Liaison Office Brussels
European Forestry House
Rue du Luxembourg 66
B-1000 Bruxelles
Phone +32 2 219 02 31
Fax +32 2 219 21 91
e-mail office@cepf-eu.org

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The International Family Forestry Alliance
Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes
European State Forest Association
 
 
 


Environment

For generations family forest owners have managed their forests following the principle of sustainability, balancing economic, ecological and social values for themselves and to the benefit of the wider society. This traditional and responsible mangement of their forests resulted in a high standard of biodiversity in privatly owned forests. It is engrained in their value that family forest owners in view of their descendants manage their forests responsible and farsightedly.

Year by year family forest owners invest on a voluntary and contractual basis in the conservation of flora and fauna habitats to ensure the ecological balance in their forests. To sustain and to improve this well functioning influence on European forests CEPF has contributed and is actively contributing its expertise to the following DG Environment working/expert groups of the EU:
  • Climate change, within the European Climate Change programme
  • Natura 2000, Art.8 and Art.12 working groups
  • Ornis expert group
  • Biodiversity expert group (in particular the Biodiversity Action Plan on Natural Resources) – most recently the Malahide conference
  • Thematic strategy on the sustainable use of natural resources
  • Thematic strategy on soil protection
  • Forest fires prevention
The conclusions of these working/expert groups are directly communicated to the CEPF membership network (16 million family forest owners) and are thus directly influencing the translation of these policies to the ground.

Natura 2000

Natura 2000 is a combined conservation system of the EU bird and the EU habitat directive. The substantial goal of Natura 2000 is the protection of biodiversity in Europe through the conservation of natural habitats. This means monitoring endangered flora and fauna, as well as special natural habitats, and its conservation on a continuing basis. Many of these natural habitats even arose from traditional management and still need it.

Due to the responsible and integrated management of forest owners more than half of the designated Natura 2000 areas can be found in European forests.

Natura 2000 Leaflet (pdf)

Natura 2000 in EU Commission