Actions related to objective 5.5

Full text of the objective 5.5 Encourage the development of economic, fiscal and financial instruments for biodiversity (including instruments for the private sector)" from the National Strategy

Flanders:

Exemption of succession rights for forests and the exemption of succession rights and levy for real property for land in FEN. Forest owners receive subsidies for the development and implementation of forest management plans that are based on criteria for sustainable forest management.

• Beheersovereenkomsten richten zich op het bevorderen van milieuvriendelijke productiemethodes, het inschakelen van land- en tuinbouw in de natuurontwikkeling binnen de agrarische structuur en daarbuiten in vooraf afgebakende gebieden en de bevordering van de medegebruiksfunctie van het platteland.

Brussels:

Under study for management of private Natura 2000 sites.
Ponctual agreements for management of private sites.

Walloon region:

1. Incentive agri-environmental measures for: the conservation of ecological network and landscape elements (hadges, tree rows, trees, isolated shrubs, long-stemmed fruit trees, groves, ponds), natural grasslands, verges, grasslands of high biological value, etc.
2. The ‘fallowland-fauna' instrument allows for the covering of resting arable lands with vegetation, creating a privileged habitat for fauna. However, the instrument has had only limited succes until now.
3. Allowance to promote the planting of hedges
4. The Walloon Region provides grants to the River Contracts and ‘Plans Communaux de Développement de la Nature' when they propose concrete nature restoration and maintenance projects.
5. Furthermore, incentive measures are foreseen within the following resolutions:

• grants for appropriate sylvicultural practices (Walloon Government Resolution, 17.11.1994);
• grants when acquiring land for nature reserve purposes (Walloon Executive Resolution, 17.07.1986);
• grants for the plantation of hedges (Walloon Government Resolution, 09.02.1995).
• Death duties and real-estate deductions are not applicable for land property situated in Natura 2000 sites

Federal:

Public procurement policy (promotion on SFM certification schemes) Ongoing reflection within the framework of the development of action plan 'economy and biodiveristy' with other, among other stakeholders, ministry of economic affairs, finance, etc. (implementation of FPSD2)

Future actions:

• Adoption of socially and economically sound measures (like subsidies, state aid, grants-in-aid, and meas¬ures prescribed in the tax system) that act as incentives for biodiversity;
• Promote companies that have a responsible investments policy that take biodiversity into account;
• State aids should take a more holistic approach to promote environment;
• Consider internalisation (the incorporation of external costs and benefits) to be one of the guiding principles for selecting appropriate incentive measures to prevent, stop or reverse the loss of biodiversity;
• Consideration must be given to removing or redirecting perverse economic incentives that accelerate the loss of biodiver¬sity;
• The ‘value' of biodiversity needs to be addressed in order to integrate market and non-market aspects of biodiversity into economic and social decisions.