important plant areas in central and eastern europe - Plantlife

Section 5
Recommendations
■ The national IPA team should develop
an action plan for the IPA network which
prioritises sites most in need of
protection and management, including a
list of appropriate actions and tasks, and
should aim to engage all the key
stakeholders.
■ Management plans for IPAs should
be developed, either to ensure that
existing conservation management plans
take account of features of IPAs or, to
develop specific management plans for
IPAs outside of protected areas.
MART KÜLVIK
Forestry practices threaten almost half of IPAs (51 IPAs – intensified forest management
(IFM) 26 , afforestation 17 , deforestation 13). Recreation and tourist development
threatens 44% of IPAs.Abandonment and reduction of land management is a high or
significant threat at 41% of IPAs. In total, development (transport/infrastructure and
urban) threatens 21% of IPAs; Burning of vegetation threatens 21%; and water
management practices threaten 17%.
■ Monitoring the state of the IPA
system should be carried out, particularly
the threats to sites and the level of
protection they are receiving.The system
will include existing national biodiversity
monitoring programmes, the Natura 2000
monitoring system, and monitoring of
IPAs outside protected sites and outside
of conventional monitoring programs.
■ Actions should be carried out to
develop possibilities for funding actions
to protect IPAs. Existing legal instruments
and opportunities will be adapted to IPAs
(e.g. agricultural land), others need to be
elaborated (e.g. for forestry).
Puhtu forest and coastal meadows
Puhtu is a well preserved area of old growth, predominantly oak forest and Baltic coastal
meadows.The site contains two priority European habitats, and has been assessed for
species richness for its mesic grasslands and its coastal shingle habitats.The park and
pasture were formerly owned by the local manor and its coastal meadows, reeds and
juniper scrub are now only used a little.
■ Publicity campaigns which promote
IPAs, good conservation practise at IPAs,
and activities to engage people in plant
conservation, should be targeted at
politicians and the general public, and
should involve landowners and local
communities.
MART KÜLVIK
■ IPAs support the Natura 2000
process and improve habitat protection.
Ontika cliff forests (Saka-Ontika-Toila pangamets)
This is an area of unusual, old growth, cliff forests, situated on a limestone bank fed by
natural springs.The forest is dominated by lime, maple, ash, alder, and other deciduous
species with a few examples of oak and spruce.There has been little human impact in
the forest and the priority is to protect these valuable, species rich forests.
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