GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE IMPLEMENTATION

Proceedings of the European Commission Conference

19 November 2010, Brussels, Belgium
 Green Infrastructure Implementation:
Proceedings of the EC Conference 19 November 2010

Cover picture: The primary goal of integrated spatial land-use planning is to work towards
long-term sustainability. This implies that the needs of different policies, sectors and
stakeholders are taken into account, ensuring that the provision of ecosystem services is
maintained.

Report produced in February 2011 by:

Johanna Karhu
European Commission
DG Environment
Biodiversity Unit

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 Green Infrastructure Implementation:
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Summary of Conference

The Green Infrastructure Implementation conference, held on 19 November 2010 at the

Centre Borschette in Brussels, was attended by more than 80 participants from EU
Member States, Non-Governmental Organizations, Universities and Research Centres as
well as the European Institutions.

The purpose of the conference was to pursue the ongoing discussion process and to
support the further work on Green Infrastructure. The specific objectives were to share
views and discuss the state of Green Infrastructure implementation in Europe, to identify
gaps in implementation, to highlight the strong linkages to climate change adaptation and
mitigation and to other relevant policies, as well as to share good practices and lessons
learned in order to work towards a common understanding and guidelines to go forward.
Speakers from a wide range of backgrounds working with Green Infrastructure projects
were invited to share their knowledge and experiences on implementation.

The conference found that overall, good knowledge of Green Infrastructure exists and
many projects have been implemented on the ground. There is a clear need to ensure the
health of ecosystems and the services they provide and to move from grey to green
infrastructure by taking into account socio-economic factors. In order to maximize the
multi-benefits, long-term commitment is needed in spatial scale and across time.
Stakeholder involvement, integration into other sectoral policies, as well as good
management practices, are of great importance. There is also a clear need to come up with
guidelines for implementation as well as indicators to measure progress.

Financing will be one of the key issues to achieve these goals and needs to be addressed. It
was concluded that existing financing should be used more effectively while considering
innovative financing mechanisms and the future role of the private sector. More effort
should also be put into communication, stakeholder relations and awareness raising
activities. The concept will need a clear follow-up plan and development of European
level policy.

The Conference succeeded in identifying what has been done and the ways to go forward,
however, many issues need further discussion and defining, and therefore further work
will be required. The outcome of the EC process will be a policy document on Green
Infrastructure by the end of the year 2011.

The Conference programme, presentations given and the background document are
available at:

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/ecosystems/green_infrastructure.htm

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Introduction and purpose of the conference 7

2 Opening of the conference

Ladislav Miko, François Wakenhut (EC DG ENV) 9

3 Setting the context 12

3.1. Overview of Green Infrastructure initiatives

Graham Bennett (Syzygy, NL) 12

3.2. Example of Green Infrastructure from the U.S.

Kris Hoellen (Conservation Fund, U.S.) 13

4 Examples of Green Infrastructure from Europe 15

4.1. The case of the Czech Territorial System of Ecological Stability of the Landscape
Jan Plesník Václav Hlaváč (CZ) 15

4.2. Green and Blue Space Adaptation for Urban Areas and Eco Towns
Diane Smith (GRaBS INTERREG IV project, UK) 16

4.3. Transnational example: The Alpine and Carpathian mountain range

Marco Onida (Alpine Convention) 17

5 Green Infrastructure as a tool for working with nature – and the multiple benefits provided
Pam Berry (Oxford University, UK) 19

5.1. Discussion I 20

6 Integration of Green Infrastructure into core land use policies 22

6.1. The view of DG Agriculture on Green Infrastructure

Paul Sergiu Didicescu 22

6.2. The view of DG Regional Policy on Green Infrastructure

Mathieu Fichter 23

6.3. The view of DG Climate Action on Green Infrastructure

Rosário Bento Pais 24

6.4. Discussion II 25

7 Short presentations of Green Infrastructure projects 26

8 Conference wrap-up and highlights.

Lawrence Jones-Walters (ECNC Expertise centre, NL) 27

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1 Introduction and purpose of the conference

Background on Green Infrastructure

The concept of Green Infrastructure emphasizes the importance of ensuring the provision
of ecosystem goods and services for society and the value of functionally and spatially
connected, healthy ecosystems. Its purpose is to increase the resilience of ecosystems –
inter alia - by improving their functional and spatial connectivity by increasing ecological
coherence and by improving landscape permeability. Green Infrastructure has a vital role
to play in the conservation of the EU’s biodiversity and in tackling fragmentation. It also
contributes to climate change mitigation and adaptation and thereby increases ecosystem
resilience and reduces vulnerability to natural disaster risks, such as floods, forest fires,
avalanches and droughts.

The concept further aims at contributing to the development of a greener, more

sustainable economy through provision of jobs and business opportunities by investing in
the maintenance and restoration of ecosystems by using ecosystem-based approaches
instead of purely technical solutions, and by mitigating adverse effects of transport and
energy infrastructure.

Green Infrastructure will be covered under the upcoming EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy. It
is an essential tool to mitigate fragmentation and unsustainable land-use both within and
outside Natura 2000 areas and to provide the multiple benefits of maintaining and
restoring ecosystems and their services. The EU 2020 biodiversity vision and target were
adopted by the Environment Council in March 20101 and aim to halt the loss of
biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services in Europe and to restore them to
the greatest extent possible. The Council also recognized the need to improve the
integration of biodiversity considerations into other policies and sectors in order to
strengthen ecological coherence in Europe.

