DEVELOPMENT OF NATURA 2000 NATIONAL PRIORITY ACTION FRAME (NPAF)

DEVELOPMENT OF NATURA 2000 NATIONAL PRIORITY ACTION FRAME (NPAF)

Main objective of the project is the Development of NPAF to support the efforts of the Ministry of Environment and Water of Bulgaria towards effective management of NATURA 2000 sites during the new programme period 2014-2020. Following Article 8 of Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora, the EU introduced a common standard for strategic planning of activities under NATURA 2000, requiring all Member States to develop National Prioritised Action Frameworks for NATURA 2000 (NPAF) to implement EU environmental legislation (Nature legislation). The purpose of the NPAF is to better define the funding needs and the conservation and development priorities for the protected areas under NATURA 2000 network at national and regional level, related to conservation of species and habitats in line with the EU Birds and Habitats Directives, facilitating their integration in the programs financed by EU financial instruments. The financial perspective for the period 2014-2020 establishes the opportunities for financing activities under NATURA 2000, which are identified as sets of priorities and measures in the NPAF. This planning tool provides flexibility to the framework, to ensure that its preparation shall comply not only with the European strategic objectives, but also with the national specificities.

Specific objectives include:

1. Defining clear priorities, measures and activities for effective management of NATURA 2000 sites in Bulgaria.
2. Identifying potential EU funding opportunities concerning NATURA 2000 network development and management, during the new programming period.
3. Ensuring the integration of NATURA 2000 funding in the EU funding instruments for the new programme period.

The following activities have been carried out in implementing the project:

Task 1: Development of NPAF Introduction Part (includes preparatory activities, studies, preliminary assessments and reports)

Task 2: Development of NATURA 2000 NPAF (includes development of the document and its annexes as per the requirements of the EC for the conservation of species and habitats in line with the EU Birds and Habitats Directives, prioritization, programming, cost estimation and development of monitoring system)

Task 3: Stakeholders’ involvement (includes development and implementation of stakeholders public participation and consultation approach, communication strategic planning)

Task 4: Capacity building for NATURA 2000 NPAF implementation (includes development and implementation of training programs for different types of stakeholders)