Can Natura 2000 Sites Benefit from River Basin Management Planning Under a Changing Climate? Lessons from Germany - Wetlands and Water Framework Directive: Protection, Management and Climate Change - page 47

Climate change causes new framework conditions both for implementing the
programmes of measures and for the setting of aims for protected areas, for, e.g.,
Natura 2000 sites. We have to accept the challenge of climate change, thus climate
related objectives should be particularly considered when formulating and imple-
menting environmental strategies and measures. On the one hand, it is necessary to
reduce and avoid further climate warming; and, on the other hand, adjustments
(according) to climate change must be attempted. Measures should thus be pre-
ferred that, in addition to their effectiveness in relation to WFD objectives, also
reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (win-win measures) at the same cost. Sim-
ilarly, preference should be given to measures with a high tolerance to climate
change, remaining effective and expedient also under changing climate conditions.
In general, due to the ambitious ecological objectives of Art. 4 WFD river basin
management planning contributes to increasing the resilience of aquatic and water-
dependent ecosystems against climate induced stresses.
The planning instruments are suitable to cope with the requirements named
above. The cyclical updating of the plans and programmes and the given flexibility

of aims and measures allow for a continuous integration of climate change aspects
based on updated data and understanding, and for real changes of circumstances in
the river basins.
In conclusion it can be said that nature conservation can bene

fl

t from river basin
management to great extent. Therefore, the potential synergies should in future be
tapped by more concrete planning and presentation, by integrating further aspects of
nature conservation in the individual methodological modules of river basin man-
agement planning and by good communication and participation.

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