Ecological networks

Among the most serious threats to biodiversity are the loss and fragmentation of habitats of species.We want to counter this threat by creating worldwide ecological networks. Global agreements have been reached on this topic, for example in the working programme of the Convention on Biological Diversity. It has also been agreed that a network known as Natura 2000 will be created in Europe. The principal network in the Netherlands is the National Ecological Network (Ecologische Hoofdstructuur/EHS). The EHS comprises not only most of the Natura 2000 areas in the Netherlands, but also the majority of the country's land-based biodiversity (species). Ecological networks in the Netherlands and elsewhere are designed to ensure that the current and future generations can continue to enjoy nature areas and that we can continue to benefit from the goods and services that biodiversity provides.

Ecological networks must not be enclosed enclaves within a larger area. That will neither help achieving the objectives for biodiversity nor other social goals. That is particularly true in the developing countries, where sustainable protected networks help alleviate poverty; after all in such countries, a region's natural resources form the basis of local and regional economies. Sustainable eco-regional development is a spatial concept designed to integrate economic development and the preservation of biodiversity in areas that are part of the same ecosystem while also guaranteeing the sustainable supply of ecosystem services to other areas. The key challenge is to combine the protection of important and vulnerable global biodiversity with sustainable economic development. Climate change reinforces the need for this, since robust ecological networks ensure the lives of many plants and animals and guarantee the permanent availability of natural resources. The corridors within and between protected areas in ecological networks must be capable of accommodating future shifts.