Roadmap for the alignment of EMERALD network establishment and management to NATURA 2000 sTAndards in Moldova

Introduction

LIFE RENATA aims at supporting the Republic of Moldova in advancing the establishment and management of the Emerald Network of protected sites and to move closer to the EU standards for the conservation of species and habitats, by providing support in the following horizontal fundamental areas:

Legal

a) Assessment on the legal and institutional framework, and its distance to correspondence to the EU Nature Directives implementation.

b) Regulatory recommendations and a Roadmap up to 2030 for advancing the transformation of the Emerald network to Natura 2000.

Technical

c) Reviewing, assessing and proposing MD Emerald sites in order to approach the EU Nature Directives standards and reply to the insufficiency results during the last biogeographical seminars, providing knowledge on the habitats and species listed in the Birds and Habitats Directives.

d) Knowledge repository Hub including a "Living" library and a "pool" of National/European experts setting the basis for enhancing efforts of cooperation with the EU.

Operational

e) Improve local capacities on criteria-based assessments, appropriate site management, monitoring and reporting requirements with the development of a ready-to-use set of technical guidelines, action plans, monitoring and reporting tools.

f) Feasibility tool for Emerald to Natura 2000 transformation, based on two pilot examples (a strong & a weak case in terms of conservation level). The feasibility study together with the proposed Roadmap and the project technical outputs will comprise a decision and technical framework for future steps.

Expected Outcomes

LIFE-RENATA is expected to improve the competence of relevant stakeholders and authorities by providing:

1. In-depth understanding of EU Habitat Directives.
2. Ready-to-use methods, tools, and materials for monitoring and reporting.
3. A Knowledge Repository Hub and a GIS database.
4. Improved knowledge and a profound understanding of the Natura 2000 species and habitats’ protection in the existing Emerald sites.