Reaching the 2020 Targets with Blue-Green Infrastructure: Member State Perspectives ESTONIA Mart KÜLVIK Estonian University of Life Sciences With thanks to Hanno Zingel and Herdis Fridolin, MoE Est. Building Blue-Green Infrastructure 6-7 October 2015, Budapest
Presentation plan ESTONIA (B)GI as a planning agenda (B)GI as a conservation agenda
Planning agenda The hierarchy of the spatial planning system is organised mainly around basic administrative units in Estonia (i.e. country, county and municipality). The Green Network (= Green Infrastructure) is addressed at all three levels of planning.
National level The long-term spatial strategies Estonia Vision 2010 Estonia 2030+ include the Green Network
County level In 1999, the phase of county planning was initiated including the design of the Green Network. By 2002, each of the 15 counties of Estonia had to green infrastucture planning However, it took until the end of 2007 for all 15 counties to finish the preparation of these plans.
Municipal level According to the Planning Act, the Green Network needs to be addressed in each municipality s comprehensive plan (specify the boundaries and environmental conditions/restrictions). The Estonian Environmental Action Plan for 2007-2013 set a target to determine and implement measures for the Green Network within all municipalities by 2013.
Traffic accidents with large mammals (by L.Klein) IUCN Regional Office for Europe 1
County (district) level Viimsi Rural Municipality Tallinn City Green network at regional level: Harju county
County level plan Community level plan Green network al at regional and community levels EcoSummit 2012
et al EcoSummit 2012
et al EcoSummit 2012
Conservation agenda Nature Conservation Development Plan 2020 (NBSAP from 2012) National Habitat Action Plans EU funding
Nature Conservation Development Plan 2020 Measure 2.2. Ensuring the favourable conservation status of habitats Measure 2.3. Ensuring landscape diversity
Measure 2.2. Ensuring the favourable conservation status of habitats Main activities: (2.2.1.) Restoring and maintaining seminatural communities (wooded grasslands, alvar grasslands, coastal grasslands, alluvial grasslands) Immediate outcome: 45 000 ha of semi-natural communities restored and maintained Target year: 2020
Measure 2.2. Ensuring the favourable conservation status of habitats Main activities: (2.2.3.) Restoring threatened mire habitats in protected areas Immediate outcome: 10 000 ha of fen and transition mire habitats and raised bog margins (lagg-zones, mixotrophic and ombrotrophic forests, degraded raised bogs still capable of natural regeneration) Target year: 2020
Measure 2.2. Ensuring the favourable conservation status of habitats Main activities: (2.2.4.) Restoring the natural state of river habitats Immediate outcome: Ecologically functioning river habitats have been restored (opening migration routes of the aquatic fauna, restoring oxbows, etc.) Target year: 2020
Measure 2.2. Ensuring the favourable conservation status of habitats Main activities: (2.2.8.) Analysing and developing ecological coherence of the habitat network incl. developing indicators Immediate outcome: measures necessary to improve its coherence have been developed and are being applied Target year: 2020
Applied connectivity studies Connectivity of habitat paches of Flying scuirrel (Pteromys volans) in accordance with habitat demands and migration corridors Populations' connectivity of large mammals - European wolf (Canis lupus) and Brown bear (Ursus arctos); Connectivity of suitable habitat paches of European lynx (Lynx lynx) Connectivity of suitable forest habitats for woodpeckers Connectivity of managed coastal meadows for typical coastal meadow plant species Connectivity of alvar meadows for butterflies SEE: http://www.ut.ee/lkb/eng
et al EcoSummit 2012
Measure 2.3. Ensuring landscape diversity Main activities: Analysing the functioning of the green network and planning additional measures as necessary (e.g. landscape maintenance plans, the concept of areas of high nature value, developing planning guidelines taking account of biodiversity, including urban biodiversity, etc.) Immediate outcome: Green infrastructure effectiveness analysed, necessary measures applied Target year: 2016, additional measures by 2020
National Habitat Action Plans Action plan for semi-natural grasslands Action plan for mire habitats
EU funds (2015-2020) Cohesion Fund (54 mln EUR + 15% cofin.) Restoration of habitats (mires, rivers, wet forests, semi-natural grasslands, dunes, heaths) Restoration of migratory routes of salmon rivers Investments needed for the management of seminatural grasslands (roads, culverts, bridges) Visitor infrastructure (log fire sites, boardwalks, bird-watching towers Eur Agricultural Fund for Rural Development Semi-natural grasslands mngnt subsidies Natura 2000 private forest owners subsidies Natura 2000 agricultural land users subsidies Multiple agri-environmental subsidies
Thank You! Köszönöm! Tänan!