1. What is the Natura 2000 network?

Natura 2000 is a Community network of nature protection areas designed to promote the long term survival of Europe's most threatened habitats and species.

Nature conservation is a problem which goes beyond national borders. Migrating birds to not recognise frontiers; many habitats in the regions cross several national borders; and when pollution affects the waters of a river, it is carried downstream through several countries. These are the reasons why an approach on a European scale is crucial.

2. Protecting natural habitats and spaces.

Europe has a great diversity of ecosystems with thousands of different plants, birds, insects and fish. This is what is called biological diversity. Unfortunately, some species are becoming very rare and are even threatened with extinction.

The habitat is the environment in which an animal or plant lives, and is general defined in terms of vegetation and physical characteristics.

2,500 different habitats have been listed in Europe. These include meadows, rivers, mountains, deserts, dunes, and cliffs. Most of these habitats suffer the direct or indirect impact of man and his activities.

Many of these environments only exist because of the presence of human activities. This means that hayfields only exist thanks to mowing or pasturage activities. Chalk grasslands, as well. Without human activity, these would become forests.

Unfortunately, many habitats disappear, taking with them the plant and animal species that lived there.

There can be no doubt that our life style has modified the landscape and increased the number of species becoming extinct. We also know that human activity must continue, but it must do so with respect for the environment.

3. What exactly is the Natura 2000 network?

Natura 2000 is a Community network of nature protection zones whcih has been set up by virtue of the 1992 "Habitats" Directive, the aim of which is to safeguard Europe's main natural spaces. This network consists of Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) designated by each State in accordance with the 1992 Directive, as well as Special Protection Areas (SPA) designated by the States in accordance with the 1979 "Birds" Directive.

The "Habitats" Directive identifies 200 types of habitat and 700 animal and plant species of importance to the Community, representing 6 European biogeographical zones (territories presenting flora and fauna, a biological environment subject to ecological factors such as climate, relief and geology).

The "Birds" Directive lists 181 vulnerable bird species whose habitats need protecting. This Directive also recognises the need to preserve areas of importance for migrating bird species, particular marshland habitats.

The sites which will make up the Natura 2000 network are selected by each member State of the European Union, which must identify the sites where the different habitats and species are to be found. These sites must also meet very specific selection criteria.

4. The implementation of Natura 2000 in the Walloon Region.

4.1 General Situation

Following the example of the other member States of the European Union, the Walloon Region is participating actively in setting up the network Natura 2000.

The first stage was legislative. In fact, in the same way as for all European Directives, the text had to be transposed into regional law in order to become applicable.

This text gave birth to the Natura 2000 Decree of 6th December 2001.

The second stage consisted of establishing a list of the sites the Walloon Region wished to put forward to the European Union. This list had to met the various criteria, and these sites had to present species and habitats of interest to the Community. The Walloon Region put forward its list of applicant sites on 26th September 2002.

This list consisted of 231 sites of biological interest, covering an area of some 217,650 hectares, i.e. 13% of Walloon territory.

1. Of the 217,50 ha proposed, 44% were in for the Province of Luxembourg, 26% in Namur, 18% in Liège, 10% in Hainaut (22.885ha), and 2% in Walloon Brabant ( 4697ha).

2. 75% of forests. More than half were already being managed by the Walloon Region.
Distribution according to tree specie: 70% deciduous and 30% conifer.

25% of the open areas (meadows, marshes, peat bogs, man-made lakes, etc.) including 32,000 ha of farmland

3. Of the 200 types of habitat referred to as being of Community interest, recognied in the appendix to the 1992
"Habitats" Directive, 44 are in the Walloon Region, and 10 of these take priority. All the sites with a priority habitat must be incorporated in the Natura 2000 network.

These habitats include: inland dunes, dry and wet lands, chalk grasslands, the maple lawns of Nard, peat bogs, limestone screes, alluvial forests.

With regard to species of Community interest, 31 of these are to be found in the Walloon Region (7 species of bat, several fish - bitterling, lamprey, graining, crested newt...). There are no priority species in the Walloon Region.

