March 21, 2018

On Tuesday, March 13, the first meeting of the Working Group on Rural Development Programs (RDP) and Natura 2000 Network took place at the General Directorate of Rural Development and Forestry Policy (DGDRyPF) of MAPAMA, organized by the National Rural Network (RRN), continuing the work carried out at the "Natura 2000 Network and FEADER" conference held last September 2017, proposed by the Network of Environmental Authorities.

Noelia Vallejo, representative of the European Commission's DG Environment, opened the event with a presentation of the " Action Plan for Nature, People and the Economy ," presented in April 2017. She focused on the challenges and opportunities it represents for the Natura 2000 Network, as well as its role in the EU's 2020 Biodiversity Strategy. The objectives of the Priority Action Framework (PAF) were also addressed, especially measures 8 and 9, which highlight the need to strengthen the role of the CAP as a financing instrument for the Natura 2000 Network , as well as the assessment of its impact on biodiversity. Furthermore, the need to improve existing Natura 2000 indicators, ensure cooperation between the relevant authorities, and support training for rural stakeholders was also highlighted.

Next, Jorge Rodríguez, from the SG of Programming and Coordination of the DGDRyPF of the MAPAMA, made a presentation on “ The Spanish RDPs and support for the Natura 2000 Network ”, highlighting that, although in the Spanish RDPs only measure 12 appears as specific to the Natura 2000 Network: “Payments under Natura 2000 and the Water Framework Directive”, currently included in five Spanish RDPs (Aragon, Asturias, Castilla La Mancha, Murcia and Navarre), there is also a contribution to the Natura 2000 Network through submeasure 7.1: “Aid for the updating of Natura 2000 Network plans”, which is included in twelve of the RDPs. In addition to these measures that directly refer to the Natura 2000 Network, the RDPs also include other measures that contribute to its funding through selection criteria, demonstrating the support provided by the Spanish RDPs, although this is not always easily identifiable.

The participants (RDF management authorities, farmers' and forest owners' associations, and civil society representatives) discussed various topics, including the integration of Natura 2000 management objectives into the RDPs; the effectiveness of current indicators within the CAP 2014-2020 Common Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (CMEF) to understand the impact of RDPs on the Network; the challenges faced in securing support for their needs within the RDPs; and the visibility of the EAFRD in Natura 2000 funding within the RDPs' system of indicators and monitoring reports.

After this first meeting, the group will continue its activities by defining the most relevant lines of work on which to focus its efforts.