Cost-effectiveness of managing Natura 2000 sites: an exploratory study for Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland

Natura 2000 sites are expected to assure the long-term survival of Europe's most valuable and threatened species and habitats. It follows that successful management of the sites is of great importance. Next to goal attainment, cost-effectiveness is increasingly recognised as a key requirement for gaining social and political acceptance for costly conservation measures. We identify and qualitatively examine issues of cost-effectiveness related to the design and implementation of management measures in Natura 2000 sites in Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland. Given the wide variety of management design and implementation options within the four countries, our study is purely of an exploratory nature. We derive recommendations for improving the cost-effectiveness of management in Natura 2000 sites and for future research. Examples of policy recommendations include guaranteeing the availability of funds for longer periods, and ensuring the appropriate allocation of funds between the different tasks of designing and implementing management plans. Further research should examine the cost-effectiveness of controversial suggestions such as, for example, more tailored payment schemes for conservation measures that result in higher ecological outputs but are costly to administer. Moreover, more research is needed to better understand how rules for administrations, as well as rules and governance structures for tasks within administrations, should be designed

Clonal structure of Elytrigia atherica along different successional stages of a salt marsh

Elytrigia atherica is a tall clonal grass species typical of higher salt marshes, but is gradually invading to the lower marshes. At young successional stages of a salt marsh, E. atherica is found sparsely dispersed in small groups of ramets. These patches increase in size and ramet density over time, eventually forming extensive swards as succession proceeds. This study investigates the change in the clonal diversity of E. atherica stands during colonization as a result of its reproductive strategy. Clonal diversities of differently sized patches of E. atherica were investigated on two lower salt-marsh sites of different age, 25 years and 35 years, respectively. Microsatellite fingerprint patterns were used to determine genet identities and to estimate relatedness and genetic differentiation between the sites, between patches within sites and within patches. The majority of the patches on both sites contained more than one genet. On the older site, the clonal diversity was higher than on the younger site. However, the clonal diversity tended to decrease with increasing patch size. Low genetic differentiation was found between the two sites, indicating habitat differentiation, whereas differentiation between patches within sites was high. It is reasoned that different environmental conditions could have resulted in different clonal structures: On an older marsh, the increase of successful seedling recruitment, due to more suitable environmental conditions, leads to an increase in clonal diversity. Over time, with increasing ramet density, intraspecific competition is likely to increase, resulting in a decrease of clonal diversity

Quick scan effectivity and efficiency of the nature policy in the Netherlands

This report presents the results of a quick scan of the effectivitiy and efficiency of the implemented and proposed measures which are part of the nature policy of the Dutch government. It concentrates on the questions of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature management and Fisheries and the Ministry of Finance which are the result of a motion accepted by the Dutch parliament. After a short description of a number of (autonomous) trends in society and environment, five policy instruments are evaluated: the National Ecological Network, nature in and around cities, management of small natural elements in rural areas, optimization of environmental conditions for nature areas and legal protection of existing nature areas. For each policy instrument an overview is presented of the objectives, results, and strong and weak points in the process of implementation of the instruments. The efficiency aspect has only been touched upon. With the data that are currently available it is not possible to systematically assess the efficiency of each of the policy instruments. The report is completed by discussing a number of alternative options for realisation of the national nature policy objectives.Er is een quick scan van de effectiviteit en doelmatigheid van uitgevoerde en voorgenomen maatregelen in het Nederlandse natuurbeleid uitgevoerd. Het beantwoordt vragen die zijn gesteld door het ministerie van Landbouw, Natuurbeheer en Visserij en het ministerie van Financien, mede naar aanleiding van de door de Tweede Kamer aangenomen motie over het Natuuroffensief. Na een korte beschrijving van een aantal (autonome) maatschappelijke trends wordt een vijftal beleidsinstrumenten geanalyseerd: de ecologische hoofdstructuur, groen in en om de stad, agrarisch natuurbeheer, effectgerichte milieumaatregelen en bescherming van bestaande natuur. Per instrument is nagegaan wat de doelstelling is, wat is bereikt en wat de sterke en zwakke punten zijn die bij de uitvoering van het beleid naar voren komen. De vraag naar de doelmatigheid (kosteneffectiviteit) is summier beantwoord. Met de nu beschikbare gegevens kan deze vraag niet systematisch per beleidsinstrument worden geanalyseerd. Het rapport sluit af met een aantal alternatieve opties voor het realiseren van de doelen van het natuurbeleid

Quick scan effectivity and efficiency of the nature policy in the Netherlands

Er is een quick scan van de effectiviteit en doelmatigheid van uitgevoerde en voorgenomen maatregelen in het Nederlandse natuurbeleid uitgevoerd. Het beantwoordt vragen die zijn gesteld door het ministerie van Landbouw, Natuurbeheer en Visserij en het ministerie van Financien, mede naar aanleiding van de door de Tweede Kamer aangenomen motie over het Natuuroffensief. Na een korte beschrijving van een aantal (autonome) maatschappelijke trends wordt een vijftal beleidsinstrumenten geanalyseerd: de ecologische hoofdstructuur, groen in en om de stad, agrarisch natuurbeheer, effectgerichte milieumaatregelen en bescherming van bestaande natuur. Per instrument is nagegaan wat de doelstelling is, wat is bereikt en wat de sterke en zwakke punten zijn die bij de uitvoering van het beleid naar voren komen. De vraag naar de doelmatigheid (kosteneffectiviteit) is summier beantwoord. Met de nu beschikbare gegevens kan deze vraag niet systematisch per beleidsinstrument worden geanalyseerd. Het rapport sluit af met een aantal alternatieve opties voor het realiseren van de doelen van het natuurbeleid.This report presents the results of a quick scan of the effectivitiy and efficiency of the implemented and proposed measures which are part of the nature policy of the Dutch government. It concentrates on the questions of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature management and Fisheries and the Ministry of Finance which are the result of a motion accepted by the Dutch parliament. After a short description of a number of (autonomous) trends in society and environment, five policy instruments are evaluated: the National Ecological Network, nature in and around cities, management of small natural elements in rural areas, optimization of environmental conditions for nature areas and legal protection of existing nature areas. For each policy instrument an overview is presented of the objectives, results, and strong and weak points in the process of implementation of the instruments. The efficiency aspect has only been touched upon. With the data that are currently available it is not possible to systematically assess the efficiency of each of the policy instruments. The report is completed by discussing a number of alternative options for realisation of the national nature policy objectives.LN