Guidance on Integrating Climate Change and Biodiversity into ...

Mitigation (climatechange)Mitigation (SEA)Natura 2000No-net-loss ofbiodiversityNo-regretmeasuresPrecautionaryprincipleProxy indicatorResidual effectsResilienceSEA DirectiveSecondary effectsSensitivitySignificant effectsSynergistic effectsVulnerabilityA term used to describe the process of reducing GHG emissions that are contributing to climatechange. It includes strategies to reduce GHG emissions and enhancing GHG sinks.Measures to prevent, reduce and as fully as possible offset any significant adverse effects on theenvironment of implementing the PP. (SEA Directive)An EU-wide network of nature protection areas established under the Habitats Directive. The aimof the network is to assure the long-term survival of Europe’s most valuable and threatened speciesand habitats. It is comprised of Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) designated by Member Statesunder the Habitats Directive and Special Protection Areas (SPAs) designated under the BirdsDirective.The point where biodiversity gains from targeted conservation activities match the losses ofbiodiversity due to the impacts of a specific development project, so that there is no net reductionoverall in the type, amount and condition (or quality) of biodiversity over space and time. A netgain means that biodiversity gains exceed a specific set of losses. The concept of no-net biodiversityloss lies at the heart of biodiversity offsetting. (Business and Biodiversity Offsets Programme)‘No-regret’ measures are activities that yield benefits even in the absence of climate change. Inmany locations, the implementation of these actions constitutes a very efficient first step in a longtermadaptation strategy. For example, controlling leakages in water pipes or maintaining drainagechannels is almost always considered a very good investment from a cost–benefit analysisperspective, even in absence of climate change. (CLIMATE-ADAPT relevant webpage)Principle adopted by the UN Conference on the Environment and Development (1992) that in orderto protect the environment, a precautionary approach should be widely applied, meaning thatwhere there are threats of serious or irreversible damage to the environment, lack of full scientificcertainty should not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to preventenvironmental degradation. (EEA Glossary)Indirect measure that approximates or represents a phenomenon in the absence of a directmeasure.Effects that remain after mitigation action.The ability of a social or ecological system to absorb disturbances, while retaining the same basicstructure and ways of functioning, as well as its capacity to self-organise and adapt to stress andchange. There are different ways in which resilience can be framed; the Dutch Climate ChangesSpatial Planning research programme provides a list. (Adapted from CLIMATE-ADAPT Glossary). Itcan be also described as the amount of change a system can undergo without changing state.Directive 2001/42/EC on the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on theenvironment, OJ L 197, 21.7.2001, p.30. It requires the environmental effects of a broad range ofplans and programmes to be assessed so they can be considered while plans are actually beingdeveloped, and in due course adopted. The public must also be consulted on the draft plans andthe environmental assessment, and their views must be taken into account.Effects that occur as a consequence of a primary effect or as a result of a complex pathway (seealso indirect effects).The degree to which a system is affected, either adversely or beneficially, by climate-relatedstimuli. The effect may be direct (e.g. a change in crop yield in response to a change in the mean,range, or variability of temperature) or indirect (e.g. damages caused by an increase in thefrequency of coastal flooding due to sea level rise).Effects that are significant in the context of the PP, i.e. a function not just of magnitude or size ofeffect, but of nature, sensitivity and scale of the receptor.Effects that interact to produce a total effect greater (or less than) than the sum of the individualeffects. Cumulative effects that result when the interaction of a number of impacts is greater thanthe sum of the individual impacts.The degree to which a system is susceptible to, or unable to cope with, adverse effects of climatechange, including climate variability and extremes. Vulnerability is a function of the character,magnitude, and rate of climate change and variation to which a system is exposed, its sensitivity,and its adaptive capacity. (CLIMATE-ADAPT Glossary)8 <strong>Guidance</strong> on integrating climate change and biodiversity into SEA