase in the cost of monitoring programs for collecting data in nature (<em>i.e.</em>, physical and chemical parameters, species and habitats, plant communities). The use of macrophytes as a bioindicator, as imposed by the WFD, may instead help to integrate data on aquatic EU habitats and enhance knowledge of such habitats outside the Natura 2000 network. The aim of present study was to evaluate the usefulness of data collected in WFD monitoring surveys as a means of inferring the occurrence and the distribution of lacustrine aquatic habitats in countries belonging to the European Union (EU). The main aim of the analysis was to identify the depth gradient distribution of diagnostic macrophyte <em>taxa</em> in two EU habitats (3140, <em>i.e.</em>, <em>Chara</em>-dominated benthic communities, and 3150, <em>i.e.</em>, natural eutrophic lakes) using data collected in lakes in Lombardy (northern Italy), some of which are included in the Natura 2000 network (10 out 16). While recognizing the limitations of the data collected within the two frameworks, the results confirmed the marked usefulness of WFD data as a means of enhancing the knowledge available on lacustrine aquatic habitats in the EU. WFD data can actively help to improve the basic information on aquatic habitats, thereby more effectively supporting regional strategies for biodiversity conservation as well as recovery programs.</p><p> </p>

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