1.1 Establishment and maintenance of protected areas by 2010 …

Release date	14/05/2007

Assessment criteria:

• National (regional) definition of each of the terms comprehensive, ecologically representative and effectively managed developed
• National (regional) gap analysis undertaken by 2006
  
• National (regional) plan (map) for a comprehensive and effectively managed protected area network established (identification) by 2006
• National (regional) progress report on designation (inc. map) by 2008
• Mechanisms for assessing management effectiveness established by 2010

Description of progress, main obstacles, information sources:

Definition and terminology

There are no national or regional definitions adopted in the law or targets assigned for the specific requirements related to PA system with reference to being comprehensive and ecologically representative. These terms suggest that the PA network will contain examples of all ecosystems and all species, in spatial scale and population size large enough for conservation over time. Priorities for area designation and for acquisition of land as reserves aim at protecting in the first place threatened species (red lists) and habitats of international or regional importance and at covering a representation of the natural values of each of the ecoregions.  In practice it is not possible to set aside large enough areas to conserve all species within the boundary of protected areas, mainly due to the highly urbanised landscape and due to restriction of land acquisition for nature conservation in certain land use destination areas such as agricultural or industrial destinations. Designation of Natura 2000 areas is evaluated at EU-level on representativeness of habitats and species of the annexes in the EU Habitats Directive and Bird Directive.

Effective management of PA can be related to obtaining favourable conservation  status of habitats and species as determined in the Habitat Directive, and also included in regional and feral law on environment and nature protection.  These law texts for the  protection of  nature and natural environment provide a definition of “protection” taking into account the necessary protection measures, the restoration needs and the sustainable management of the protected areas. With reference to Natura 2000 the texts provide de definition of the ‘favourable state of conservation’ of species and habitat types for which the sites have been designated.

Main law in the regions – texts and specific regulations can be consulted on the regional websites (see under 1.2):

• Federal: Law for the protection of the marine environment in the sea (20/01/1999)
• Walloon Region: Decree for nature protection (6/12/2001)
• Flemish Region: Decree for the protection of nature and the natural environment (21/10/1997, revised on 19 July 2002), government Decision on site specific measures for  the protection and development of nature (2003)
• Brussels Capital Region: Brussels Law for the protection and the conservation of nature (27 April 1995)

Evaluation of conservation importance and effectiveness of PA is done by monitoring of management measures and of  the status of habitats and species – see further under point 1.4.

Types of PA

The IUCN-categories are now under revision  and are not used as basis for descriptions given below. Only the nature and forest reserves correspond to the IUCN category IV. The other types of PA could be linked to some of the other IUCN categories, but it was preferred to wait for the new descriptions of IUCN.

Through the different categories of protected area different types of ecosystems and habitats are protected. They represent many different types of ecosystems such as  pasture, calcareous grasslands, heathlands, forests, caves, wetlands, …There sizes can go from 0,3 ha to 4 500 ha for a nature reserve, from 7 000 ha to 72 000 ha for a natural park. The management measures of these protected areas are adapted to the site’s needs. Some nature reserves are in fact integral reserves which means they are not managed at all.

1/. PA with a legal status:

• government nature and forest reserve: protected area, laid out on lands belonging to the regional government, leased by the Region or made available to it for that purpose, established by ministerial decision, formal recognition includes approved management plan
• forest reserve: a forest or a part of a forest, protected with the aim of safeguarding characteristic or remarkable sites of plantations of indigenous species and protecting the integrity of the surrounding soil and environment.
• chartered nature reserve: protected area, managed by a person other than the Region, in most cases an NGO, and recognised by the Ministry, at the request of the owner of the lands and with the agreement of the occupier, recognition as reserve by ministerial decision, formal recognition includes approved management plan, subsidies are granted for the purchase and the management of lands.
• Natura 2000 (Special Protection Areas and Special Areas for Conservation): designation for specific habitats or species of the Annexes of the Birds or Habitats Directive, established by regional government decision and by Federal government decision for marine areas
• Ramsar sites: designation based upon criteria of Ramsar Convention, established by regional government decision and by Federal government decision for Ramsar site in marine area
• protected landscapes and natural monuments: for the protection of high value landscape features, established by ministerial decision
• Nature Parks (or natural parks): rural area’s with a high biological, landscape and geographical value, specific attention is given to conservation of natural values, sustainable use and tourism and leisure.
• Wetlands of biological interest: this status allows the protection of wetlands, established by ministerial decision
• caves of scientific interest: this status allows underground cavities of scientific (biological, geological, petrographical, mineralogical or prehistoric) interest to be protected