4.2. The Decree of 6th December 2001.

The Natura 2000 sites will be designated by a designation decree, containing various data, and will benefit from the setting up of an active management plan. A Conservation Commission will oversee the progress of the actions and the condition of conservation of the sites.

The organisation of the management plans will be set up by means of active management contracts, signed by all the owners, tenants and managers of the sites.

Subsidies will be granted to owners and occupants of "Natura 2000" sites. These subsidies will consist, for owners of an exemption from both property tax and death duties and inheritance tax.

Grants will be given for the implementation of the measures provided for by the plan.

5. The Natura 2000 sites in the Hauts-Pays Nature Park.

The Hauts-Pays Nature Park is affected by 3 Natura 2000 sites:

• The Forest of Colfontaine;
  
• The Trouille Valley;
  
• The Hauts-Pays des Honnelles.

The Natural Park occupies a total area of 15,977 hectares, 1,840 of which are covered by Natura 2000, i.e. 11.5% of the Park.

In order to incorporate the Natura 2000 network, these sites must meet very strict scientific selection criteria, ordered by appendices to the "Habitats" Directive.

Among these criteria, the site must contain habitats, species and habitats of species of Community interest.

A habitat or a species of Community interest is a habitat (or species) representing one of the biogeographical regions, or an endangered habitat (or species)

The Forest of Colfontaine

The Forest of Colfontaine stretches across 4 districts: Colfontaine, Dour, Frameries and Boussu, with a total area of 841 hectares.

It has been selected mainly because of its forest characteristics. Here there are 2 habitats of Community interest, including a well-represented priority habitat: alluvial forests.

The site also contains forest-nesting bird species, like the middle-spotted woodpecker and the black woodpecker.

The alluvial forests occupy a flooding area of the bed of the water courses, on recent alluvia, subject to regular spates.

They follow the dynamic of the brushwood willows of the riverbank forests. The area of these forest environments is often minimal. Often, they are very narrow runs.

Woodpeckers

The woodpecker family consists of no less than 171 species (great spotted woodpecker, green woodpecker, grey-headed woodpecker, middle-spotted woodpecker). Woodpeckers betray their presence by sounds (drumming) and the "damage" they cause to trees (nesting holes and drillings).

Woodpeckers have adapted well to the forest environment:

• To climb trees, they have short legs with powerful muscles, and 2 claws to the front and 2 to the rear. Their tails, which are short and stiff, are used as support and as a spring for jumping onto vertical trunks.
  
• For feeding and hammering trees, their beaks are strong and hard, and their heads are large, with a strong neck. Their tongues are very mobile, wiht a system of muscles and ligaments enabling them to project a considerable distance. This tongue has hooks, which are used for extracting larvae from the bottom of the hole.

The black woodpecker is Europe's largest woodpecker, the size of a crow, with black plumage. The cap is red.
This is a species mainly found in regions with an ocean climate. They are mainly to be found in mountains in the south of their area of distribution.

Expanding westwards and into the plains since the last century, they now occupy the great forests of Wallonia (they need large, peaceful areas)

They generally look for forests of mixed deciduous trees and conifers. They prefer the beeches for nesting and conifers for feeding.

They can modify their habitat and nest in populations other than beech forests, or away from forests if the surrounding feeding conditions are excellent.

Their diet consists mainly of ants and xylophagous insects.
This is a sedentary species, except in summer, where they spend the night in a nest, and travel to feed in daytime, sometimes as far as several kilometres away.

This species is under threat due to the elimination of dead trees and hence the disappearance of nesting possibilities.

To avoid competition, the various woodpecker species share the forest space according to their ecological preferences in terms of climate, altitude and tree type. Several species can cohabit in the same forest, and, in this case, exploit different food sources.

The middle-spotted woodpecker

Another species also found in forests, the middle-spotted woodpecker likes large trees (oaks) and dead wood. They live in the upper part of trees and nest in rotting trees.

They are threatened in particular by the unavailability of dead wood and large trees.

If you would like any further information, you can contact:

Ethel Dupont - Centre Natura 2000 de Mons
Rue des Gaillers, 7 7000 Mons
Tel.: 065/401142
Email : natura2000.mons.dgrne@mrw.wallonie.be