European institutions
European institutions (The European Commission, medical the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union and its agencies) can work with organisations as well as individuals to promote land stewardship and better link it into upcoming policies and instruments. Government policy and legislation can provide frameworks and incentives for private landowners to enter into agreements with land stewardship organisations or government agencies to protect valuable natural and cultural resources.
The up-coming EU programmatic period (2014-2020) offers interesting new opportunities to finance an integrated approach to land conservation and habitats and species preservation and to cooperation between different stakeholders under different EU programmes. That’s especially important relating to the LIFE+ Programme, viagra dosage Natura 2000 network, the CAP reform and its rural development programmes, and also other programmes.
Recommendations to be considered by European institutions
- Introduce the concept and promote land stewardship within Europe’s policy agenda, especially EU conservation and protection of the environment programmes and regulations, and the greening of the CAP. Land stewardship will help to achieve these objectives.
- Develop relationships between land stewardship and the green economy and social economy.
- Explore, define and secure opportunities for the development of land stewardship, that support and strengthen the implementation of various EU policies, such as the CAP (in particular in areas of High Nature Value farming), Green Infrastructure, the Water policy, the Soil strategy, Forests and Climate Change.
- Promote EU specific references to land stewardship as an effective tool for biodiversity conservation and land management when implementing policies, such as Natura 2000, the CAP or the European Regional Development Funds, amongst others.
