Alexander J.F.M. van Opstal: The Pan European Ecological Network

a review of international instruments
aiming at European ecological networks
and suggestions for unifying criteria for the identification of core-areas.

Anonymous 1992. Convention on Biological Diversity.

Baillie, J. and B. Groombridge 1996. 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. Cambridge/ Gland, Switzerland.

Bennett, G. (editor) 1994. Conserving Europe’s Natural Heritage. Towards a European Ecological Network. (London, Dordrecht/Boston)

Council of Europe, UNEP & European Centre for Nature Conservation 1996. The Pan European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy, a vision for Europe’s natural heritage. Strasbourg/Tilburg.

Council of Europe 1996. Criteria for listing species in the appendices of the Convention on the conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats. Discussion paper. Secretariat Memorandum prepared by the Directorate of Environment and Local Authorities.

Council of Europe 1997. Criteria for listing species in the appendices I and II of the Convention on the conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats. Draft recommendation. Secretariat Memorandum prepared by the Directorate of Environment and Local Authorities.

Delbaere, B. 1998. Facts and figures on Europe’s biodiversity. State and trends 1998-1999. ECNC, Tilburg.

Delbaere, B. 1999. Nature conservation sites designated in application of international instruments at pan-European level. Nature and Environment, no 95. Council of Europe Publishing, Strasbourg.

Duquet, M. 1993, Glossaire d’Ecologie Fondamentale. (Nathan, Paris)

ETC 1998. Biodiversity in Europe (draft report).

IUCN Species survival Commission 1994. IUCN Red List Categories. Approved by the 40 th meeting of the IUCN Council, Gland, Switzerland.

Jongman, R.H.G. 1995. Nature conservation planning in Europe: developing ecological networks.

Landscape and Urban Planning 32 (1995) 169-183. Jongman, R.H.G., and A.Y. Troumbis, 1996. The wider Landscape for Nature Conservation: ecological corridors and buffer zones. MN2.7 Sub Project report. ECNC for the ETC/NC. (EEA, Copenhagen).

Opstal, A.J.F.M. van 2000. (second edition). The architecture of the Pan European Ecological Network: criteria for core-areas, corridors, bufferzones and nature-development zones. Wageningen/Tilburg. Stra-Rep 99-3.

Sobolev, E.A., Shvarts, E.A., Kreinlin, M.L., Mokievski, V.O. and V.A. Zubakin 1995. Russia´s protected areas: a survey and identification of development problems. Biodiversity and Conservation, 4, p. 964-983 (1995).

Tucker, G.M. & M. Heath 1994. Birds in Europe. Their conservation status. With foreword by J.P. Ribaut, Head of the Environment Conservation and Manangement Division, Council of Europe, Strasbourg.

United Nations 1991. European Red List of globally threatened animals and plants and recommendations on its application as adopted by the Economic Commission for Europe at its forty-sixth session (1991) by decision D (46), New York.

Walter, K.S. and H.J. Gillett 1998. 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants. Cambridge / Gland, Switzerland.

Further information on the web:

Websites:

European Centre for Nature Conservation: http://www.ecnc.nl
(full information on general backgrounds of PEEN and PEBLDS)

Council of Europe: http://www.coe.int

International Union for the Conservation of Species: http://www.iucn.org
(with on-line databases on threatened species)

European Topic Centre: via European Environmental Agency: http://www.eea.eu.int
(with on-line Eunis habitat classification database).

European Union: http://europa.eu
(with on line EU legal texts)

Further reading:

The Architecture of the Pan-European Ecological Network: Suggestions for concept and criteria. By A. van Opstal, second edition, 2000.
(With summaries in French and Russian; in summer 2001 available in Japanese translation)

Some comments received:

“Extremely relevant. The report proves that Western and East-European experts have common views on Econet development.” (V. Moshkalo, director IUCN-CIS office, Moscow)

“This is really an exhaustive overview of what already has been and still can be done at several levels within the framework of PEEN. The co-operation being the basis of this huge work, the result is a great hope for a further implementation, aiming at consolidated achievements.” (M. Dejeant-Pons, head of the Environment and Sustainable Development Division, DG IV, Council of Europe, Strasbourg)

“Excellent basis for a good and constructive work”. (Prof.dr. L. Miklos, UNESCO Chair of Environmental Awareness, Bratislava)

Mapping the Pan European Ecological Network.

The ideas developed in this publication and in the report mentioned above are taken further in the coming years. In close cooperation with the Committee of Experts for the Pan European Ecological Network (Council of Europe) there will be a project carried out in 2000 and 2001 that will identify, using the ideas and criteria suggested in the report mentioned above, core areas, corridors, bufferzones and nature-development zones in Eastern Europe (non ECE countries). In this project, with the ECNC in the lead, a large number of institutes from different nations cooperate. The project is funded by different nations.

Important Butterfly Areas.

In 2000 and 2001 the Dutch Butterfly Conservation will produce, in close cooperation with the British Butterfly Conservation and with a large number of institutes from different nations a report containing an overview of the Prime Butterfly Areas in Europe. The results of this report will be used for the realisation of the Pan European Ecological Network.

Target-species for the Pan European Ecological Network.

In 2001 and 2002 a group of international Institutes will produce a CD-Rom containing all the target-species of the Pan European Ecological Network. The CD-Rom will provide information on a.o.: legal status of species, conservation status of species, habitat-preferences and remarks on nature-management.

Also by the author on the Pan European Ecological Network:

Corridors of the Pan European Ecological Network.
By: Foppen, R.P.B., I.M. Bouwma, J.T.R.Kalkhoven, J.Dirksen and A.J.F.M. van Opstal 2000
Joint publication on behalf of the Committee of Experts of the Pan European Ecological Network by Alterra, ECNC and EC-LNV. Wageningen/Tilburg (Also available in French).

Endemic and characteristic plants in Europe, part 1: Northern plants.
By: Opstal, A.J.F.M. van, T. Brandwijk, L. van Duuren and J.H.J. Schaminée, 2000.
Joint publication by EC-LNV, CBS and Alterra.

Forthcoming publications:

Protection of species: a comparison of the Habitat-directive, the UN Red List of threatened species and the IUCN Red data books.
By: Siepel, H., A.J.F.M. van Opstal and E. Weeda, 2001.
Joint publication by Alterra and EC-LNV.

Information:

Drs. A. van Opstal
National Reference Centre for Nature Conservation
P.O. Box 30
6700 AA Wageningen, Netherlands
e-mail: a.j.f.m.van.opstal@eclnv.agro.nl

This paper is initiated by ECNC on behalf of the Committee of Experts of the Pan European Ecological Network. In the Workprogramme developed by the Committee of Experts of the Pan European Ecological Network at its first meeting on 3-4 July 1997 the development of a set of criteria for core-areas, corridors, bufferzones and development areas was given high priority.

The author wishes to express his gratitude to the Committee of Experts of the Pan European Ecological Network of the Pan European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy, to his colleagues from the National Reference Centre for Nature Conservation, the ECNC and Alterra for their generous and very helpful comments. This publication represents the opinion of the author.