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Project Description
The alarming decline in Europe’s biodiversity has driven the adoption, by the European Union (EU) of two key pieces of legislation – the Habitats and Birds Directives – to conserve Europe’s most valuable species and habitats across their entire natural range within the EU.
This project focuses on two main areas. In the first step , an easy and flexible tool called as NIRAM tool has been developed based on the information about the IRAM tool to enhance the planning of inspections of Natura 2000 sites. The Action Plan for nature, people and the economy COM(2017)198 points out that key factors behind the shortcomings in the implementation of the Nature Directives are e.g. “limited resources, weak enforcement, poor integration of nature objectives into other policy areas, insufficient knowledge and access to data.” NIRAM tool as a part of the planning of inspections of nature protected sites provides a systematic approach which would maximize resources into key areas of concern. Project team also focused on making progress in the tools use, maximizing inspection resources, finalizing user-friendly training materials, gathering user feedback for improvements, and providing further training to relevant personnel.
The second part of the project involves setting up a roadmap for a series of projects on invasive alien species (IAS) . This is a response to the Regulation on IAS and a recognized priority of the European Commission. The project aimed to create a roadmap with defined work packages for IAS projects starting in 2023 . This roadmap identifies urgent issues related to IAS of Union concern, EU regulation implementation, best practices, cooperation with organizations like Neobanis, awareness-raising, and potential joint inspections.
Project Outputs
An inspection planning tool for Natura 2000 site (NIRAM )/ 2019
This report focuses on developing a planning tool for Natura 2000 site inspections. It describes the NIRAM tool, a risk-based approach to determine inspection frequency, and its application in the Neretve Delta, Croatia.
A report on testing the inspection planning tool for Natura 2000 site (NIRAM )/ 2019
This report details the application of the NIRAM tool to determine inspection frequencies for two Natura 2000 sites in Slovenia. The tool's effectiveness in reflecting real-world situations is evaluated, and guidance for NIRAM users is provided.
Roadmap for Projects on Invasive Alien Species (IAS)/ 2025
This report details the development of a strategic plan for future IMPEL projects focusing on IAS, aiming to support the implementation and enforcement of Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014. The project team conducted a questionnaire among IMPEL member states, analyzed existing EU reports and network activities, and held workshops with joint inspections to identify key challenges, best practices, and priority areas for action regarding IAS. Ultimately, the roadmap proposes a multi-annual approach with activities such as workshops on combating/eradication methods, sharing best practices, exchanging information on early detection, and raising awareness, intending to contribute to improved practical inspection work and knowledge sharing among environmental authorities.