important plant areas in central and eastern europe - Plantlife
important plant areas in central and eastern europe - Plantlife
important plant areas in central and eastern europe - Plantlife
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Section 7<br />
IPAs <strong>and</strong> exist<strong>in</strong>g legislation<br />
<strong>and</strong> programmes<br />
IPA legal status<br />
Important Plant Areas are not legal site designations. Instead, they provide a framework<br />
for identify<strong>in</strong>g the best sites for wild <strong>plant</strong>s, fungi <strong>and</strong> their habitats us<strong>in</strong>g consistent<br />
criteria <strong>and</strong> sound data. IPAs provide the best available data from the botanical <strong>and</strong><br />
mycological communities, which is then available to <strong>in</strong>form national, regional <strong>and</strong> global<br />
protection <strong>and</strong> management schemes, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g legally protected <strong>areas</strong>, site management<br />
plann<strong>in</strong>g, agri-environment schemes, forestry management <strong>and</strong> general awareness-rais<strong>in</strong>g<br />
projects.<br />
IPAs provide an <strong>important</strong> check on the <strong>plant</strong> conservation effectiveness of exist<strong>in</strong>g<br />
systems of national <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>ternational protected area systems, <strong>and</strong> biodiversity<br />
conservation strategies <strong>and</strong> policies.<br />
Although Important Plant Areas are not <strong>in</strong> themselves legally designated sites they do<br />
provide the framework for signatory governments to fulfil their obligations to meet the<br />
targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Global Strategy for Plant<br />
Conservation (GSPC).<br />
Target 5 of the GSPC (Targets 1.4, 1.5 & 2.14 <strong>in</strong> the European Plant Conservation<br />
Strategy) requires signatory governments to ensure the protection of 50% of the most<br />
<strong>important</strong> <strong>areas</strong> for <strong>plant</strong>s by 2010. IPA projects provide a framework for assess<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong><br />
report<strong>in</strong>g on these targets.<br />
Pr<strong>in</strong>ciple of compatibility <strong>and</strong> support<br />
IPAs are not <strong>in</strong>tended to compete with exist<strong>in</strong>g programmes <strong>and</strong> legislation. Instead they<br />
are designed to be compatible with a range of regional <strong>and</strong> global conservation<br />
<strong>in</strong>itiatives. IPAs can provide essential <strong>in</strong>formation for the implementation of national<br />
conservation programmes, as well as contribut<strong>in</strong>g to the implementation of the<br />
legislation <strong>and</strong> conservation programmes detailed below.<br />
NEJC JOGAN<br />
The M<strong>in</strong>ister of Environment, Macedonia<br />
(FYR), Mr Ljubomir Janer, at the 4th Planta<br />
Europa Conference, Spa<strong>in</strong> 2004.<br />
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