Green Infrastructure was first introduced in the 2009 Commission White Paper on
Adapting to Climate Change2. The Commission has since been supporting the exchange of
views and best practices and highlighted the potential of the concept for coordination at
the local, regional, national and international levels. A workshop held 25 - 26 March 2009
in Brussels3, started a successful discussion process for European policy. Meanwhile,
Green Infrastructure planning and implementation on the ground level has taken place.
The concept was highlighted during Green Week 20104.
1
http://register.consilium.europa.eu/pdf/en/10/st07/st07536.en10.pdf
2
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2009:0147:FIN:EN:PDF
3
http://www.green-infrastructure-europe.org/
4
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/greenweek/home.html

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The Green Infrastructure Implementation Conference

The conference was held on 19 November 2010 at the Centre Borschette in Brussels, and
was attended by more than 80 participants from Member States, Non-Governmental
Organizations, Universities and Research Centres and the European Institutions.

The purpose of the conference was to pursue the ongoing discussion process and to
support the further work on Green Infrastructure. The specific objectives were to share
views and discuss the state of implementation, to identify gaps and to highlight the strong
linkages to climate change adaptation and mitigation as well as to share good practices
and lessons learned in order to work towards a common understanding and guidelines to
go forward.

Speakers from a wide range of backgrounds working with Green Infrastrusture projects
were invited to share their knowledge and experiences and the presentations stimulated
some informative discussions and conclusions. This report provides an overview of the
main presentations and discussions during the conference and the overall conclusions
reached.

The workshop programme, presentations given and the background document are
available at:

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/ecosystems/green_infrastructure.htm

Green Infrastructure takes a natural

approach, where interdependent
elements support each other to
ensure long-term sustainability.

It shows us how to avoid the over-

exploitation of natural resources,
and how to manage and use
ecosystems to serve economic,
social and nature conservational
purposes at the same time in a
balanced way.

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2 Opening of the conference - Ladislav Miko, François Wakenhut

Director Ladislav Miko from the Nature Directorate of Environment Directorate General,
welcomed the participants to the conference: "This is a time of many changes taking place
in the field of biodiversity. The 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Nagoya was a success with the adoption of
the Strategic Plan 2011-2020, the 20 Biodiversity targets and the legally-binding Nagoya
Protocol on Access to Genetic resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits
Arising from their Utilization. As a result the EU is also developing its new 2020
Biodiversity Strategy".

Although the 2010 biodiversity target was not achieved neither in the EU nor the rest of
the world, a lot of good work towards biodiversity conservation has been achieved, the
effects of which will probably be long-term and more visible later on. For example, since
2004, nearly 6,000 new protected areas have been established globally, covering more than
60 million hectares. In March 2010, the EU adopted an ambitious new 2020 headline target
and 2050 vision for biodiversity. The EU vision and headline target, as well as the global
target, provide the foundation for the 2020 Strategy 5.

EU 2050 Vision
By 2050, biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides in the European Union – its
natural capital – are protected, valued and appropriately restored for biodiversity's intrinsic
value and for their essential contribution to human wellbeing and economic prosperity, and
so that catastrophic changes caused by the loss of biodiversity are avoided

EU 2020 Headline target

Halting the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services in the EU by
2020, and restoring them in so far as feasible, while stepping up the EU contribution to
averting global biodiversity loss

The future challenge, in order to halt biodiversity loss and the further degradation of
ecosystem services, is to work beyond the traditional biodiversity conservation approach
and to focus on ecosystem services and landscape planning. Green Infrastructure is one of
the subtargets of the EU 2020 Strategy to address these issues. The EC definition of Green
Infrastructure is very broad "Green Infrastructure ensures the provision of ecosystem
goods and services for society and the value of functionally and spatially connected,
healthy ecosystems". It is clear that further work will need to be undertaken to further

5
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/biodiversity/policy/index_en.htm

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define the definition as well as the targets and objectives. A concept will need to be
delivered in order to develop a work programme for Europe.

Green Infrastructure can be used to address many issues such as microclimate, climate
change mitigation and adaptation as well as natural disaster risks, such as floods, coastal
erosion, water scarcity, forest fires, avalanches and droughts. Green Infrastructure can
ensure a resource efficient approach that addresses many aspects of the society while
working towards biodiversity conservation. As a concept Green Infrastructure is not new
and many projects are on-going and a lot of work has already been done in the field.
Therefore many great speakers involved in Green Infrastructure implementation were
invited to the Conference to discuss and share experiences on Green Infrastructure
implementation.

Francois Wakenhut, Head of Biodiversity Unit from the Environment Directorate

General felt that this was the right time to push the concept forward due to the financial
and climate change crises, which need integrated, multi-win solutions. Europe has
suffered more human-induced fragmentation than any other continent according to the
Millennium Ecosystem Assesment (2001). Although over 18% of the EU territory is
covered by the Natura 2000 network, areas outside the network should also be taken into
consideration and Green Infrastructure should be valued instead of grey, purely technical
solutions. Ecosystem based solutions offer a great potential to solve problems regarding
aspects of nature, such as loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services, and increased risk of
natural disasters.

