The document presents an overview of green infrastructure (GI) implementation in EU member states, highlighting its definition, policy instruments, and examples of successful initiatives. It emphasizes the importance of strategic planning, regulation, and public investment to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services. The findings underline the need for coherent policies and adequate financing to maximize the effectiveness of GI measures.

1. www.ieep.eu
Approaches to Green Infrastructure
Implementation in EU Member
States
“Planning for biodiversity” Conference - Warsaw, 7-9
November 2011
Leonardo Mazza,
IEEP

2. Content of this presentation
I. General background on GI
v Context: on-going study on the topic
v Possible definition of GI & implications
v Scope/focus of this presentation
II. Policy tools and instruments for GI
Implementation
v Structured around examples of spatial
planning and land-use measures
supporting GI
v Role of other tools & instruments also
highlighted
2

3. I. General Introduction
3

4. Context: on-going work
v IEEP currently leading “Green Infrastructure Implementation
and Efficiency”- study for DG ENV
v Most findings presented here today have emerged from the
work done in the context of this study – the project is still on-
going – results not been approved by the Commission yet
v Green infrastructure relatively new and flexible term: has been
interpreted in different ways since no official definition
exists
v Early in the project IEEP liaised with other contractors working
on DG ENV studies relating to GI to agree on a working
definition of GI
4

5. A possible definition
Working definition of green infrastructure derived for the project
work:
“Green infrastructure is the network of natural and semi-natural areas,
features and green spaces in rural and urban, terrestrial, freshwater,
coastal and marine areas, which together
* enhance ecosystem health and resilience,
* contribute to biodiversity conservation and
* benefit human populations through the maintenance and
enhancement of ecosystem services”.
“Green infrastructure can be strengthened through strategic and co-
ordinated initiatives that focus on maintaining, restoring, improving
and connecting existing areas and features as well as creating new
areas and features”. (Ecologic et al., 2011)
=> Should not be seen as an official definition 5

6. A wide range of objectives/benefits
Green infrastructure policy interventions may pursue
a wide range of objectives, including:
*biodiversity conservation/ecosystem resilience,
*climate change mitigation/adaptation,
*water quality improvement,
*flood/disaster control,
*coastal protection,
*recreation,
*human health (e.g. improved air quality)
=> Typically, GI initiatives will pursue several
objectives simultaneously but may occasionally
pursue only one of these explicitly 6

7. Variety of contexts
7
Initiatives reported as implementing the Green infrastructure take
place in a variety of contexts.
To name just a few:
v use of GI in and around urban areas, e.g. for micro-climate
regulation, water provision, recreation, urban biodiversity
v wetlands & floodplains restored and managed for flood risk
management, climate change adaptation/mitigation,
biodiversity, increase in overall resilience
v multifunctional use of GI in farmland, forests & coastal
areas, e.g. provision of food, wood, recreation, biodiversity
conservation, etc.

8. Focus of this presentation
v GI Implementation potentially an extremely vast field. A broad
interpretation of the GI concept implies that its “implementation” in
EU Member States may:
o take very different forms;
o rely on a variety of policy tools and instruments;
o may affect a broad range of natural landscape features in
multiple ways.
v Existing measures generally combine different policy tools and
instruments to protect, manage and develop Europe’s green
infrastructure.
v This presentation focuses on initiatives which have spatial
planning and land-use related measures at their core but also
highlights some of the tools & instrument have supported their
implementation and increased their effectiveness
8

9. II. Policy tools and instruments for GI
Implementation
9

10. Policy instruments & tools -
overview
Often, GI policy measures in the area of spatial planning
and land-use management build on instruments falling in
the category of:
strategies & action plans and regulation & planning
They are however generally supported by or combined with
instruments and tools in the areas of:
• Information gathering and mapping
• Economic/ market instruments
• Public investments
• Communication and advisory measures
• Governance/institutional innovation or reform
10

11. Strategies and Action Plans
v Set out overall strategic approach to Green
Infrastructure provision, often with implications for
planning:
v Non-binding, strategic document identifying need to take
measures
v Can potentially include (new) objectives (including
targets) or outline general principles; may announce
concrete measures
11

12. Regulation and Spatial Planning
v Regulation of land use – legislation at different levels to regulate the
use of land to avoid further deterioration of GI
v Spatial planning/ integrated territorial development – at different
levels, resulting in spatial plans reflecting choice to preserve/enhance GI
v Other: procedural requirements e.g. EIA/SEA; liability and
compensation
12

13. Illustrative case example 1
v Green and Blue Infrastructure (FR)
o Green and blue corridors officially created
in the 2010 Grenelle II law
o Objective: preserving and enhancing
ecological continuities
o At the national level overall framework
document is prepared and updated.
o Translates, at regional level, in‘Regional
Ecological Coherence Schemes’, to be
taken into account in local planning tools
=> the G&B Infrastructure is to be
managed locally
o Biodiversity benefits: reduction of
adverse impacts and deterioration &
targeted investment in restoration and
creation of GI
13