 2/ PA managed as nature reserves:

• nature areas managed by NGO’s or by the government agencies but without a legal status as reserve as the formal recognition has not yet been processed

3/ Other areas with protected status:

Flemish region:

• VEN (= Flemish Ecological Network that includes core areas of the Flemish ecological structure): included in regional spatial land use plans, designation restricted to ‘green land use categories’ but other uses can also be present, with a strict protection regime to prevent damage to nature values  but derogation possible
• Coastal dune areas: protected by law through the Dunes Decree of 1993 to prevent any further development (urbanisation, camping, tourism etc.) of all dune areas along the coast.  This included all geomorphological landscape elements that can be classified as dunes (grasslands, meadows, forested areas, ruderal areas, decalcified fossil dunes, etc.).
  

Brussels region:

• sites “B” : sites received the official status of “high biological value” on the regional zoning plan, official but general recognition, but not always adapted management  (Brussels region)

Walloon region:

• Agricultural ecosystems: traditional grazing practices with rustic cows or sheeps are encouraged in protected area’s in order to preserve specific ecosystems that depend

Established PA

• table with number and area  for  the main  types of PA:  in annex
• overview map of the main types of  PA with a legal status in Belgium: in annex
  

Biomes represented in PA

• marine and coastal, lakes and rivers, wetlands - marshland and peatlands, grasslands, heathland, forests, agricultural landscapes

Additions of  PA since COP 7 (2004):  number and area of PA added in the period 2005-2006

• Wallonia:  22 (269ha) new RNA, 21 (312ha) new RND, 2 new caves, 5 (57 ha) new wetlands
• Brussels Region :  In the period 2005-2006, no new protected areas have been added, but a project has been prepared and submitted for advise to public and consultative bodies (High Council for Nature Protection). Formal establishment will be finalised in 2007.
• Flemish region: 15 private nature reserves (2339 ha) and 2 public nature reserves (1948 ha), 5 forest reserves (305 ha), 1 Natura 2000 site (SPA of ca 480 ha)
• Federal marine area: 5 Natura 2000 areas (42.090 ha) and one protected marine nature reserve (670 ha)

Overall total for the additions for Belgium since 2004: 66 reserve areas for ca 5843 ha, 6 Natura 2000 sites for 42.570 ha, 5 wetlands for 57 ha  - but the surfaces of different types of PA are in some cases overlapping.

Additions planned by 2010 – terrestrial, by 2012 – marine

• Flemish Region:  objective in MINA-plan for the acquisition of land to establish nature and forest reserves of 3000 ha/year by Government & NGO’s
• Walloon Region: There are no special plans for establishing additional protected areas or special management plans by the year 2010. The Nature direction of the walloon region will continue to designated new nature reserves, wetlands (ZHIB) and caves (CSIS) (with an increasing rate of  350 hectares a year)..
• Brussels Region : In 2007, the extension of Nature and Forest reserves, as well as the creation of an “integral” reserve in the Sonian Forest will be official. In 2007 is also foreseen the creation of a new private nature reserve.

In the framework of the Natura 2000, the objective is to designate several Natura 2000 sites as nature reserve.

Management effectiveness

Several instruments have been developed or are in development and being tested for evaluating effectiveness of management measures – monitoring of management measures, monitoring of outcome: status of habitats and species – see under point 3.1.