The concept of Green Infrastructure is about maintaining, strengthening and restoring

ecosystems and the services they provide by strengthening the functionality of ecosystems
for continued delivery of goods and services including increasing the resilience and
restoration of ecosystems and the maintenance of water and carbon cycles. Through this,
Green Infrastructure will make an essential contribution to combating biodiversity loss by
increasing spatial and functional connectivity between existing natural areas and by
improving landscape permeability. The benefits of Green Infrastructure include mitigating
and adapting to climate change and reducing vulnerability to natural disaster risks. GI
also contributes to developing a greener and sustainable economy by investing in natural
solutions (relying upon ecosystem services) in addition to technical ones and mitigating
adverse effects of man-made infrastructure (e.g. transport and energy).

Components of Green Infrastructure include (1) Healthy ecosystems inside and outside a
coherent network of protected areas, such as Natura 2000 sites with their buffer zones (e.g.
floodplain areas, wetlands, extensive grasslands, coastal areas, natural forests etc), (2)
Multifunctional zones where land uses that help maintain or restore healthy ecosystems
are favoured over other activities, (3) Natural landscape features such as small water
courses, forest patches and hedgerows, which can act as eco-corridors or stepping stones

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for wildlife, (4) Artificial features such as eco-ducts or eco-bridges, or permeable soil
covers that are designed to assist species movement across insurmountable barriers (such
as motorways or paved areas), (5) Areas where measures are implemented to improve the
general ecological quality and permeability of the landscape, (6) Urban elements such as
biodiversity-rich parks, permeable soil cover, green walls and green roofs that host
biodiversity and allow ecosystems to function and deliver their services. Green
Infrastructure should aim at connecting urban, peri-urban and rural areas on different
spatial dimensions (local, regional and global) by using multipurpose zones and
integrated spatial planning.

The way forward is the upcoming Biodiversity 2020 Strategy where Green Infrastructure
is covered as a sub-target and integrated into other policies through reforms of relevant
policies such as the Common Agriculture Policy (2013), Common Fisheries Policy (2012)
and Cohesion Policy (2013) as well as the development of new financial perspectives for
LIFE (2014 – 2020). The key is to integrate Green Infrastructure in all relevant policies and
decision making in order to ensure a comprehensive approach.

Current EU financing instruments for Green Infrastructure include the Life+ funding
(currently one of the main financing tools for Green Infrastructure in Europe), the
Cohesion Fund (trans-European issues such as ecosystem services, transport and urban
development), the Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (especially for semi-natural
agricultural habitats), European Regional Development Fund (infrastructure, investments,
regional and local development including nature protection), Trans-European Networks
(potential adverse effect leading to fragmentation), European Union Solidarity Fund and
Structural and Cohesion Funds (disaster response and prevention), Competitiveness and
Innovation Framework Program (eco-innovation), European Fisheries Fund and the 7th
Research Framework Programs. The private sector is also increasingly applying
biodiversity offsetting measures on development schemes as part of their corporate social
responsibility program. Innovative financing mechanisms will undoubtedly be a key to
ensure sustainable financing when considering the challenges of public financing sources.

In conclusion, Green Infrastructure and many examples of on-going projects and natural
solutions already exist. What remains to be done is to further define the concept and to
develop a strategy or guidelines for coherent implementation in Europe across spatial
scale and time, although much can already be achieved by improving the
implementation of existing legislation. More communication and awareness raising will
also be needed to target relevant stakeholders and the general public.

Further information on Green Infrastructure can be found at the DG Environment

homepage:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/ecosystems/index_en.htm

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3 Setting the context

3.1. Overview of Green Infrastructure initiatives

Graham Bennett (Syzygy, the Netherlands)

Graham Bennett, Director of Syzygy, an organization that works internationally to

advance the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources, gave an overview of
Green Infrastructure in Europe. In total there are approximately 100 Green Infrastructure
programmes and projects in the EU, in virtually all Member States. Approximately 40% of
the projects are initiated by governments and 60% by NGOs and research institutes. Main
drivers behind the projects are usually biodiversity conservation, sustainable spatial
planning, river basin management, recreation or climate change adaptation. Mr. Bennett
highlighted three examples where strengthening ecological coherence has been integrated
with other objectives at different spatial scales, namely at the level of a city plan, a flood
plain ecosystem and a continental corridor involving several states.

The first example was the sustainable spatial plan from Plymouth, South West England,
the objectives of which were to enhance multiple benefits of green spaces, strengthen and
restore connectivity, improve recreation linkage within the city and with the countryside,
promote sustainable urban drainage solutions as adaptation to climate change, improve
sustainability of transport systems, use woodlands to reduce carbon footprint and to
improve health of residents by encouraging active lifestyles. The main measures taken
were strengthening connectivity and sustainable transport options.

The second project highlighted was the "Room for the River" project from Deventer, the
Netherlands, funded by the public authorities and the WWF, on flood control. As a result
of climate change, increased rainfall in the Rhine and Meuse water basins is expected, due
to which approximately 4 million people in the Netherlands are at risk of catastrophic
flooding. The primary goal of the project is to increase the maximum safe flow of Rhine
and Meuse to a level that occurs once in 1,250 years and the secondary objective is to
enhance biodiversity value in the river basins. The Yssel is an important aquatic corridor
between the marshy areas, particularly for water birds. Most of the flood plains along the
river are designated under the Birds Directive and are part of the National Ecological
Network. Five projects have been undertaken and the Ossenwaard flood plain has been
enlarged while parts of it have been excavated to create shallows and increase water
retention capacity. As a result richer vegetation and more birds have been observed while
recreational opportunities have also improved.

