Protecting nature, safeguard biodiversity – BfN workshop series Natura 2000

Natura 2000 is a network of protected areas within the European Union, established in 1992 under the EU Habitats Directive. Its goal is to ensure the conservation of endangered native plant and animal species and their natural habitats.

In autumn 2016 and in September 2017 a multi-day workshop took place, investigating the various aspects needed for implementing and maintaining Natura 2000. The workshops were chiefly aimed at representatives from environmental agencies from the German regions, as well as members of nature conservation organisations and other experts in the field. They aimed to facilitate an exchange of experience and knowledge between the participants. A publication will be developed, based on the speeches, discussions and exchanges, and will be printed as part of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation's (BfN) publication series.

The first workshop took place from 7 to 10 November 2016 at the International Nature Conservation Academy (INA) of the Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) on the island of Vilm in the Baltic Sea. It focused on the topic of “Species protection in agriculture”, in order to examine, from a number of different angles, the reasons for biodiversity loss particularly affecting agricultural habitats. In addition, examples of protection programmes and groundbreaking projects in this area were scrutinised. Furthermore, the effectiveness of current protection measures was discussed with experts from the scientific community and from the field of nature conservation, examining the scope of and possible solutions to the challenges facing the German and European agricultural industry.

The second workshop in September 2017 focussed on current issues, findings and experiences with Natura 2000 in woodland and forested areas, from the perspective of experts from the fields of forestry and environmental protection. The spotlight was on international perspectives and examples of good practice from other European countries especially regarding the management of Natura 2000 forest habitat types on secondary sites.

adelphi assisted the Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) in designing, preparing and implementing the workshops. This included identifying and inviting potential participants and speakers, developing event schedules in cooperation with the BfN, and coming up with attractive field trip options. adelphi was also responsible for the content, logistics and technical aspects of the programming and travel arrangements, and is furthermore in charge of documenting and collating the workshop results.