Report on an Earthmind webinar which took place on 27 October 2020. An international panel of biodiversity policy experts explored how to recognise and encourage voluntary area-based conservation commitments of non-state actors - citizens, communities, and companies. [Published: 2020]

The Green Circles Bee Landscape is a diverse landscape in the low-lying western part of the Netherlands, one of the most densely populated areas of the world, with a broad variety of public/private and urban/rural elements. In this landscape biodiversity restoration activities are initiated with as binding element the wild bees species and their pollination of natural flora. Initially the bee-initiatives were focussed on the biodiversity of bees and hoverflies but in the framework of the VCA, emphasis is put on the underlying landscape with the bees and hoverflies as indicators for success. The intention of the Bee Landscape VCA is to become the model for future developments elsewhere in the province. The audit of the Green Circles Bee Landscape VCA is effectuated over the last months of 2018 and was executed against the landscape standard of VCA. [Published: 2019]

The final conclusion of the audit is that the VCA Green Circle Bee Landscape conservation management plan is compliant with the VCA landscape standard and the area should be registered as a VCA. In order to present an updated Conservation Management Plan for the purpose of registration an addendum has been made. This addendum includes the monitoring results of bee species in the area conducted in 2018, the new partners who have signed our vision, the letter of intent for VCA registration that has been signed by deputy, councillors and managers and some new contact details. In addition, the recommendations from the audit report are discussed. [Published: 2020]

This 2-page flyer explains why and how to join the VCA Platform and its community of area-based conservation practice. [Published: 2020]

The conservation actions in the plan are well elaborated and represent the activities in the field. The focus on soil conservation and restoration of the natural ground cover will cope with the long term effects of erosion and climate change. Sometimes they are still experimental in order to find the best solutions, for example the green cover, wind breaks, check dams, contour lines. Best practices and results should convince the farmers about the way to manage the farm more soil- and biodiversity friendly. The efforts to re-establish original vegetation on degraded mountain slopes are well under way. More emphasis should be given to exotic species and to the regulation of the hunting in the area. The planned actions are coherent, realistic and strategic; the actions are monitored and the monitoring procedures are robust. My overall assessment of the effectiveness of the area’s CMP is that the plan is realistic and the actions coherent, strategic and realistic. The area’s CMP is compliant with the VCA Standard as explained and interpreted in the attached VCA landscape standard. [Published: 2018]

Alvelal has an area based conservation programme that includee actions to use living natural resources sustainably as well as actions to preserve, maintain, restore and enhance the area’s natural environment. [Published: 2018]

This Conservation Management Plan has been developed by Alvelal Association for the VCA Registry.

This plan is integrated by an initial diagnosis, which describes the Alvelal territory located in the southeast of Spain, its geology, soils, hydrography, vegetation and fauna, as well as the landscape and land uses throughout history. A second part describes the action plan, with the conservation objectives, the actions to develop those objectives and the indicators we use to measure the success of the plan.

The actions explained in this section explain in detail what we intend to do to restore out landscape. In addition to reforestation of natural areas by planting endemic species, we aim to clear /thin out the current vast forests of invasive species, and to increase organic matter in the soil to enhance soil fertility and to increase water retention, both positively impacting biodiversity. Through hydrological corrections we aim to retain water and to create biodiversity hotspots for vegetation, insects, birds and all species to thrive. We will place insect hotels to allow for habitats of different insects in the current monoculture of pines, allowing for pollination of both natural vegetation and productive crops. 
  [Published: 2018]

The Lizard Lane provides an important corridor. The VCA status could strengthen the wider conservation importance by considering to expand the corridor with the three larger conservation areas under one VCA regime.
 
The audit considers the management plan compliant with the VCA Standard. During the coming year the foreseen actions are the reconstruction of the area with reshaping if the fringes, restoration of the heath and removal of the exotic species in the field and the construction of a small-animal passage under the regional highway. [Published: 2018]

This CMP contains the following parts: an introduction that informs about the context of this conservation area and its action programme; an overview of the area and its management organization; a description of the biodiversity baseline condition; a Conservation SWOT analysis and stakeholder engagement; and a description of priority conservation actions, targets and monitoring scheme.  Submitted by Vitens N.V. , Zwolle, The Netherlands (January 2018)  [Published: 2018]

This CMP contains the following parts: an introduction that informs about the context of this conservation area and its action programme; an overview of the area and its management organization; a description of the biodiversity baseline condition; a Conservation SWOT analysis and stakeholder engagement; and a description of priority conservation actions, targets and monitoring scheme.  Submitted by Vitens N.V. , Zwolle, The Netherlands [Published: 2018]