Utilizing the potential in
private forestry in nature
protection
International NATURA 2000 conference
“Restoring Ecosystem, Benefits and Value”
21 October, Tallinn, Estonia
Morten Thorøe
Secretary General
CEPF – in 23 countries
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxemburg
2
Forests and forest owners
•Over 60% of forests owned by families
generation bridging management and experience
•16 million family forest owners
•Small scale forest holdings (cooperation)
average size 2-50 ha
•Sustainable forest management
Balancing economic, social and ecological requirements
Respecting the diversity across Europe
•The forest owners are the managers on site!
•“Managing for the future” is not new to foresters
and forest owners
NATURA 2000 in forests
Over half of all
proposed sites for the
NATURA2000 include
forest areas
36 % of bird species
listed in the Birds
Directive are forestrelated
30 % of the habitat
types of the Habitat
Directive are forests –
types
61 % of mammal
species
15-20% of EU forest area is
covered by NATURA 2000 sites
EU 2010 Biodiversity Baseline
Habitat types/species
Conservation status
Favourable (%)
Unfavourable(%)
Unknown (%)
Agro-ecosystem
7/3
76/70
17/27
Grasslands
5/15
76/56
19/29
Heath and scrub
14/13
60/47
26/40
FORESTS
21/15
63/52
16/33
Wetlands
10/14
73/64
17/22
Rivers and lakes
15/13
64/64
21/23
Costal ecosystems
8/11
70/56
22/23
Marine ecosystem
10/2
50/24
40/74
Forests have a greater share of habitats in
favourable condition
Forest owners are organized
 a variety of forms of political
and economic cooperation
among forest owners
 strong roots in historical and
cultural background
 social networks and stronger
relations between forest owners
 strong commitment towards
Sustainable Forest Management
 cost effective management
Forest owners have the knowledge and
long-term experiences on their ground.
They are the best partners
in implementing the EU regulations
in the forest
•
•
Forests are important in
NATURA
2000
Slovenia:
– 71 % of NATURA 2000 sites is located in forests
– over 42 % of Slovenian forest is in NATURA 2000
– 71 % of forests is privately owned
Estonia:
– Forests cover 51 % of land
– NATURA 2000 sites cover 18% of Estonia, out of
27% private land and 73% state land
•
Lithuania:
– Forests cover 32% of land
– 23% of forest land is also included in NATURA 2000 network
•
Latvia:
– Forests cover 45% of land
– In 2006 13% of the total forest area was NATURA sites – more than 50% of all
NATURA sites in the country
Forest owners are motivated
 Their activity spans over generations
 They have experience, knowledge and interest in forestry that
focuses on diversified utilisation and consideration of the
environment
 They invest in the conservation of biodiversity to ensure the
ecological balance in their forests
 They treat forests with respect, as an integral part of their
livelihood
Forest owners are self-committed
to carry out their responsibility,
thus motivated to invest in biodiversity conservation
National procedures and organizing schemes
for the NATURA 2000
NATURA site and forest
owner
Ministry of
Agriculture
Natura
site
Ministry of
Environment
Forest
owner
Nature
protection
agencies
NGO-s
Local
authorities
INPUT
Forest owner
Management plan
NATURA site
Forest
owner
CEPF contribution
• European level
 Increasing the visibility of the role of forest owners in
the management of the sites
• National level
 Reality check on forest owners involvement, problem
identification and conflict solving strategies for:
 a better recognition of the on the ground situation
 collecting feedback from forest owners
 reviewing positive and negative examples and
lessons learned
Different national approaches to organization
of the Natura 2000 site management
.
 what could be the role of forest owners in the national scheme for
management of the Natura 2000 sites?
 how to use their knowledge, expertise and experience in developing
and implementing management plans?
 how to clarify the procedures for directing funds to the forest
owners for management activities?
 how to promote private forest owner associations as professional
site managing organizations?
Thank you for your attention!
www.cepf-eu.org