14. Supporting instrument: public
investment
Success will depend on degree of
v investment in GI restoration/creation projects/programmes
v long-term financing/ maintenance
=> A pilot of the green and blue infrastructures approach was carried
out in the region Alsace between 2003 and 2009 where the region
financed:
o Creation of 1000 hectares of ecological corridors
o Planting of 4000 high stem fruit trees
o Restoration of 140 ha central nuclei
o Creation of 15 km of wildlife passages along canal and rivers
o Supported 50 projects led by communities, NGOs and farmers
v Other: EU expenditure for GI, land purchase 14

15. Illustrative case example 2
v The Barcelona Metropolitan Territorial
Plan (ES)
o Adopted in 2010, it approved the special
protection of 70.5% of the region based
on connectivity criteria and the role of the
territorial matrix in the process of
conservation of species and ecological
processes.
o Biodiversity benefits: improved
functional connectivity of habitats &
increased ecosystem health via the
designation of special protected areas.
15

16. Supporting instrument: information
gathering & mapping
Part of this success can be attributed to:
v Information gathering & mapping project
o SITXELL project started in 2001 as a project
developed by the Barcelona Provincial Council
o a territorial information system about the open areas
in the province of Barcelona utilising the technology
of geographical information systems (GIS)
o Objectives: provide knowledge and raise awareness
about the ecological and socio-economic value of
natural areas
o For a better consideration of natural values and
ecosystem goods and benefits in integrated land
planning
v Other: analysis of GI benefits for integration
into decision-making including quantification
and valuation of benefits 16

17. Illustrative case example 3
v Coastal zone law – “loi
littoral” (FR)
o Adopted in 1986, it is a long-
standing attempt to organise land
use planning in coastal areas in
view of preserving natural heritage
o Enhanced existing zoning
regulations, has allowed to avoid
large scale developments,
encouraged densification and
pushed urbanisation away from
the sea
o Biodiversity Benefits: Has been
credited for slowing down the
reduction of natural spaces in
coastal areas
17

18. Supporting instrument: governance
Part of the success of this measure can be attributed to the :
v Creation of a new institution
o Conservatory of the Coastal areas (FR), public administrative
body created in 1975 to ensure protection of outstanding natural
areas on the coast
o Mission: buy fragile or threatened land
o End of 2010: covered 138 000 ha of natural spaces of which 82 000
it owned and 56 000 ha it was managing for the state.
o 580 coastline guards recruited by managing institutions are in
charge of surveillance and maintenance of the sites.
v Other, participatory decision-making process, reporting on
implementation, coordination of policies
18

19. Illustrative case example 4
v Landscape Ecological Plans (LEPs) on
state-owned land (mainly forests) (FI)
o Since 2000, LEPs are developed on a
regional level - outline the general
principles and goals of land use on
state owned forest areas for 10 years
o Setting ecological objectives but also
pursue the goal of ensuring existence
of nature-based sources of livelihood
=> integrated approach to forest
management
o BD benefits: In 2009 area under LEP
in-state owned forests included 168
000 ha with high biodiversity value and
181 000 ha of land designated as
ecological connections (additional to PAs)
19

20. Supporting instrument: economic/
market instruments
Part of the success can be attributed to:
v Land management contracts/agreements (PES-scheme)
o MESTO Programme (2008-2016), which aims to improve
conservation on both state-owned and private forests
o Voluntary participation of landowners interested in carrying out
conservation measures in their forests
o Guaranteed funding for programme by 2012: €182 million
o During 2008-2009, programme yielded: approx. 14,000 ha of
strictly protected area (of which about 4000 ha private); 6,400 ha
of forest protected area (of which 300 ha private); environmentally
friendly forestry practices supported in about 21,000 ha of private
forests
v Other: resource pricing (e.g. taxes, charges, fees, land
values), (green) public procurement 20

21. Supporting instrument: communication &
advisory measures
Demand for and effective implementation of most types of
instruments will often be underpinned by activities in the areas:
v Awareness raising
v Advice and guidance
v Capacity building
v Technical assistance on EU level
v Technical assistance at MS/Regional level for potential
beneficiaries of EU financed projects
21

22. Conclusions
v Wide range of green infrastructure projects and measures exist
although they are not always identified as such
v There is much scope for further promoting promising
approaches in land use planning that better take into account
green infrastructure. Result: improved efficiency in the delivery of
biodiversity benefits and ecosystem services
v Spatial planning measures may not achieve their full potential in a
context of limited policy coherence and long-term financing
v Spatial planning which recognises and responds to the value of
biodiversity and ecosystems is key but only one element in a wider
toolbox of measures that need to be in place if biodiversity targets
are to be met.
22

23. 23
Thank you
www.ieep.eu
IEEP is an independent not for profit institute
dedicated to advancing an environmentally sustainable
Europe through policy analysis, development and
dissemination.
Contacts: Leonardo Mazza lmazza@ieep.eu
Graham Tucker gtucker@ieep.eu
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