Conservation, including restoration, of habitats[1], ecosystems[2] and species

✓ Biodiversity

1. General conditions1.1. The activity contributes to at least one of the following:maintaining good condition of ecosystems, species, habitats or of habitats of species;re-establishing or restoring ecosystems, habitats or habitats of species towards or to good condition, including through increasing their area or range. 1.2. The activity may be carried out by any type of operator irrespective of the main domain of activity.2. Initial description of the area covered by the conservation activity2.1. The activity takes place in an area with a detailed description of its initial ecological conditions which contains the following elements: mapping of the current habitats and their condition;where applicable, the protection status of the area; characterisation of the situation of the main species in terms of conservation relevance present in the area (including list of species, approximate size of the population, approximate size of the habitat of the species and its quality, period during which the area is used by the species); the importance of the area to reaching good condition of species, habitats or habitats of species at regional, national or international level as appropriate;where relevant, the potential for improving the condition of species, habitats or habitats of species present on the area or re-establishing habitats or habitats of species in the area or to enhance connectivity between habitats.3.Management plan or equivalent instrument3.1. The area is covered by a management plan or by an equivalent instrument, such as a restoration plan(7), which is regularly updated and in any case at least every ten years, and contains the following information:a description of the expected contribution of the area to the nature conservation objectives set by the competent nature or environment authority considering the regional, national, Union and international legal and policy context;the list of species, habitats and habitats of the species that will benefit from the conservation measures (hereafter “targeted habitats and species”); the duration of the plan and a clear description of the conservation objectives for each targeted habitat and species and of the corresponding conservation measures that address identified pressures and threats, including the expected deadline for the achievement of the conservation objectives. In case the deadlines exceed the duration of the management plan, the expected progress (milestones) towards achievement is defined; a description of the threats and pressures that could hinder the achievement of the conservation objectives, including projected habitat transformations caused by climate change;the measures to ensure that all DNSH criteria for this activity are achieved;consideration of societal issues (including preservation of landscape, consultation of stakeholders in accordance with the terms and conditions laid down in national law);where applicable, a description of enhanced ecosystem services, such as carbon storage, water purification, flood protection, erosion prevention, pollination, recreational opportunities, and wider socio-economic benefits;a monitoring scheme with specific and relevant indicators, allowing to measure progress towards achieving the conservation objectives and an identification of corrective measures as necessary;the persons and organisations involved in the management or restoration of the area and, if relevant, the necessary collaborations or partnerships to put in place to achieve the conservation objectives;the measures taken to ensure transparency about the conservation objectives, the conservation measures and the monitoring and its results;the funding necessary for implementing the conservation measures, for the monitoring of the area and its audit.3.2. Where the management plan or the equivalent instrument does not contain all the elements specified in point 3.1, the information is provided by the operator of the activity.4. Audit4.1. The initial description of the conservation area and the management plan or equivalent instrument specified in points 2 and 3 are verified by an independent third-party certifier at the start of the conservation activity.4.2. At the end of the duration of the management plan or equivalent instrument and at least every ten years, the achievement of the objectives set at the start of the management plan and the respect of the DNSH criteria are verified. The verification includes an updated detailed description of the ecological conditions of the area as specified in point 2, an evaluation of the effectiveness of the conservation measures, and of the achievement of the conservation objectives, an evaluation of an updated version of the management plan or equivalent instrument, and the recommendations for the next management plan or equivalent instrument.4.3. The verification in accordance with points 4.1 and 4.2 is carried out by either of the following:the relevant national competent authorities;an independent third-party certifier, at the request of national authorities or the operator of the activity.In order to reduce costs, audits may be performed together with any forest certification, land-use certification, biodiversity certification, climate certification or other audit.The independent third-party certifier may not have any conflict of interest with the owner or the funder and may not be involved in the development or operation of the activity.As a result of the verification, the certifier issues an audit report.5. Guarantee of permanence 5.1. In accordance with national law, the area on which the activity takes place is covered by one of the following measures: the area is classified as a protected area in line with the IUCN Protected Area Categories System(8), as a Natura 2000 site under Directive 92/43/EEC, or as an Other Effective area-based Conservation Measure (OECM)(9), by national law or under an international convention to which the country is signatory and is effectively managed to prevent deterioration and enable the recovery of species and habitats or habitats of species;the area is destined to restoration or conservation in a statutory land, freshwater or maritime use plan approved by the competent authorities;the area is the subject to a public or private contractual arrangement that can ensure that the conservation objectives can be achieved and maintained.5.2. The operator of the area where the conservation activity takes place commits that a new management plan or equivalent instrument in line with the conservation objectives will be produced before the end of the previous plan.6. Additional minimum requirements6.1. The offsetting of the impacts of another economic activity is excluded under this activity(10). Only net biodiversity gains resulting from conservation/restoration can be accounted for as substantial contribution under this activity(11).6.2. The introduction of invasive alien species is prevented or their spread is managed in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014.