UNION EUROPÉENNE DES PRODUCTEURS DE GRANULATS

EUROPÄISCHER GESTEINSVERBAND

EUROPEAN AGGREGATES ASSOCIATION

Biodiversity and the Extractive Industry

Luonnon monimuotoisuus ja

kaivannaisteollisuus

European Context

Miette Dechelle

UEPG Public Affairs Manager

UEPG in a Nutshell

What is UEPG?

UEPG stands for

“Union Européenne

des Producteurs de

Granulats”

(European Aggregates

Association).

Since 1987, UEPG has

strongly promoted

the interests of the

European Aggregates

Industry by

representing mainly its

National Member

Associations on

economic, technical,

environmental and

health & safety

policy.

1. European Initiatives and legislation 2. What are the impacts on the Aggregates Industry? 3. Solutions offered by UEPG

European Initiatives and legislation

Mid-Term

Review of

the EU

Biodiversity

Strategy

to 2020

1979

Birds

Directive

Habitats

Directive Fiona and Flora

1992 2006

COM

Halting the

loss of

Biodiversity

by 2010 -

and beyond

2010 2011 2015

COM

Options for

an EU

vision and

target for

biodiversity

beyond

2010

EU Biodiversity Action Plan

COM

Our life

insurance,

our natural

capital: an

EU

biodiversity

strategy to

2020

The EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020

No Net Loss

Natura 2000

Ecosystems & their services

Green Infrastructure

Invasive Alien Species

• EU Biodiversity Strategy 2020 - Tools:

Mechanism of cooperation between Industry, national and global initiatives

Dialogue

Deliver on the objectives of the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2020

• Phase II

Natural Capital Accounting

Innovation for Biodiversity and Business

Access to Finance and Innovative Financing Mechanisms

Conference 27 October - Brussels

Business@Biodiversity Platform

The Fitness Check

Part of Commission REFIT programme

A comprehensive policy evaluation to assess whether EU nature legislation is “fit for purpose”

Focus on Birds & Habitats Directives

25 Key questions to be addressed

Preliminary statistics on participation: 552,470 replies (Individuals> Industry> NGOs)

Conference on the Fitness Check of EU Nature Legislation, 20 November 2015

What are the impacts on the Aggregates Industry?

Image of the Industry

Fragmentation of the legislation

Access to ressources

Weight of the administrative procedure

Delay in the obtention of permits

Permits shortened

No Net Loss (NNL)

Need to encompass all the sectors, incl. agriculture and forestry

Importance of the full mitigation hierarchy

Compensation/offsetting was a dividing issue amongst biodiversity advocators: requires complicated set of right conditions, technically difficult to implement, questions on subsidiarity.

Policy tool not yet decided

Mid-Term

Review of the

EU

Biodiversity

Strategy to

2020

More Ambitious ?

Solutions offered by UEPG

UEPG Biodiversity Task Force

• TF created in 2007 – new Chair Benoit Lussis (Fediex, Belgium)

• Promotion of the compatibility between extraction and biodiversity

• Missions:

Dialogue with European Institutions and Stakeholders (NEEIP, IUCN, B@B Platform , NNL, Birdlife International, …)

Development of tools (indicators)

Exchange of good practices: Case Studies, guidance documents, Sustainable Development Awards

Priority n°1 in 2015: Natura 2000 Fitness Check

Biodiversity Indicators

1. Step 1 (mandatory): 2 simple, habitat-based indicators a. Rehabilitated areas with nature conservation

objective (ha) / total rehabilitated areas (ha) b. Area of the temporary habitat (wanderbiotopes)

within the extraction site (ha) / area of the extraction site (ha)

2. Step 2 (voluntary): assessing the biodiversity value of the created habitats

Several methods for assessing the biodiversity value of the habitats are available and well documented among UEPG Members and could be used and further developed.

A guidance document was prepared.

Biodiversity Indicators Workshops

1st Biodiversity Workshop (German-

speaking) - 14 July 2014 - Holcim

Quarry – Dotternhausen, Germany

2nd Biodiversity workshop (French-

speaking) - 24 February 2015 –

Lille, France

3rd Biodiversity Workshop planned -

Scandinavian countries: Finland –

Interested?

Biodiversity Guidances

France

United Kingdom

Belgium

Spain

Biodiversity Case Studies

More than 150 Case Studies on UEPG Website

UEPG Sustainable Development Awards

Promoting best practices

Going beyond what is expected

Providing examples others can follow

Integrating the social, economic and/or

environmental dimensions of sustainable

development into operations

UEPG campaigns for a sustainable industry for a sustainable Europe:

Granulat Vicat, France Aricemex, Spain

Aarekies, Switzerland Lafarge Racos, Romania

UEPG Biodiversity Awards 2013

UEPG 2013 SDA Ceremony

19 Awards and 32 Certificates

UEPG 2013 SDA Exhibition - CoR

Green Week

Green Week

“Quarries and gravel

pits can also be

high-value habitats

for biodiversity”.

Green Week

2000 participants

Thanks for your attention