1. Europe’s Living Countryside (ELCo) All photos © WWF / Ola Jennersten Environment & Rural Development “Future of Rural Development in Europe” Krakow, Poland, 29.11-1.12 2005 Thomas Nielsen WWF, European Policy Office, Brussels

2. All photos © WWF / Ola Jennersten Outline Introduction Project Europe’s Living Countryside (ELCo) Manual on environmental integration in RDPs Other WWF work on RD

3. All photos © WWF / Ola Jennersten About the ELCo Project Builds on previous projects - Europe’s Rural Futures (ERF) and the Nature of Rural Development (NORD) 3 Partners (WWF, LUPG and SNM) Research in 7 countries (BG, ES, DE, HU, NL, PL, UK) Analysis of past and present Rural Development programmes  Recommendations on how environmental concerns can be better integrated into the RDPs

4. All photos © WWF / Ola Jennersten The Manual Practical advice to ensure national rural development programmes contribute to genuinely sustainable development across the EU. Who is it for?  People designing and implementing rural development programmes in the MS.  Those responsible for assessing and approving the programmes.  NGOs and other agencies involved in rural development programming.

5. All photos © WWF / Ola Jennersten Tools in the ELCO manual The seven steps approach integrating the environment into rural development programmes Identifying & addressing environmental priorities for rural development Summary of the EAFRD measures and their potential for the environment Programming guidelines checklist

6. Setting Environmental Priorities Identifying Environmental Objectives & Targets On-Going Impact Review Stakeholder Consultation & Programme Adjustment Involving Stakeholders in Development & Implementation Using Measures to their Full Environmental Potential - horizontal & vertical integration Budgeting for & Funding Rural Development Delivery Mechanisms & Leader Monitoring & Evaluation Seven steps for integrating the environment into RDPs All photos © WWF / Ola Jennersten

7. Using RD measures for addressing environmental issues Objectives should lead design of measures, not vice versa. Target measures on the issues, areas and farms that will deliver objectives. Integrated packages (with options), not “menus” of separate measures. Involve end-users (e.g. farmers, rural businesses) in detailed design of measures.

8. All photos © WWF / Ola Jennersten Summary – realising the environmental potential of EAFRD Put the environment at the centre of programme design, not as an add-on or window dressing. Environment is not only axis 2! Achieving environmental objectives should use all four Axes in an integrated way. Develop objectives in detail and at different geographical levels, and target measures accordingly. Major environmental challenges need major resources, not just for measures but also for their design, administration and monitoring/evaluation.

9. All photos © WWF / Ola Jennersten Other work on sustainable rural development, where WWF is involved: “One Europe More Nature” Estonia, Hungary, Romania, Greece, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands At national level in many Member States (inputs to RDPs, monitoring committees etc) Financing N2000 handbook coming up in March 2006 (for DG Environment) Other WWF work on RD

10. All photos © WWF / Ola Jennersten Dziękuje Thank you for your attention tnielsen@wwfepo.org www.panda.org/europe/agriculture www.panda.org/epo