4.2 Effectiveness of PA management + 4.3 Assessment and monitoring PA status and trends

Assessment criteria:

• Methods, standards, criteria and indicators for evaluating management effectiveness of protected areas adopted (2006).
  
• Frameworks for monitoring, evaluation and reporting protected-area management effectiveness at site, national and regional system level implemented. 
  
• Percentage of each country protected areas evaluated

• methods for monitoring of PA for evaluation of management effectiveness

Pilote studies for  monitoring management effectiveness have been carried out to determine methodology and time planning  and are now implemented in several nature reserves. A general monitoring for the evolution of habitats and species is carried out in most protected areas, as well as monitoring of nature development projects, monitoring of agri-environment measures, hunting bag monitoring, reporting on forest certifications.  For NGO’s monitoring of specific species and habitats and management measures and reporting is mandatory in the approved management plan.

• evaluation of habitat and species conservation status Natura 2000 is now being carried out based on the guidelines developed for the implementation of art 17 of the Habitats Directive concerning reporting obligations. Reports will be made available on the EU website.

• status and trends of protected areas: reports are published by the regions on regular basis and made available on the respective websites. An overall report was published by the CBD National Focal Point on biodiversity in Belgium which also includes a chapter on protected areas: Biodiversity in Belgium 2004 (in French and in Dutch).