Guidelines on dealing with the impact of climate change on the management of Natura 2000

Climate change is a key Eurosite priority and was discussed during our Annual Conference in 2010. Therefore, Eurosite was delighted to be involved in the following important European Commission project and to be working again in partnership with Alterra.

About the project

Site managers all over Europe are facing real challenges to adapt to the impacts of climate change, not only on their sites, but also on biodiversity around their sites. We aimed to develop practical guidelines to help members (and others) deal with climate change in the management of their Natura 2000 sites - drawing on members’ experiences, the climate change guidelines will also contribute to creating a stronger and more resilient Natura 2000 network.

Managed on behalf of the European Commission, the overall project objective was to develop clear, accessible and easily applicable guidelines on dealing with the effects of climate change on Natura 2000 sites and to illustrate this with reference to case studies covering a variety of habitat types drawn from different biogeographical regions.

The specific tasks were to:

Review available scientific information on the effects of climate change on species and habitats and to develop an updated overview of these impacts and the most vulnerable species and habitat types.

Provide an overview of possible measures to either reduce, mitigate or adapt to the negative impacts of climate change on species and habitats at Natura 2000 site, buffer zone and network level.

Assess the role of ecological connectivity and approaches contributing to the spatial cohesion of the Natura 2000 network and adding to the resilience of ecosystems to climate change.

Identify and review good practice examples from different biogeographical regions, highlighting a range of different habitats where the management of Natura 2000 sites demonstrates impact reducing, mitigation and adaptation measures to cope with expected changes in climate.

Develop guidelines on how to deal with the impact of climate change on the management of Natura 2000 sites.

Guidelines on dealing with the effects of climate change on Natura 2000 sites

The European Commission's Nature and Biodiversity Newsletter 'Natura 2000' (number 32, July 2012 - available for download at the bottom of this page) announced that the draft guidance document has been presented to the Member States and is currently undergoing Interservice consultation within the Commission. The guidance document is expected to be published in the Autumn of 2012.

The draft guidance and draft guidance supplement are available for download below and on: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/climatechange/index_en.htm