Actions related to objective 4c.2

Full text of the objective 4c.2 "Enhance and encourage the role of farmers as biodiversity actors" from the National Strategy

Flanders:

agri-environment contracts include several packages for ‘agricultural nature management', sensibilisation through brochures, information sessions, website: there are five types of agricultural management agreements between farmers and the Flemish Ministry that are explicitly aimed at enhancing nature (i.e. management of grassland birds, parcel edges, small-scale landscape elements, nature, and botanical management). These management agreements aim to stimulate farmers to actively contribute to nature and the environment, more than they would do through ‘normal' agricultural practices.

Brussels:

Locally in some protected areas with meadows and grassland habitats, farmers are used to realise the ecological management. .

Walloon Region:

• Since 2000, the Walloon Region has initiated a Fallow for fauna ("jachère-faune").
• A new incentive for the plantation of hedges will soon be available and will replace the previous one (higher amounts for plantations, incentives to maintain hedges, incentives for orchards and trees alignments, administrative simplification).
• Il y a eu des une révisions des mesures agri-environnementales en Région wallonne : l' Un nouvel arrêté du Gouvernement wallon du 28 octobre 2004 comme celui en préparation pour 2007 prévoit des mesures d'incitations agri-environnementales notamment pour: Conservation des éléments du réseau écologique et du paysage (haies et bandes boisées, arbres, arbustes isolés, arbres fruitiers à hautes tiges, bosquets, mares) ; prairies naturelles ; bordures herbeuses extensives; prairies à haute valeur biologique, bandes de parcelles aménagées.

Future actions:

• Implement good farming practices and technologies;
• Target the development of clear and detailed guidance at exactly what farmers should do to implement cross-compliance criteria and agri-environmental measures;
• Give continuous appropriate education and provision of information to farmers, farm contractors, agriculture advisers and teachers in agricultural colleges.

recommandations :

1. renforcer les règles concernant le maintien des pâturages permanents
2. règles favorisant plus fortement ce rôle dans les autres mesures PDR (aides aux investissements), avec renforcement de l'axe 2 (MAE, indemnité compensatoire région défavorisée et indemnité Natura 2000)