safeguarding ecosystem services are important actions. The declaration demands to
“place greater focus on the capacities of the MAB [Man and Biosphere] Programme
and biosphere reserves for mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change,
and [to] improve integrating their contributions into national and international climate
strategies and policies”. It also calls for the establishment of “adequate legislative,
administrative and institutional frameworks at national and/or local level for biosphere
reserves”. At practical level, climate change adapted management plans shall be
drawn up and implemented (UNESCO, German Commission 2011).
Further policy documents for adaptation were published by the Secretariat of the
Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009). They:
(a) show the connections between biodiversity and climate change mitigation and
adaptation; (b) give guidance for promoting synergies among activities that address
biological diversity, desertification, land degradation, and climate change; (c) give
advice on the integration of biodiversity considerations into the implementation of
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto
Protocol; (d) state that maintaining biodiversity should be part of all national
policies, programmes, and plans for adaptation to climate change to allow ecosystems to continue providing goods and services.
The interconnections between climate change and biodiversity are considered
in many other conventions as well. The United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change recognises the need to tackle climate change and calls upon
the parties to act within a certain time frame that allows ecosystems to adapt to
climate change. The World Heritage Committee elaborated a strategy to assist state
parties to implement appropriate management responses to climate change.
The Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory
Species requested their scientific council to afford climate change high priority
in its future programme of activities and called on parties to implement, as
appropriate, adaptation measures. The Conference of the Contracting Parties of
the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands called upon contracting parties to manage
wetlands so as to increase their resilience to climate change by promoting wetland
and watershed protection and restoration (SCBD 2007).
Finally, guiding principles for adaptation to climate change in Europe were given
(ETCACC 2010) and guidelines for protected area legislation were provided, which
include “adaptive management” and “managing for climate change” (Lausche 2011).
1.4 Investigation Areas
HABIT-CHANGE focused on those habitats of community interest defined by
annex 1 of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), which are mainly affected by
climate change and land-use pressures. Thus, the project included protected sites
consisting of wetland, forest, grassland, alpine, and coastal ecosystems located in
Central and Eastern Europe. The administrations of several suitable national parks,
biosphere reserves, and natural parks cooperated as project partners (Fig. 1.1) or
supported the work as associated institutions.
8
S. Rannow et al.
“place greater focus on the capacities of the MAB [Man and Biosphere] Programme
and biosphere reserves for mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change,
and [to] improve integrating their contributions into national and international climate
strategies and policies”. It also calls for the establishment of “adequate legislative,
administrative and institutional frameworks at national and/or local level for biosphere
reserves”. At practical level, climate change adapted management plans shall be
drawn up and implemented (UNESCO, German Commission 2011).
Further policy documents for adaptation were published by the Secretariat of the
Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009). They:
(a) show the connections between biodiversity and climate change mitigation and
adaptation; (b) give guidance for promoting synergies among activities that address
biological diversity, desertification, land degradation, and climate change; (c) give
advice on the integration of biodiversity considerations into the implementation of
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto
Protocol; (d) state that maintaining biodiversity should be part of all national
policies, programmes, and plans for adaptation to climate change to allow ecosystems to continue providing goods and services.
The interconnections between climate change and biodiversity are considered
in many other conventions as well. The United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change recognises the need to tackle climate change and calls upon
the parties to act within a certain time frame that allows ecosystems to adapt to
climate change. The World Heritage Committee elaborated a strategy to assist state
parties to implement appropriate management responses to climate change.
The Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory
Species requested their scientific council to afford climate change high priority
in its future programme of activities and called on parties to implement, as
appropriate, adaptation measures. The Conference of the Contracting Parties of
the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands called upon contracting parties to manage
wetlands so as to increase their resilience to climate change by promoting wetland
and watershed protection and restoration (SCBD 2007).
Finally, guiding principles for adaptation to climate change in Europe were given
(ETCACC 2010) and guidelines for protected area legislation were provided, which
include “adaptive management” and “managing for climate change” (Lausche 2011).
1.4 Investigation Areas
HABIT-CHANGE focused on those habitats of community interest defined by
annex 1 of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), which are mainly affected by
climate change and land-use pressures. Thus, the project included protected sites
consisting of wetland, forest, grassland, alpine, and coastal ecosystems located in
Central and Eastern Europe. The administrations of several suitable national parks,
biosphere reserves, and natural parks cooperated as project partners (Fig. 1.1) or
supported the work as associated institutions.
8
S. Rannow et al.