The third project was the climate change adaptation project from the Great Eastern Ranges
Corridor, Australia, which encompasses many rich ecosystems along the eastern margin of
Australia, including rainforests, alpine meadows, wetlands, rocky heaths, Eucalyptus

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forests, woodlands and grasslands. The region is under pressure from land clearance,
urban and industrial development, population growth and climate change. The climate
zones in the corridor are very narrow, which makes the ecosystems vulnerable to small
changes in temperature. Five priority projects have been carried out based on voluntary
actions by various stakeholders. For example, the regional partnership in the Upper
Hunter Valley Project includes 40 stakeholders from different sectors, while the Catchment
Management Authority leads actions to reconnect landscape funds available to
landowners through grants, voluntary agreements and tax concessions.

In conclusion, many Green Infrastructure projects have been implemented in the past 30
years for the purposes of biodiversity conservation, spatial planning and recreation.
Projects have been applied at various spatial scales and often include many stakeholders
and diverse funding sources. The effectiveness of the concept has also been demonstrated
in many cases but different approaches are needed in order to gain multiple benefits.
Challenges for the future include improving management and long-term policy
frameworks at all levels for effective implementation.

3.2. Example of Green Infrastructure from the U.S.

Kris Hoellen (Conservation Fund, United States)

Kris Hoellen, Director of the Conservation Fund's Conservation Leadership Network,

gave an overview of Green Infrastructure in the United States. Conservation Fund, a U.S.
national non-profit organization founded in 1985 for protecting natural resources and
supporting sustainable economical development, is known for Green Infrastructure
planning in the U.S. The organization believes in a balanced approach and provides a
training programme on Green Infrastructure planning. In the U.S. there is a need for more
planning and strategic approach in land use since approximately 5000 acres of land is lost
every day due to growing communities and urban sprawl.

The Conservation Fund's definition of Green Infrastructure is “Strategically planned and

managed networks of natural lands, working landscapes and other open spaces that
conserve ecosystem values and functions and provide associated benefits to human
populations”. The Green Infrastructure networks include the core areas and the major
natural areas, links or corridors to tie the system together as well as sites, which are
smaller areas that may not be attached to the system. The planning is a science-based
process involving land planning professionals, officials and the interested public.

It is important to plan both Green and gray Infrastructure simultaneously and both should
be given equal opportunity in the planning process and planned as complementary
systems. Both require strategic planning, financing design, maintenance and management.
In the U.S It is important to stress that GI is not anti-development but a sustainable

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approach that brings multiple benefits, including economical benefits (e.g. homes and
communities close to green areas sell better), provides ecosystem services, supports
tourism and enhances quality of life (connection to public health and children's welfare).

Many major cities in the U.S. are moving into Green Infrastructure planning approach
such as Minneapolis, Houston, Salt Lake City and Nashville to name but a few. Some
examples of ongoing projects of green-gray infrastructure planning are the "NiSource
pipeline network" across 14 states and 15,500 miles, which streamlines project review
while enhancing species protection, the "Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District
Conservation Plan", which uses undeveloped or natural sites to protect from flooding, and
the "Mid-West Region Wind Energy" that combines the development of wind power and
the protection of habitats of endangered species across 8 states.

Ms. Hoellen concluded that in Green Infrastructure implementation it is of great

importance to strategically create a leadership group to guide the initiative, involve a
broad array of people, programs and organizations, develop a financing strategy for both
short and long term, develop an implementation plan and continuously communicate the
benefits of the approach to various stakeholders.

More information on the Green Infrastructure in the U.S. at:

www.greeninfrastructure.net

Eco-ducts can mitigate the

fragmentation effect that
transport infrastructure often has
on ecosystems. Connectivity
reduces the risk that habitats
and/or populations get reduced
to a level too small for them to be
viable.

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4 Examples of Green Infrastructure from Europe

4.1. The case of the Territorial System of Ecological Stability of the Landscape
Jan Plesník and Václav Hlaváč (Agency for Nature Conservation and Landscape
Protection of the Czech Republic)

Jan Plesník (Adviser to Director) and Václav Hlaváč (Head of the Bohemian-Moravian
Highlands Regional Office) from the Agency for Nature Conservation and Landscape
Protection of the Czech Republic introduced the Territorial System of Ecological Stability
of the Landscape (TSES), an example of Green Infrastructure. Approximately 50% of the
Czech Republic is covered by farmland while 30% are forests. However, a growing
concern of loss of ecosystem connectivity, caused by urban sprawl, intensification of
agriculture and increased infrastructure, is an issue addressed by the TSES.

The multi-level ecological network, TSES, has been developed since the late 1970s and
during the 1980s. It is an interconnected complex of both natural and semi-natural
ecosystems to ensure ecosystem health and the provision of ecosystem services. Its main
purpose is to support ecological stability in the landscape by conservation or restoration of
ecosystems and their connectivity. The system consists of biocentres or core areas, which
are connected by ecological corridors that support wildlife species movement. Interaction
elements are landscape segments, which, at the local level, mediate the favourable effects
of main TSES elements, biocentres and ecological corridors, by surrounding other
landscape. There are three levels: local, regional (sensu provincional) and supraregional
(national and above). Legally, the TSES plan is an obligatory legal tool for land use and
territorial planning, forest and water management plans and other plans regarding
landscape protection and restoration. Therefore, the TSES has been a powerful tool for the
efforts of State Nature Conservancy authorities in the non-protected, “ordinary”
landscape.

