What's BNIP?

The objective of the BNIP is to develop and implement an operational framework, to provide expertise and to support Natura 2000 projects in the field. The global context is the implementation of targets set by the Federal, Flemish and Walloon ‘Prioritised Action Frameworks (PAF) 2014-2020’. The BNIP serves as a lever for achieving these targets. It involves both the preparatory processes and the action needed to preserve or restore priority habitats and species. The aim is not, in other words, to meet all of the PAF objectives, but to substantially improve policy, capacity and knowledge building, the financial tools and cooperation between the various interested parties and to develop a plan on the longer term.

The project started on 1 december 2015 and takes 6 years, with two buffer years until the end of 2023.

The BNIP will be implemented nationally thanks to the cooperation between the Federal, Flemish and Walloon authorities. The strategic decision to run the project on a national scale will allow for greater reciprocity between the Belgian regions. Cooperation with target groups and specialist operators will improve efficiency and the sustainability of the project results in each of the participating entities.

Financial support from complementary funds and the incorporation of other policy sectors are needed to meet the targets set in the PAF on the preservation and conservation of natural areas, the restoration of habitats and the preservation of species.

The main complementary projects and funds for the Natura 2000 programme are a variety of actions under the new rural development programme for Flanders and Wallonia. In Flanders we can also add the contribution made via the purchase policy. The field actions involve measures for natural area management, investment in Natura 2000 and reforestation and forest management. They also include management agreements in relation to agrarian species and the improvement of habitats used for farming. All of these actions offer financial support and encourage target group participation in Natura 2000 planning processes and implementation.

The complementary actions tie in with the PAF objectives and ensure implementation of various specific actions during and after the project. The partnerships formed for this purpose are highly relevant because the project stands to reap the benefits of their valuable experience in the field. These relations tend to be long-standing, which helps guarantee the continuity of the action once the project reaches its end.