Rural Development Fund in Wallonia, Natura 2000
and Biodiversity
Financing Natura 2000 workshop Belgium
Th. Walot (UCL-ELIA)
Content
1. Walloon Rural Development Programme (WRDP)
2. Natura 2000 measures in WRDP: N2000
payments and habitat recovery payments
3. AEM in WRDP: N2000 agricultural habitat
management and nature development
Conclusions
1. Walloon Rural Development Programme
CAP pie-chart – EAFRD axes
EAFRD– Axis
EAFRD budget
Million euros
1. Economic
performance
improvement
68 – 29
2. Environment and
rural area
improvement
133 - 57
3. Quality of life
improvement and
economical
diversification
19 - 8
Walloon CAP budget (2007-2013
1st & 2nd pilars) =2, 263 billion €
4 Leader
3-1
5. Technical
assistance
10 - 4
EAFRD= 233 million €
Total Walloon EAFRD 233 -100
1. WRDP Main measures – Link with N2000/biodiversity?
Axis
Main measures
Biodiversity/N2000 ?
1. Economic performance
improvement
Support to investment & to No
young farmers
2. Environment and rural
area improvement
- AE payments
- Less favourised areas
payments
- N2000 payments
(agriculture, forestry)
- Unproductive
investments
Yes
No
3. Quality of life
improvement and
economical diversification
Tourism promotion, rural
cultural heritage , non
agricultural diversification,
…
Some (N2000 habitat
restoration)
4. Leader
Local projects: mobility,
tourism, employment,
cultural heritage ….
Poor (ecological network
promotion)
Yes
Yes (banks fencing)
1. Walloon Rural Development Programme
Environment and rural area axis
Total Walloon EAFDR budget = 233,2
million €
Environmental « axis 2 »: 153 M €
Biodiversity/N2000 expenses in
Environmental axis: 132 M€ (>80%)
2. Natura 2000 payments and habitat recovery payments in
WRDP
2.1. N2000 - Some landmarks
13% of Wallonia, 221 000ha, 4 500 farmers, 60 000 landowners
15 % AGRICULTURE
75 % FORESTS
N2000: Habitats maps with 15 main « Management Units »
in relation with ecological characteristics and management
prescriptions
« Aquatic management unit » MU 1
« Open space habitat unit »
e.g. hay meadow
Management Unit 2
Photo J.-P. Winants
r
« Animal habitat unit » MU 3
e.g. Lanius collurio (red
backed shrike)
High priority forest
MU6
2.2. N2000 payments – Why?, How much?
Type of
specifications
Compensation
payments
(€)/year x ha)
EAFRD contributions (€
2007-2013)
Agricultural No ploughing, no 100-440
plots
fertilisation, no
mowing before 15
of June, ….
5 700 000
Forestry
plots
90 000
Quota of old and 20-40
dead trees should
be left
« unharvested »;
mixed forest
edges mandatory,
…
2.3. Habitat restoration payments
Why?
To improve conservation status of
N2000 habitats
e.g. chalk grasslands, moors, alluvial wet meadows,
great crested newt ponds, ….
What for?
Bushes clearing, fencing, spruces
felling, filling of ditches,
digging of ponds, …
Ecological restoration of N2000 habitats
Ecological restoration of N2000 habitats
Ecological restoration of N2000 habitats
2.3. Habitat restoration payments
IMPLEMENTATION?
« Ambitious project » (budget 9 million €)
BUT Very poor implementation (spendings: 500 000 € - 15%
of budget), roughly 100 ongoing files = circa 200 ha)
WHY?
- « Spruce lobby »
- Late and unstable regional legislation
- Laconic support from public authorities
Personal point of view
2.4. River and brook bank fencing in pastures
Aim: Ecological quality of water and banks
2.4. River and brook bank fencing in pastures
Should currently being implemented
Budget: 3 600 000 €
3. Agri-environmental scheme
Aims of the scheme:
- Management of HNV areas and nature
development
- Protection of natural resources (water, soil)
- Protection of endangered agricultural breeds
- Farm scale: general environment improvment
3. Agri-environmental scheme –Biodiversity impact ranking
Methods
0=>10
1 Hedge conservation
4
2 Tree, bush , small wood conservation
8
3 Pond conservation
8
4 Natural pasture/hay meadow
7
5 Grass strip in arable land
7
6 Extensive grass strip in pasture or hay meadow
5
7. Autumn cover crop
1
8. Extensive cereal farming
2
9. Low livestock density (farm level)
7
10. High natural value hay meadow and pasture
10
11. Field strips for flora fauna and landscape in arable
land
10
Action plan – Organic farming
10-9
Agro-environment, N2000 and biodiversity
Aim: Upkeep of HNV areas – Extensive farming of grassland
Upkeep: very late mowing
(July)
450 euros/ha per year
6 500 ha , 7% of farmers, 25%
of N2000 grasslands
Good results on habitat
conservation status
Upkeep: very low level grazing
Agro-environment and biodiversity
Aim: Landscape and nature development in grassslands
«Natural grassland »
€200-240/ha per year
Extensive farming
14 000ha, 3% of
grasslands
Agro-environment and biodiversity
Aim: Landscape and nature development: « Preserving small natural
features »
Hedges: 50 – 60 € /
200m per year
12 500 km under
contract
Trees and bushes: 25 –
30 € / 10 per year
145 000 trees or
bushes
Ponds: 50 – 60 € /
pond per year
4 500 ponds
Agro-environment and biodiversity
Aim: Landscape and nature development in arable land: « Field strips »
A.Extensive grass strip:
meadow flowers:
€ 1 250. ha per year
A+B+C = 1 500 km
Extensive grass strip:
Erosion reduction and
biodiversity
improvement
€ 900/ha per year
2 200 km
B.Extensive crop +
beetle bank for birds
€ 1 250/ha per year
A+B+C=1 500 km
C. Extensive crop +
arable flowers
€1 250/ha per year
A+B+C= 1500 km
Agro-environment and biodiversity
Aim: Protection of streams/rivers + banks (biodiversity and water)
Extensive strips along streams in
grasslands. Upkeep: summer
mowing or grazing.
Extensive grass seeded strips
instead of arable land along
streams. Upkeep: summer
mowing.
€900/ha per year
1 500kms, 15% of river banks
Agro-environment and (agro)biodiversity
Keeping of traditional endangered breeds
•
600 farmers
€120 per cow per year
€200 per horse per year
€30 per sheep per year
Agro-environment in Wallonia
General environment improvement on global farm scale
€100/ha per year ,
max 1LU/ha.
800 farms, 5% of
farms
150-450€/ha per year
1100 farms, 8% of
farms
Extensive breeding (AEM7) and organic farming (AEM 11)
Conclusions
•
EAFRD in Wallonia is largely implemented in measures in relation with N2000
management and improvement of biodiversity (>50 % budget).
•
Needs are still very important (>10 000 more hectares should be under AE
extensification measure; 13 000 ha of N2000 habitats shoud be restored according
to the latests estimations).
•
AEM scheme is the main measure in terms of budget. Participation is high but not
high enough for targeted methods.
•
AEM scheme has (very) likely local positive impacts on biodiversity (conservation
habitat status, impact on butterflies and bees, farmland birds and rare weeds).
•
Presentation is based on 2007-2013 Walloon RDP.
•
Next RDP still being discussed ; Political and technical difficulties are observed
(budget restrictions and balance between agricultural and environmental support).
•
Main measures 2007-2013 in relation with Natura 2000 and biodiversity should be in
the next WRDP BUT new developements will be few in the coming years.
Thank you for your attention!