In addition, TSES also is an instrument for establishing and managing new ecological
corridors. Projects address flood control, river restoration and water retention, erosion
control measures, bio-corridors, and green urban areas. One of the main goals is to
decrease the loss of biodiversity by preventing the loss of habitats and landscape
connectivity. A new project aiming at identifying migration and dispersal corridors of
large mammals was started in 2007, the incorporation of which into the TSES is currently
under consideration.

Further information on the TSES can be found at:

www.nature.cz

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4.2. Green and Blue Space Adaptation for Urban Areas and Eco Towns
Diane Smith (GRaBS INTERREG IV project, United Kingdom)

Diane Smith, project manager of the Green and Blue Space Adaptation for urban areas
and eco-towns (GRABS) from the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA),
explained the three-year project funded under INTERREG IVC Programme (2008-2011),
which includes 14 partners from 8 Members States representing a broad spectrum of
authorities and which addresses challenges posed by climate change with varying degrees
of strategic policy. The project is based on research carried out by the University of
Manchester, on the evaporative cooling effects of a matrix of green corridors; green roofs
and walls. The research suggests that a 10% decrease in urban green areas can lead to a
potential 8.2 ºC increase in surface temperatures by the 2080s, while a 10% increase in
urban green can keep temperatures at, or below, the current levels until 2080. Climate
change will make cities hotter and drier in the summer and the effects will be more
dramatic in cities that suffer from Urban Heat Island effect and poor drainage.

Strategic spatial planning has a key role to create or remodel outdoor spaces to become
resilient to climate change and extreme weather. A Green Infrastructure is therefore best
achieved through an integrated approach to land management and careful strategic spatial
planning. The objective of GRABS is to put in place green and blue infrastructure and to
facilitate the much needed exchange of knowledge and experience and the actual transfer
of good practices on climate change adaptation strategies to local and regional authorities
across Europe. Each partner is encouraged to produce an adaptation plan with a high level
policy statement and to devise communication and dissemination strategies to engage
local people in local adaptation issues as well as to develop regional stakeholder networks
from the private, public and voluntary sectors.
Some of the issues that the project aims to tackle include the lack of political awareness,
the focus more towards mitigation over adaptation and the lack of strategic coordination
and cooperation. GRABS has developed an online risk and vulnerabilities assessment tool,
which includes climate change and flood risk data as well as partner socio- economic and
demographic data to help partners in their planning process. The benefits of green and
blue infrastructure include natural cooling to mitigate the urban ‘heat island’ effect,
sustainable urban drainage, creation of natural areas for recreation as wells as urban
gardening and healthier, happier people.
Adaptation means learning to live with more extreme weather events and changing
weather patterns. GRABS has its focus on people and improving the quality of life for the
future generations. In order to achieve significant change, the effort needs to be shared
between individuals, organisations and governments in both policy and practice.

Further information on the GRABS can be found at:

www.grabs-eu.org

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4.3. Transnational example: The Alpine and Carpathian mountain range

Marco Onida (Alpine Convention)

Marco Onida, Secretary General of the Alpine Convention, gave a presentation on Green
Infrastructure in the Alps and the Carpathians, where there is a need for coherent
ecological connectivity.

The Alps (Convention entered into force 19956) are rich in protected areas but most of
them are located in high altitudes as isolated islands. The legal basis for protection lies on
the protocol on biodiversity from 1994 and in particular its article 12 on ecological
networks, which states that "the Contracting Parties shall pursue the measures appropriate
for creating a national and cross border network of protected areas, biotopes and other
environmental assets protected or acknowledge as worthy of protection. They shall
undertake to harmonise the objectives and measures with the cross-border protected
areas".

The Carpathian Convention (2003)7 is younger than the Alpine Convention and very rich
in biodiversity. The challenges, however, are very similar to the Alps. The legal basis for
protection is the Protocol on "conservation and sustainable use of biological and landscape
diversity". Article 9 on continuity and connectivity of natural and semi-natural habitats
states that each party shall take measures to ensure continuity and connectivity allowing
dispersal and migration of wild species populations, cooperate in establishing an
ecological network composed of protected areas and other areas significant for biological
and landscape diversity and for the coherence of the network, while Article 15 on
enhancing conservation and sustainable management in the areas outside of protected
areas includes “...in particular with the objective of improving and ensuring connectivity
between existing protected areas and other areas or habitats significant for biological and
landscape diversity in the Carpathians”. A network of protected areas in the Carpathians
was set up by COP1 in 2006.

Since 2006 there has been an agreement between the two conventions to work together,
including 10 EU Member States. A Memorandum of Understanding has also been signed
with the Convention on Biological Diversity to further implement the Programme of Work
on Mountains. Additionally, alpine ecological networks have 3 cross-alpine initiatives: the
ecological continuum initiative, the Econnect project and the platform ecological network.
The challenges include integration to other sectors and policies such as energy,
agriculture, nature protection, transport, spatial planning and tourism, including a wide
array of stakeholders and a science-based approach.

The Carpathians have fewer projects on connectivity due to political challenges and the

6
http://www.alpconv.org/theconvention/index_en
7
http://www.carpathianparks.org

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convention being new. However, the Alps-Carpathian corridor8 is being developed, which
is an international project between Austria and Slovakia involving 11 partners. The
objective is to safeguard the ecological connectivity between the Alps and the Carpathians
by spatial planning and sustainable development considering both people and nature,
with a special focus on ecological bottlenecks.

