Emerald network
The Emerald Network (also Emerald Network, French: Réseau Emeraude) is a network of protected areas based on the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Wildlife and Their Natural Habitats (Bern Convention) , which is supported by the Contracting States is to be set up. The designation of the emerald areas, also known as “Areas of Special Conservation Interest” (ASCI, “Areas with Special Conservation Interest”), is based on Resolution No. 1 (1989) adopted in 1989 and Recommendation No. 16 (1989) of the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention.
meaning
Based on the knowledge that an approach based on national considerations is not sufficient for the successful protection of plants, animals and habitats, the goal was formulated in 1979 that wild plants and animals and their natural habitats - in particular the species and habitats, their conservation requires cooperation between several states - are to be maintained and cooperation between states is to be promoted (Article 1 of the Bern Convention).
Article 4 (4) of the Bern Convention specifically provides for coordinated cross-border habitat protection and Article 11 for general cooperation between the contracting parties. With the establishment of the Emerald Network decided in 1989 (Recommendation No. 16 (1989) number 1: " [...] take steps to designate areas of special conservation interest [...] " ), a cross-border, coherent network of protected areas is to be created. The expert group of the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention has defined criteria for the selection of the emerald areas.
scope
The convention was signed by the following states (in brackets the date of entry into force, status: June 2010), which thus undertake to protect and designate protected areas: Albania (May 1, 1999), Andorra (February 1, 2001), Armenia (1 August 2008), Azerbaijan (July 1, 2000), Belgium (December 1, 1990), Bosnia and Herzegovina (March 1, 2008), Bulgaria (May 1, 1991), Burkina Faso (October 1, 1990), Denmark ( January 1, 1983), Germany (April 1, 1985), Estonia (December 1, 1992), European Union (September 1, 1982), Finland (April 1, 1986), France (August 1, 1990), Georgia (1 March 2010), Greece (October 1, 1983), Ireland (August 1, 1982), Iceland (October 1, 1993), Italy (June 1, 1982), Croatia (November 1, 2000), Latvia (May 1, 1982) 1997), Liechtenstein (June 1, 1982), Lithuania (January 1, 1997), Luxembourg (July 1, 1982), Malta (March 1, 1994), Morocco (August 1, 2001), Macedonia (April 1, 1999) , Moldova (September 1, 1994), Monaco (June 1, 1994) , Montenegro (1. February 2010), the Netherlands (June 1, 1982), Norway (September 1, 1986), Austria (September 1, 1983), Poland (January 1, 1996), Portugal (June 1, 1982), Romania (September 1, 1993 ), Sweden (October 1, 1983), Switzerland (June 1, 1982), Senegal (August 1, 1987), Serbia (May 1, 2008), Slovakia (January 1, 1997), Slovenia (January 1, 2000), Spain (September 1, 1986), Czech Republic (June 1, 1998), Tunisia (May 1, 1996), Turkey (September 1, 1984), Ukraine (May 1, 1999), Hungary (March 1, 1990), United Kingdom (September 1, 1982, with the exception of the areas Isle of Man (August 24, 1992), Akrotiri and Dhekelia (October 24, 2001) and Jersey (October 25, 2002)), Cyprus (September 1, 1988).
implementation
EU countries
In the member states of the European Union , the Bern Convention is implemented through Directives 2009/147 / EC ( Bird Protection Directive , previously 79/409 / EEC) and 92/43 / EEC ( Fauna-Flora-Habitat Directive ). The resulting network of protected areas is not called the Emerald Network in the EU, but " Natura 2000 ". In the 28 EU countries, it consists of a total of 27,384 individual areas with a total area of 1,106,610 km² (318,133 km² of which are marine areas), which corresponds to an average of 18.14% of the total area (as of December 2014).
However, the measures taken by the individual EU states to establish the Natura 2000 network, both with regard to the designation of areas and the application of EU law, are very different. Slovenia has placed 37.85% of its state land under protection as Natura 2000 areas, while Denmark has only 8.34%.
