Financing for Natura 2000 How NGOs can use it? Boris Barov, BSPB\BirdLife Bulgaria

Conservation without money is … conversation Question: Please, give examples of EU funded biodiversity conservation projects in your country –What funding source? –Implementing organization? –How long, how big? Mainly awareness raising, species and habitats, development of man. plans LIFE-Nature will finish in 4 months … for many years 

How much does it cost? Question: Has your government developed strategy/document about the expected cost to establish/manage Natura 2000 for ? –EC proposal: 6.1 bio EUR (2.9 bio from EU) –BirdLife estimate: 13.4 bio EUR NGO position is that Natura 2000 ‘public money must fund public goods’

Where the money will come from? Integrated approach using programming process at national level –E Agri Rural Development Fund (CAP Pillar II) Proposal 88,75 bio EUR -> bio –Structural funds – no % allocation Problem! Lisbon strategy targets: ringfenced 60-75%; only 15-20% for everything else –LIFE + : only pays for the gaps EP proposal 9.5 bio -> Council failed to take decision EC proposal 2.2 bio -> drops to 1.5 bio

What can we do? Planning phase: –Participation in programming process is essential! – No time at all! –NSRF documents, no SEA at this level –9 Operational programmes (incl. Rural Dev.) Implementation phase: –Use provision for partnership principle –Leader + Monitoring&Evaluation –Ex-ante process, SEA, Mid-term, final review

Examples ENVIRONMENT : UK OrganisationNo. of Projects Total Value ERDF / ESF Local Authority 312£1,034,551,131£289,077,880 Regional Development Agency 25£114,764,386£35,398,685 Environment Agency 26£43,812,669£17,502,866 Environment NGO 134£153,919,140£59,218,032 Other NGO 105£150,011,341£59,704,414 Higher or Further Education 72£191,422,858£76,749,084 Private Sector 80£328,545,614£110,648,720 Local regeneration agency 69£115,581,934£46,680,283 Business Link 21£25,412,198£11,360,557 Other (tourist, arts, etc) 103£277,580,371£76,613,253 Total947£2,435,601,642£782,953,774