There is also a project on creation of ecologic corridors in Ukraine, using a holistic

approach to further increase ecological connectivity similar to Green Infrastructure by
proposing multi-functional connection elements. It is clear that there is a great change
taking place in nature protection, which leads away from static nature protection concept
based on clearly defined protected areas and more towards a dynamic model based on a
multi-actor multi-functional approach, placing the protected areas with new missions in a
larger territory.

Green Infrastructure helps

prevent disasters. Forests
that feature a good mix of
species, age and structure
absorb large quantities of
water and protect the soil,
preventing and reducing the
impacts of floods and
landslides.

8
www.alpenkarpatenkorridor.at

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5 Green Infrastructure as a tool for working with nature – and the multiple
benefits provided
Pam Berry (Oxford University, United Kingdom)

Pam Berry, Senior Research Fellow from the Environmental Change Institute,
University of Oxford, gave an overview of the multiple benefits of the Green
Infrastructure approach. Green Infrastructure is a multi-tool that offers many possibilities
for implementation as well as multiple benefits.

“We cannot halt biodiversity loss without addressing climate change, but
it is equally impossible to tackle climate change without addressing
biodiversity loss” Biodiversity Policy - Beyond 2010, Message from
Athens, 2009

“Biodiversity needs to be an integrated part of the general mitigation and

adaptation efforts” Aarhus Conference, Beyond Kyoto, 2009

The aim of Green Infrastructure is strengthening the functionality of ecosystems for the
continued delivery of goods and services by increasing the resilience and restoration of
ecosystems and the maintenance of water and carbon cycles as well as combating
biodiversity loss by increasing spatial and functional connectivity between existing natural
areas and improving landscape permeability. Ecosystem based mitigation includes many
ways to mitigate climate change, for example grassland and forest management can
reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and consequently protect
important carbon sinks.

An example of Green Infrastructure is the East-London green grid, the benefits of which
include improvement in air quality and moderation of air temperatures, increased
biodiversity value through the appropriate design and maintenance of sites, enhancement
of ecological connectivity along and between river tributaries, green corridors and
fragmented sites, improvement of flood risk management through enhanced storage
capacity and permeability and reduction in the potential consequences of fluvial, tidal and
surface flood waters.

An ecosystem based approach managing increased flood risk can be achieved by restoring
heavily engineered and straightened water courses to natural profiles and, where
appropriate, with wetland and marshland habitats, reducing storm water runoff and
pressure on storm water sewers through the use of permeable surfaces and other
sustainable drainage systems (e.g. swales and retention ponds), within existing urban
drainage systems, integrating substrate based green roofs designed for biodiversity and by
providing green open space and deciduous street trees to help reduce the urban heat

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island effect.

The benefits of green rooftops and walls include lower summer temperatures and
increased winter temperatures, reduced emissions, reduced wind chill, lower cooling and
heating costs, less runoff, pollutant removal, biodiversity increase, carbon sequestration,
as well as new habitats for rare species. In Switzerland, for instance, it has been found that
an increase in microhabitats led to increased numbers of endangered beetles and spiders
in green rooftops and walls.

To achieve the multiple benefits that Green Infrastructure can offer, good management
practices are of great importance. There is a clear need for cross-sectoral work including
agriculture, forestry, tourism and leisure as well as energy. It is also important to
understand that many activities have both benefits and trade-offs, e.g. many climate
change adaptation or mitigation measures can have a negative impact on biodiversity and
that is why a holistic approach is much needed.

More information on climate change adaptation can be found at:

http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2009/090828.html

5.1. Discussion I

The main outcomes of the first discussion were:

• The definition of Green Infrastructure and the measures that can be considered
within the concept need to be further defined. For example, sustainable transport
and "everything that is green" should not be considered as Green Infrastructure.

• When considering the definition, there are different types of features of Green
Infrastructure in urban and rural areas and therefore different definitions could be
used.

• How can grey infrastructure be made greener and the spread of grey
infrastructure be better controlled? More research would be needed in order to
determine the multiple benefits of green instead of grey infrastructure and the
long-term benefits of ecosystem services provided. The definition of ecosystem
goods and services should also be further defined.

• There is a clear need for a European level Green Infrastructure strategy and
guidelines for specific measures for implementation.

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• Are there win-win situations? There is often a trade-off when prioritizing

ecosystem services. It should be determined which ecosystem services Green
Infrastructure is expected to deliver.

• It is also important to discuss unwanted connectivity e.g. the spread of wildfire,

invasive alien species or unwanted species and disease. How can these issues be
addressed?

• How can the benefits and the effectiveness of ecological corridors be proven?
There is a need for guidelines on monitoring and indicators.

• It is clear that we are on a threshold of change in nature protection. There is a need

to think multi-level and consider the integration of conservation into many other
policies and sectors in order to achieve the new biodiversity 2020 goals.

Urban elements such as

biodiversity-rich parks,
permeable soil cover,
green walls and green
roofs can also be part of
Green Infrastructure. They
host biodiversity and allow
ecosystems to function
effectively and deliver their
services. They also serve
to connect urban, peri-
urban and rural areas.

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6 Integration of Green Infrastructure into core land use policies

6.1. The view of the Commission's Agriculture Directorate General on Green
Infrastructure
Paul Sergiu Didicescu

Paul Sergiu Didicescu from DG Agriculture, gave a presentation on Green Infrastructure

and the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP).

