Guidance on Integrating Climate Change and Biodiversity into ...

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the Member States if they use the EU Structural and Cohesion Funds. Many European countries, aswell as some regions and cities, have adopted adaptation strategies. The European EnvironmentAgency (EEA) keeps an overview of adaptation strategies in its 32 member countries. 14 It also hoststhe European Climate Adaptation Platform: CLIMATE-ADAPT.Table 4 below summarises the key international and EU policies on climate change adaptation.Table 4: Key aspects of climate change adaptation policyPolicy responseObjectives and targetsEU Strategy on Adaptationto Climate ChangeEuropean ClimateAdaptation Platform:CLIMATE-ADAPT• The European Commission adopted a White Paper on Adapting to Climate Change in2009, leading to an EU Adaptation Strategy in 2013.• The Adaptation Strategy will:o recognise how important impact assessment is for climate proofing (thisguidance supports the Strategy’s key objectives and actions)o identify the key priorities for action and how EU policies can encourage effectiveadaptation actiono highlight the issue of adapting infrastructure to climate change and include aseparate document on this topico encourage creating green infrastructure and applying ecosystem-basedapproaches.• <strong>Guidance</strong> on how to mainstream adaptation into the Common Agricultural Policy andCohesion Policy will be developed after the Adaptation Strategy is adopted.• A publicly accessible, web-based platform designed to support policy-makers at EU,national, regional and local levels in the development of climate change adaptationmeasures and policies.• It has been developed to help users to access, disseminate and integrate informationon:o expected climate change in Europeo the vulnerability of regions, countries and sectors now and in the futureo information on national, regional and transnational adaptation activities andstrategieso case studies of adaptation and potential future adaptation optionsoo3.2 Introduction to biodiversityonline tools that support adaptation planningadaptation-related research projects, guideline documents, reports informationsources, links, news and events.Biodiversity — or biological diversity — is one of the key terms in conservation,encompassing the richness of life and the diverse patterns it forms. The Conventionon Biological Diversity (CBD) defines biological diversity as ‘the variability among livingorganisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquaticecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includesdiversity within species, between species and of ecosystems’ (Article 2).The Natura 2000 network of protected areas, created on the basis of the Habitats and the BirdsDirectives, is the backbone of the EU’s biodiversity policy. At present, the network covers almost18 % of the EU’s land surface and more than 145 000 km² of its seas. However, it is important toremember that the concept of biodiversity is not limited to the Natura 2000 network, it is muchbroader:• The Birds and Habitats Directives also cover species and habitats outside Natura 2000 sites.14 Available from: http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/climate/national- adaptation-strategies.24 <strong>Guidance</strong> on integrating climate change and biodiversity into SEA
• Under Article 6(3) of the Habitats Directive, an ‘appropriate assessment’ − is required for anyplan or project likely to have a significant effect on Natura 2000 site, even if it is implementedoutside these sites.• Article 10 of the Habitats Directive recognises the importance of ensuring the ecologicalcoherence of the Natura 2000 sites.• Finally, the EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy 15 as endorsed by the Council and European Parliamentcovers the whole territory and emphasises the benefits that ecosystems give us. It provides apackage of actions needed to halt the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystemservices by 2020 and to restore them in so far as feasible.Therefore, SEAs should look at all these aspects of biodiversity and the quality of surroundings (seebox below).Case study: 2000-2007 transport infrastructure development plan, Spain — biodiversity outsidedesignated areasThe Spanish Ornithological Society (Sociedad Española de Ornitología, SEO/Birdlife) has developed a methodologyto accurately determine the relevance of territories for biodiversity conservation. This methodology, which hasbeen developed for SEAs for large-scale infrastructure plans, was applied to the Spanish 2000-2007 transportinfrastructure plan.It concluded that SEAs cannot limit themselves to assessing the effects of PPs on protected areas or even networksof protected areas, as the preservation of these depends upon the quality of their surroundings.SEAs for large-scale infrastructure development plans in particular must contribute to conserving biodiversity notonly inside but also outside the system of protected areas and promoting biological connectivity by adopting ascope that is commensurate to the plan’s potential impact.Source: SEO Birdlife relevant webpage3.2.1 Overview of current status, trends and policy responsesCurrent status, trends and key driversSeveral studies have assessed the current status, trends and key drivers for biodiversity, and providea useful background. See Biodiversity — SOER 2012 thematic assessment (EEA, 2010), 16 the EU 2010Biodiversity Baseline (EEA, 2010), 17 and the other documents listed in Annex 1 to this guidance for anoverview.These studies have found that the rate of biodiversity loss is accelerating all over Europe. Althoughthere are some positive signs, they recognise five main pressures and drivers of biodiversity loss: (i)habitat loss and fragmentation; (ii) overexploitation and unsustainable use of natural resources; (iii)pollution; (iv) invasive alien species, and (v) climate change.15 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committeeof Regions, Our life insurance, our natural capital: an EU biodiversity strategy to 2020, EC, COM(2011) 244 final.16 http://www.eea.europa.eu/soer/europe/biodiversity.17 http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/eu-2010-biodiversity-baseline/.<strong>Guidance</strong> on integrating climate change and biodiversity into SEA 25
Page 1 and 2: Guidance on Integr
Page 3: ForewordThe need for action on clim
Page 6 and 7: GlossaryTermAdaptation(climate chan
Page 8 and 9: Mitigation (climatechange)Mitigatio
Page 10: HOW TO ADDRESS BOTH CLIMATE CHANGE
Page 13 and 14: guidance.Since it is the first such
Page 15 and 16: 2. Climate change and biodiversity
Page 17 and 18: 2.2.3 Resilience of a PP to a chang
Page 19 and 20: 2.3.2 Complexity of the issues and
Page 21 and 22: 3. Understanding climate change and
Page 23: EU Climate and EnergyPackageRoadmap
Page 27 and 28: Table 5: Key aspects of biodiversit
Page 29 and 30: single biggest cause of biodiversit
Page 31 and 32: Engaging proactively with environme
Page 33 and 34: For climate change, in particular,
Page 35 and 36: 4.3 Identifying the key biodiversit
Page 37 and 38: 5. How to assess effects related to
Page 39 and 40: 5.2 Consider climate change scenari
Page 41 and 42: • Key areas that may be particula
Page 43 and 44: • aim for ‘no-net-loss’ of bi
Page 45 and 46: Flood regimes and extremerainfall e
Page 47 and 48: • Where possible, use causal chai
Page 49 and 50: This guidance document emphasises t
Page 51 and 52: Annex 1: Further readingThe policy
Page 53 and 54: Resource Paper: No Net Loss and Los
Page 55 and 56: Resource Manual to Support Applicat
Page 57 and 58: Annex 2: Sources of information on
Page 59 and 60: EmDATERA-NET ROAD —Coordination a
Page 61 and 62: GeneralData and Maps (EEA)EUROSTATE
Page 63 and 64: factorsEcosystembasedapproachesEcos
Page 65 and 66: to your PP area. Greenhouse Gas Imp
Page 67 and 68: stage, but may be extended intothe
Page 69 and 70: enefits for all; Political: discuss

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