important plant areas in central and eastern europe - hirc.botanic.hr ...

Summary of IPA dataDamaging forestry practises, which include intensified forest management, afforestationand deforestation, threaten almost half of IPAs.The threat to IPAs from invasive speciesalso comes in part from exotic trees species that take over existing forest habitats.Protection of forest IPAs and control of damaging forestry practices must be a highpriority for future conservation action at IPAs.Tourism and recreation development is the second most widespread threat to IPAs.Thethreat comes not only from facilities and infrastructure but also from exceeding carryingcapacity on nature trails and paths.Tourism is a powerful tool for raising awarenessabout nature and conservation, but needs to be developed with local land managers andspecialists to prevent the destruction of priority sites.Agricultural intensification or expansion (grazing, mixed agriculture and arable) threatensalmost one third of IPAs. Land abandonment affects over a quarter of IPAs. Raregrassland habitats are particularly vulnerable to abandonment of grazing or mowingregimes.Agri-environment schemes and Rural Development Programmes have thepotential to save both important grassland habitats and the local communities thatmaintain them, if local, national and EU policy makers support and recognise theimportance of a healthy, thriving countryside.Transport and urban development threaten one quarter of priority plant sites. Nationaland EU transport planners and funders have the necessary information to avoiddestroying priority sites yet even some Natura 2000 sites with a high level of protectionare threatened by transport projects.The EU in particular has a responsibility to ensurethat structural funds used for transport networks such as TEN-T do not destroypriority sites and contradict its commitments to biodiversity conservation.A high number of IPAs are threatened by damaging water management practices such asdrainage, canalisation, and extraction.Wetlands, including peatlands, are one of the mostthreatened and rapidly disappearing habitats in Europe.A significant number of IPAs arealso threatened by eutrophication or nutrient pollution, which often results fromagricultural or industrial discharge into water systems. Damage to wetland ecosystemsdestroys not only the wetland sites themselves but also the many other habitats whichrely on these ecosystems.The EU Water Framework Directive can be used to preventwater pollution and also to maintain the ecological status of important wetland sites.Ownership and land useAlmost half of IPAs are owned by state organisations (state 364 (46%), municipal 24(3%), military 7 (1%)). Many IPAs are also privately owned (private 187 (23%), religiousgroups 8 (1%)), and 69 (9%) are communally owned. 16 (2%) are owned by conservationorganisations, and just over 10% of IPAs have mixed ownership or the ownership isunknown.29