The CAP contributes to Green Infrastructure by increasing resilience and permeability of

the farmed landscape and by preservation and enhancement of high nature value in the
wider countryside. Green Infrastructure has already been implemented within the CAP by
using green landscape features, mosaic structures, land use and in-field measures,
extensive land, soil and water management and flood control. The CAP also encourages
the delivery of ecosystem services through sustainable land management via an integrated
policy with a wide territorial reach (ecosystem approach).

Within the 1st pillar of the CAP on income support, Green Infrastructure is relevant to the
cross compliance baseline conditions, the statutory management requirements 1 and 5 on
Birds and Habitats Directives and good agricultural and environmental conditions, the
requirements of which include the retention of landscape features, protection of
permanent pastures and buffer strips. Within the 2nd pillar on rural development,
relevant are targeted payments for the delivery of public goods, such as agri-environment
payments, non-productive investments and Natura 2000 payments (incl. ‘stepping stones’)
as well as forest and environment measures and Natura 2000 for forests. Other relevant
measures are under Axis 1 on prevention of natural disasters and Axis 3 on conservation
and upgrading the rural heritage, such as drawing up management plans, development of
high natural value sites, and conservation of rural landscapes.

Overall the CAP provides many instruments to address environmental issues such as
wetlands, hedges, floodplains, fields and traditional landscapes. In the CAP reform, work
is being done on strengthening Green Infrastructure by including a greening component
in the 1st pilar (ecological set-aside) and in the 2nd pillar by setting quantitative targets and
by facilitating collaboration of farmers. Some of the challenges to be tackled include
different regional needs, balancing priorities, coordination at different levels and avoiding
land abandonment.

Further information on the CAP reform can be found at:

http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/cap-post-2013/index_en.htm

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6.2. The view of the Commission's Regional Policy Directorate General on Green
Infrastructure
Mathieu Fichter

Mathieu Fichter from DG Regional Policy, gave an overview of the Cohesion Policy and
linkages to Green Infrastructure. The objective of Cohesion Policy is to strengthen
economic, social and territorial cohesion within the framework of Sustainable
Development. Policies are managed under "Shared management" and programmes are
jointly agreed by the commission, Member States and regions. Once agreed, projects are
selected and implemented by Member States and regions and it is the responsibility of the
regions to make use of the funding made available. Green Infrastructure is a new
approach to regional development. For the current programming period from 2007 until
2013, the concept is not mentioned in the current guidelines. There are, however, many
projects of Green Infrastructure that are being financed. There is a need for knowledge
building at local and regional levels to ensure better uptake.

Investment in nature can help generate regional economic growth and employment within
an integrated strategy. For regional development it is crucial to maximise co-benefits of
environmental and socio-economic aspects. For the funding period 2007 - 2013, € 105
billion has been planned for the environment, namely € 3.5 billion for rehabilitation of
industrial sites and contaminated land, € 3.9 billion for biodiversity and nature protection,
€ 6.5 billion for ‘natural risk prevention’ and € 13.9 billion for water treatment. There is
actually plenty of funding available, but awareness and capacity issues are sometimes
barriers for local and regional authorities to take full advantage.

Some examples of Green Infrastructure projects funded through Cohesion Policy include
building eco-corridors in the Rhone Alps, France, floodplain restoration around Rheine
River in several states and removing barriers in water habitats in Nordhein-Westfalen,
Germany. There are also opportunities through transnational cooperation, e.g. a project
connecting 6 protected areas in the Adria-Alpe- Pannonia territory (Italy, Austria,
Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia).

Green Infrastructure is a possible tool to improve territorial cohesion at environmental

level and to ensure ecological continuity. Spatial planning is important for Green
Infrastructure projects and there is a need to integrate national and regional planning
authorities in the projects. An adequate regional framework is necessary for successful
implementation. Partnerships and cooperation with socio-economic partners and the civil
society is a key success factor.

To enhance the uptake of Green Infrastructure, the concept needs further clarification in
terms of definition and objectives. There is a need for guidance and linkage to broader EU
policies and sharing of knowledge and socio-economic benefits with local actors. Further

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work is also needed on linkages between gray and green infrastructure and other
financing mechanisms such as innovative financing. The 5th cohesion report, which was
adopted recently, outlines the possible structure of future cohesion policy, which could
include notions of biodiversity and environmental proofing.

In conclusion, Green Infrastructure implementation in various forms is already a reality

through Regional Policy funding. However, more work is needed to define and clarify the
concept in general and at regional level as well as the impacts and benefits provided. Over
all, Green Infrastructure provides a potentially adequate instrument to facilitate
deployment of projects in regions contributing to EU biodiversity, nature and climate
goals.

Further information on Regional Policy can be found at:

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/regional_policy/index_en.htm

6.3. The view of the Commission's Climate Action Directorate General on Green
Infrastructure
Rosário Bento Pais

Rosário Bento Pais, Head of Unit Climate Change Adaptation, from DG Climate Action
gave information about the linkages between climate change adaptation and Green
Infrastructure. It is crucial to work with nature’s capacity to address climate change
mitigation and adaptation. Ecosystem-based approaches are cost-effective solutions for
climate change mitigation and adaptation, which bring multiple benefits e.g. the
protection of coastlines by maintaining natural mangroves, the restoration of floodplains
or the greening of the cities through increasing the green spaces and building green walls
and roofs.
The white paper on climate change adaptation9, published in April 2009, states that
climate change will drive biodiversity loss and the degradation of ecosystems and the
services they provide. The white paper is currently being implemented and composed of
33 actions including biodiversity and related issues, for example the action to "explore the
possibilities to improve policies and develop measures which address biodiversity loss and climate
change in an integrated manner to fully exploit co-benefits and avoid ecosystem feedbacks that
accelerate global warming."
A complete EU strategy on adaptation is foreseen. Integrated thinking of the issues is to be
tackled 2013-2020 and adaptation should always be integrated in a holistic way.

