Synergies and Conflicts Between Water Framework Directive and Natura 2000: Legal Requirements, Technical Guidance and Experiences from Practice - Wetlands and Water Framework Directive: Protection, Management and Climate Change - page 8

Chapter 2
Synergies and Conflicts Between Water
Framework Directive and Natura 2000:
Legal Requirements, Technical Guidance
and Experiences from Practice

Georg A. Janauer, Juliane Albrecht and Lars Stratmann

Abstract The EU water framework directive (WFD) is intensively connected with
other European legal regulations and supporting documents. This close interrela-
tionship calls for deeper considerations when WFD is implemented in locations of
high conservation value, e.g. Natura 2000 sites. A comprehensive, but speci

c
comparison of the goals of WFD with the aims of habitats directive (HD) and birds
directive (BD) provides a sensitive overview on their peculiarities, with an outlook
on potential synergies and con icts. The sometimes complex guidance for solving

complicated situations in the practical application of these differing legal provisions
is also described. The representation of requirements for Natura 2000 sites as part of
river basin management plans, and related up-to-date experience are given special
attention. Finally recommendations and conclusions provide the reader with a
complete view of this challenging chapter in European Policy. In the end, con-
siderably more synergies than con

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fl icts are identi ed between the objectives of

WFD, HD and BD. Whenever con icts should arise these directives prevent der-

ogating from their requirements by cross-references. Therefore,

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firm and timely
coordination between water and nature conservation authorities is necessary.

Keywords Water framework directive Habitats directive Birds directive

River basin management plan Natura 2000 sites Implementation