Land use implications of the Natura 2000 Network

Ponent:

• Roberto Gambino
  Capo del centro di documentazione europea dei parchi
    Professore al Politecnico di Torino

Participants:

• Juli Esteban
  Director de Programa de Planejament Territorial
  Generalitat de Catalunya

• Isabel Boncompte
  Subdirectora general de Protecció de la Biodiversitat
  Generalitat de Catalunya

Moderador / relator:

• Martí Doménech
  Coordinador de l'Àrea d'Espais Naturals
  Diputació de Barcelona

Conclusions

1. The establishment of RN2000, and its social acceptance, depend not only on fitting it into physical space, but also on its relationship with the economic, social and cultural sphere. Although RN2000 is not a not strictly a network in the systematic sense of the term, it should take advantage of this element to define ecological networks on a local scale that facilitate its success, given that ecological connections also link geography and history and connect an area's future with its past.
2. In current planning, too much weight is still given to a sectoral vision of land use that hampers integral policies, a feature that is deemed vital in successfully developing networks. Therefore, it is proposed to promote the building of a common language, of an agreed vision or interpretation, which enables an understanding that would make it possible to develop environmental, economic and urban development policies that, whilst having different natures, should be closely linked in order to be effective.
3. Even though each country has a specific planning culture, it is advisable that local planning should be a common instrument from which it is possible to establish a vision and comprehensive scope for land use.
4. It appears that even when land use planning has been established, which also includes RN2000, the Achilles heel regarding the success of said network also hinges on the establishment of objectives and defendable interests at the local level and not only at the territorial and/or European level. In this sense if landscape is aimed at as an objective, and also as an indicator, it may facilitate understanding of the need for preservation at the local level. With its aspects relating to identity, history and culture, landscape is a value at all levels, and all interests can be organised through it.