Overall, Green Infrastructure is a key approach to tackle climate change since healthy

9
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2009:0147:FIN:EN:PDF

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ecosystems are more resilient to the impacts of climate change, although the concept is still
not specifically mentioned in the international negotiation texts. However, the challenges
of halting biodiversity loss and preventing climate change are inextricably bound together.
We need both green technology and natural solutions in our climate change toolbox.

More information on climate change adaptation can be found at:

http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/adaptation/index_en.htm

6.4. Discussion II
The main outcomes of the second discussion were:
• There is an important role for market-based instruments in financing Green
Infrastructure. More focus should also be put on the utilization of financing already
available within existing policies.

• Green Infrastructure can work as an approach to better take into account the health
of ecosystems in climate change negotiations, e.g. in REDD negotiations. It may be
beneficial to extend this approach to also other ecosystems beyond forests.

• The relationship between Green Infrastructure and bio fuels and biomass
production should be clarified.

• The role of forest ecosystems and forest owners in Green Infrastructure should not
be neglected by focusing solely on agriculture. This could be achieved under future
regional policy.

• Within realigning the CAP, substantive changes will be needed to ensure the better
consideration of ecosystem services.

• A long-term perspective for Green Infrastructure is needed as well as the

consideration of impacts of climate change and impacts of other sectors, such as
agriculture, tourism and regional development. The benefits Green Infrastructure
can offer should be better communicated and highlighted.

• Green Infrastructure, as a broad concept, covering Natura 2000 sites with their
buffer zones, natural landscape features, artificial features and urban elements,
bringing multiple benefits and ideally involving a wide range of stakeholders,
sectors and policies, will need clear guidelines and communication materials to
ensure good uptake and implementation of the initiative.

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7 Short presentations of Green Infrastructure projects

The following organizations and individuals gave a short one minute presentation of their
Green Infrastructure related project or initiative:

• Nicola Clerici (Joint Research Centre) - Pan-European Assessment of Riparian

Zones

• Carles Castell (Barcelona Provincial Council) - Protection of the system of open

areas in the Barcelona region.

• Stephanie Hudin (Fédération des Conservatoires d'espaces naturels) - A European

Network for Space for Rivers, Rivers and Floodplains an important part of Europe's
GI.

• Ronny Merken (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) - Countering cryptic loss of integrated

manmade and natural features in a traditional agricultural mountain area in
Central Greece.

• Sue Everett (Flora locale) - Europe's wild flora under threat.

• Carolina Sanchez Hernandez (Ordnance Survey UK) - Ordnance Survey of Great

Britain and Green Infrastructure.

• Marco Falconi (Italian Environmental Protection Agency) - Urban Atlas land use
data as proxy of urban Green Infrastructure.

• Fabienne Allag-Dhuisme (French ministry of ecology, energy, sustainable

development and the sea) - The setting up of a Green Infrastructure process in
France.

• Guy Duke (The Environment Bank) - How to pay for Green Infrastructure
implementation?

• Aidan Lonergan (RSPB) - UK wide programme of Green Infrastructure provision

through Landscape Scale Conservation .

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8 Conference wrap-up and highlights

Lawrence Jones-Walters (ECNC Expertise centre, the Netherlands)

Lawrence Jones-Walters, Senior Programme Manager from the Expertise Centre for
Biodiversity and Sustainable Development (ECNC), summarized the discussions and
conclusions of the conference.

Overall, good knowledge of the Green Infrastructure and what we need and wish to
achieve with the concept exists. There is a need to contribute to ecosystem services and to
move from grey to green infrastructure by taking into account socio-economical factors
and cultural services.

In order to maximize benefits, long-term commitment is needed in scale and across time.
Stakeholder involvement, integration into other sectoral policies and good management
practises are of great importance. There is also a clear need to come up with guidelines on
implementation as well as indicators to measure process.

Financing Green Infrastructure will be one of the key issues and needs to be addressed.
Including many stakeholders can also bring more sources of funding. Existing financing
should be better used while considering innovative financing mechanisms and the private
sector. However, there should be caution in valuing biodiversity and ecosystem services
by using market-based language.

More effort should be put in communication, stakeholder relations and awareness raising
activities. The concept also needs a clear follow-up plan and development of European
level policy.

Ladislav Miko thanked the speakers and participants for attending the conference. "We
have identified ways to go forward but many issues still need further discussion and
definition, which is why more meetings and discussions will be needed." The outcome of
the process from the EC side will be a policy document on Green Infrastructure planned
for the end of the year 2011.

Further information on Green Infrastructure in the ECNC can be found at:

http://www.ecnc.org/programmes/green-
infrastructure?PHPSESSID=bacbf047e818f1c4ea4e817f9006bb7c

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The multiple benefits of Green Infrastructure include protecting species, natural

habitats and recreational areas, providing ecosystem services such as timber,
providing jobs and business opportunities, enhancing climate change mitigation by
storing carbon, and preventing natural disasters such as floods.

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