Announcement: Habitats Directive Workshop, ECS, Galway, 24

For the last twenty years, the EU Habitats Directive has been the cornerstone for the conservation of European wildlife and their habitats. It is built around two pillars: a strict system for species protection and the Natura 2000 network of protected sites. All cetaceans occurring in Europe are listed in Annex IV of the Directive, requiring strict protection, and two species, the harbour porpoise and bottlenose dolphin, are additionally listed in Annex II, requiring the development of Special Areas of Conservation, where appropriate, as part of the Natura 2000 network. The Habitats Directive thus is an important mechanism complementing the implementation of specialised treaties for the conservation of cetaceans, such as ACCOBAMS and ASCOBANS, and vice versa. Article 3(1) of the Directive states that a coherent ecological network of Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) that should enable species' habitats to be maintained or, where appropriate, restored at a favourable conservation status. Article 3(2) requires Member States to contribute to the creation of Natura 2000 in proportion to the representation within their territory of Annex I habitats and Annex II species. Article 4, however, notes that 'for aquatic species which range over wide areas, such sites will be proposed only where there is a clearly identifiable area representing the physical and biological factors essential to their life and reproduction.' Article 12 (1) requires Member States to establish a system of strict protection which includes prohibiting the deliberate capture or killing and disturbance of listed species. Additionally Article 12(4) requires Member States to monitor incidental capture and killing to ensure that this does not have a significant negative impact on the species concerned. Under Article 17, Member States must report on the status of each cetacean species in its waters every six years through the surveillance developed under Article 11. The first assessment of conservation status was undertaken in 2007, with the next report due in 2013. In 2007, the conservation status of the majority of cetacean species was assigned as 'unknown' or 'not assessed' (the latter assigned to species were very little information was available). These assessments reflect the difficulties in monitoring marine species and also the low encounter rate of many species. Internationally, a number of issues and criticisms were identified for these reports, the most important of which was the focus on national waters for these transboundary species. Since this reporting round, both Member States and the European Commission have been developing and improving their approaches to the surveillance and reporting requirements. For example, the 2013 guidance includes a much greater emphasis on the need for transboundary reporting. This meshes well with the requirements of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). The purpose of this workshop is to review implementation of the Habitats Directive across Europe, and to discuss ways to address some of its challenges. Additionally, links with other directives (e.g. MSFD) and other intergovernmental treaties, such as ACCOBAMS and ASCOBANS, will be explored.