Belgium for Biodiversity

BACKGROUND

To date, Prioritised Action Frameworks (PAF) for Natura 2000 and associated Nature Conservation Objectives (NCO) in Belgium have been defined and submitted in Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia. Nature policy is a regional competence except for the Belgian part of the North Sea, which is a federal level competent. The previous LIFE BNIP project contributed to the implementation of the PAF 2014-2020 and its outcomes will be used as a starting point for the B4B LIFE project. One of the outcomes of LIFE BNIP was that Flanders and Wallonia exchanged information and experiences more frequently than before. As a result, several transboundary initiatives were started, resulting in a better impact of the project at the biogeographical scale. Another outcome was that mobilising complementary funding was found to require a good working relation with the managing authorities or to have them as a partner, to achieve good coordination and cooperation with them. One of the main bottlenecks identified was that the competent authorities are short of staff to organise and coordinate. As regards the marine environment, there is no updated PAF for 2021-2027. Natura 2000 objectives are adopted and implemented via a joint programme of measures for Natura 2000 and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. There is a need to remove the various barriers and bottlenecks that prevent the full implementation of the PAFs and Natura 2000 measures of the North Sea.

OBJECTIVES

The overall objective of the B4B LIFE project is to protect and restore biodiversity in Belgium by contributing to the implementation of the PAFs (2021-2027) for Natura 2000 and subsequent strategies, plans and programmes. To realise this, the project team aim to further implement and improve governance at the regional level through the development and coordination of programmes and action plans; increase capacity and improve ongoing collaboration between regions, authorities and stakeholders; enhance the knowledge base; explore, develop and mobilise appropriate financing instruments including a coordinated policy; strengthen and integrate the implementation of Natura 2000 into other policies (mainstreaming), and implement measures to mobilise complementary funding to address the most significant pressures, which are essential for successful recovery of habitats and species.

The project contributes to the implementation of the three regional PAFs and the (federal) Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

This project is built on four main pillars, with the following specific objectives:

• Protecting biodiversity by contributing to a coherent and resilient Trans-European Nature Network of strictly protected areas by 2031 (including measures both inside and outside of Natura 2000 sites);
• Restoring biodiversity by improving the conservation status of species and habitats. During the first phase, species and habitats will be prioritised based on the outcome of the EU legal framework process;
• Reducing the impact of environmental pressures;
• Enabling transformative change.

All competent authorities are project partners, covering the whole territory of Belgium, to maximise the impact on the PAFs, and other plans and strategies.

In addition to the IP budget itself, the project will facilitate the coordinated use of €569 969 779 of complementary funding from other EU, public and private funds, as follows:

• Other EU funds: €259 899 784
  
• Other Public funds: €298 069 995
  
• Other Private funds: €12 000 000.