Albania
Albania does not yet have a recognized emerald area, but has nominated 25 areas with a total area of 5,224.30 km² (18.17% of the national area) (as of December 2014).
Armenia
In Armenia there is still no recognized emerald area, the country has nominated 13 areas with a total area of 3,185.35 km² (10.69% of the state area) (as of December 2014).
Azerbaijan
In Azerbaijan there is still no recognized emerald area, the country has so far nominated 12 areas with a total area of 10,000.15 km² (11.55% of the state area) (as of December 2014).
Belarus (Belarus)
So far there is no recognized emerald area in Belarus, the country has nominated 16 areas with a total area of 9,806.26 km² (4.72% of the state area) (as of December 2014).
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina does not yet have a recognized emerald area; the country has nominated 29 areas with a total area of 2,504.55 km² (4.89% of the national area) (as of December 2014).
Georgia
Georgia does not yet have a recognized emerald area, but by December 2014 the country had nominated 21 areas with a total area of 6,116.89 km² (8.78% of the state area). In 2015, seven additional areas were reported, so that as of December 2015 an emerald area of 7,841.56 km² (11.25% of the national area) has been nominated.
Morocco
So far there is no recognized emerald area in Morocco, the country has nominated 11 areas with a total area of 5,728.20 km² (1.28% of the national area) (as of December 2014).
Macedonia
In Macedonia there is still no recognized emerald area, but the country has nominated 35 areas with a total area of 7,543.83 km² (29.34% of the state area) (as of December 2014).
Moldova
So far there is no recognized emerald area in Moldova; the country has nominated 18 areas with a total area of 4,172.65 km² (12.33% of the state area) (as of December 2014).
Montenegro
So far there is no recognized emerald area in Montenegro, but the country has nominated 32 areas with a total area of 2,400.77 km² (17.38% of the national area) (as of December 2014).
Norway
In Norway there is still no recognized emerald area, the country had nominated a total of 633 areas with a total area of 42,960.74 km² (11.15% of the state area) by December 2014. By December 2015, Norway reported further areas, so that as of December 4, 2015 711 emerald areas with a total area of 52,418.11 km² (13.61% of the national area) have been nominated.
Russia
So far there is no recognized emerald area in Russia. By December 2014, the country had nominated a total of 923 areas with a total area of 312,047.15 km² (1.83% of the state area). By December 2015, Russia reported further areas, so that as of December 4, 2015, 1,267 emerald areas with a total area of 479,199.86 km² (2.8% of the national area) have been nominated.
Switzerland
In the Federal Assembly on December 11, 1980, Switzerland approved accession to the Bern Convention, the ratification instrument was deposited on March 12, 1981, and the convention came into force in Switzerland on June 1, 1982.
According to the information from the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention, there are 149 species and 34 natural habitats in Switzerland that are threatened in Europe. In order to maintain this, the WWF and the Swiss bird protection organization SVS / BirdLife Switzerland named 139 areas on the basis of technical criteria that are to be placed under protection as emerald areas (13% of the country's area for bird protection areas and 3.6% for Non-bird species).
On October 22, 2009, Switzerland reported 37 emerald areas to the Council of Europe, whereupon the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention officially recognized these areas as emerald areas in autumn 2012. The authorities are aware that the 37 areas reported so far with a total area of 642.16 km² (1.56% of the national area) are by no means sufficient to meet the obligations of the Bern Convention on the Conservation of Biodiversity.
