Expected Impact

Our expected results (outputs and quantified achievements) include:

 

IMPROVED CONSERVATION KNOWLEDGE BASE

Appropriate management guidelines are available and disseminated to forestry and conservation professionals on all forest habitats of community interest in Hungary (13) and 10 functional groups of forest-dwelling species.

 

ENHANCED INTERSECTORAL COOPERATION

Cooperation and experience exchange between the most important stakeholders of Natura 2000 forest management is improved.

At least 200 experts from conservation and forestry are involved in experience exchange and conflict resolution, to establish consensus on the management principles of Natura 2000 forests. More conservation related content is published in the specialized media of the forestry sector.

 

BIODIVERSITY ASPECTS INTEGRATED IN FOREST PLANS AND MANAGEMENT

A Natura 2000 Forest Planning Toolkit is developed for the Forestry Authorities. This information is reflected in the revised forest plans: within the main geographic scope of the project, in forest districts where planning occurs by the end of the project, area of Natura 2000 forests where appropriate forest management measures are implemented increases by at least 20%. On national level an increase of 5% is foreseen.

Conservation aspects are respected during implementation on the field, due to the increased knowledge of at least 20% of the licensed forest engineers, active in the project area.

 

EUROPEAN BEST PRACTICE EXAMPLES ADAPTED

Important decision makers and key experts in Hungary are familiarised with the best practices in Natura 2000 forest management and stakeholder involvement mechanisms (at least 15) that have been successfully deployed in other EU Member States. The EU Guidance Document is translated and adapted, and disseminated among target groups.

 

INCREASED AWARENESS OF NATURA 2000 AND CLOSE TO NATURE FOREST MANAGEMENT

Awareness of foresters, managing Natura 2000 sites, on favourable forest management practices in Natura 2000 forests increases by at least 10%. A similar scale of increase is expected in their knowledge on close to nature forest management methods due to the project. At least 35 private forest managers, who participated in the study trips or the training, will be engaged to start an assessment on how to shift their management towards these methods.

 

ENHANCED USE OF EU SUPPORT

At least 10-15% increase in the number of forest managers who apply for EU support for Natura 2000 forest conservation management.