From Environmental Ethics to Nature Conservation Policy: Natura 2000 and the Burden of Proof

Local perceptions and postures towards the SPA “Ria de Aveiro”

“…In addition, since the implementation of Natura 2000 implies that activities in and around protected areas can have significant effects on protected natural values and need to be assessed (Beuen, 2006), it can be seen as a tool to promote land-use planning that integrates nature conservation requirements. Spatial planning, therefore, finds in Natura 2000 a most useful test ground for strategies, as well as for different environmental ethics (see Rosa & Silva, 2005), which may help define its full potential as an instrument for sustainability. In the long term, once the identification of workable sustainable practices and the necessary change of institutional, economic and social paradigms which a successful Natura 2000 would imply in the designated areas have occurred, it is optimistically hoped that Natura 2000 may be allowed to expand beyond itself.…”

“…However, studies on the implementation of the Natura 2000 directives reveals that implementation difficulties are far more complex and include conceptual, cultural, ethical, political and institutional factors, of which some may be shown to be related to structural limitations of the Habitats Directive itself (Beunen, 2006;Hiedanpää, 2005;Scholl & Chilla, 2005;Rosa & Silva, 2005;Weber & Christophersen, 2002). …”

Učinci europeizacije sustava zaštite prirode u hrvatskoj: primjer uspostave višestupanjskog sustava za upravljanje zaštićenim područjima „natura 2000“

“…Th e implementation of the objectives of nature protection is carried out through the democratic principles that are a prerequisite for SD (Stringer and Paavola, 2013;Niedziałkowski et al, 2015). Th e objectives of nature protection at the EU level arising from the concept of SD at the international level are the Birds Directive (BD) and the Habitats Directive (HD) 2 (Rosa and Da Silva, 2005;Wurzel, 2008;Ferranti et al, 2010;Louette et al, 2011;Winter et al, 2014;Winkel et al, 2015). Th e democratic principles for achieving these goals according to the concept of SD allow for access to information and the opportunity for non-governmental actors to participate in decision-making.…”

“…One such political condition is the implementation of the objectives of the BD and HD into national legislation (Fernández et al, 2010;Kapaciauskaite, 2011;Krenova and Kindlmann, 2015). Th ese directives are the two basic pillars of Natura 2000 5 (N2000) (Rosa and Da Silva, 2005;Wurzel, 1 Sustainable development implies social and economic progress which does not jeopardize natural systems (Lukšič, 2010). 2 Council Directive (79/409/EEC) of 2 April 1979 on the conservation of wild birds has the aim and role of protection of migratory bird species and their habitats (EEC, 1979); Council Directive (92/43/EEC) of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and fl ora has the aim and role of protecting biodiversity (EEC, 1992).…”

“…Th e discussion was the basis for resolving ambiguities in the process of the creation of N2000 and any future potential problems (Torkar and McGregor, 2012). As the agricultural sector was not eff ectively involved in the process of establishing MLG of N2000 (V1, E2), according to Rosa and Da Silva (2005) and Kay (2014) in the later stages (such as the management of N2000) this can lead to problems. V3 stated: (...) Th ere were no representatives of the agricultural sector at the meetings of N2000 (...).…”