The following recognized emerald areas exist in Switzerland so far (as of December 2014): Bonfol (2.19 km²), St-Ursanne (19.98 km²), Étang de la Gruère (2.01 km²), La Vraconne ( 1.95 km²), Vallée de Joux (8.82 km²), Sèche de Gimel (0.13 km²), Pfynwald (20.33 km²), Stazerwald (8.27 km²), Ruinaulta (26.26 km²), Val Roseg (18.40 km²), Maggia (4.14 km²), Magadino plain (13.18 km²), Colombera (0.26 km²), Tresa (0.15 km²), Les Grangettes (10.04 km²), Les Mosses (15.88 km²), Flühli-Sörenberg-Habkern (96.91 km²), moors on the Rickenpass (2.25 km²), Galgenmaad-Schribersmaad (3.09 km²), Hanenried (0.45 km²), Thurspitz (4.61 km²), Boniswiler - Seenger - Ried (1.47 km²), Rive Sud du Lac de Neuchâtel (35.62 km²), Complexe alluvial du Rhône genevois (26.28 km²), Katzensee (5.02 km²) km²), Belpau (4.36 km²), Pfäffikersee (11.01 km²), Reuss Valley (31.95 km²), Walenstocks- Brisen (27.14 km²), Val Piora (14.31 km²), Monte di Brissago ( 9.14 km²), Albionasca (4.63 km²), Monte Generoso (62.15 km²), Ramosch (3.11 km²) m²), Ardez (6.07 km²), Piz Plavna Dadaint (25.92 km²), Oberaargau (114.68 km²).
Serbia
In Serbia there is so far no recognized emerald area, the country has nominated 61 areas with a total area of 10,210.78 km² (13.18% of the national area) (as of December 2014).
Ukraine
In Ukraine there is so far no recognized emerald area, but the country has nominated 159 areas with a total area of 43,322.83 km² (7.18% of the state area) (as of December 2014). The number of areas remained the same in 2015, but the area as of December 4, 2015 is given slightly larger at 43,546.94 km².
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Standing Committee of the Bern Convention (1989): Recommendation No. 16 (1989) of the standing committee on areas of special conservation interest (Adopted by the Standing Committee on June 9, 1989) [HTML]
- ↑ a b Council of Europe (2010): Criteria for assessing the National Lists of proposed Areas of Special Conservation Interest (ASCIs) at biogeographical level and procedure for examining and approving Emerald candidate sites, T-PVS / PA (2010) 12, 9 December 2010 [PDF]
- ↑ a b Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Their Natural Habitats of September 19, 1979, as amended on June 10, 2010 [PDF]
- ↑ a b "Natura 2000 Barometer", in: European Commission (2015): Natura 2000 - Newsletter Nature and Biodiversity, Issue No. 38, June 2015, 16 pp. [PDF]
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Council of Europe (2015): Convention on the conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats - Group of Experts on Protected Areas and Ecological Networks - 34th meeting of the Standing Committee to the Bern Convention - List of candidate Emerald sites (December 2014), T-PVS / PA (2014) 15E, February 4, 2015 [PDF]
- ↑ a b c d Council of Europe (2015): Convention on the conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats - 35th meeting of the Standing Committee to the Bern Convention - Update list of officially nominated candidate Emerald sites (December 2015), T-PVS / PA (2015) 14, December 4, 2015, 61 pp. [PDF]
- ↑ The Federal Council - the portal of the Swiss government, information on federal law [HTML]
- ↑ WWF Switzerland (no year): Article "139 candidates for emerald areas in Switzerland" [PDF]
- ↑ a b BirdLife Switzerland (2015): Information on the emerald network in Switzerland [HTML]
- ^ A b ProNatura & BirdLife Switzerland (2012): Press release on the recognition of the first 37 emerald areas in Switzerland [DOC]
- ↑ HOFMANN, M. (2010): Article “In search of« Smaragden »”, in: Neue Zürcher Zeitung, August 28, 2010 [HTML]
- ^ Council of Europe (2015): Convention on the conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats - Group of Experts on Protected Areas and Ecological Networks - 34th meeting of the Standing Committee to the Bern Convention - List of Emerald sites (December 2014), T-PVS / PA (2014) 16E, February 4, 2015 [PDF]