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Land consumption in Germany, which is caused mainly by the construction of transportation infrastructure and new housing projects, currently stands at the alarmingly high rate of 130 ha a day. Funded by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) and in cooperation with the Leipniz Institute for Ecological and Regional Development (IÖR), Ecologic is analyzing the contribution of nature protection policy to reducing and managing the demand for land use in Germany. At the centre of this research lie the instruments of nature conservation policy, such as the creation of protected areas, the European Flora and Fauna Directive, Environmental Impact Assessment and landscape planning.

Background

One of the major findings of the territorial census of 2001 in Germany was the continued high rate of land consumption, mainly caused by new infrastructure and housing projects. Moreover, the report found no signs that this trend will change in the near future. Thus, the issue of land consumption belongs to the list of persistent environmental problems that are characterised by the fact that governmental policy instruments have only limited short term effects. Consequently, a reduction in land consumption rates can not be achieved by an isolated policy instrument, but only through a mix of coherent policies and instruments from several policy areas, including economic incentives, urban and regional planning and traffic management. One of the policy areas that plays a role in the reduction of land consumption is environmental protection. Funded by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), Ecologic and the Leipniz Institute for Ecological and Regional Development (IÖR) are analysing the contribution and the effectiveness of nature conservation policy instruments in reducing and managing land use.      

Objective

The study "Land Use - nature conversation strategies, policies and instruments" aims to analyse the contribution of a number of policies and instruments to reducing or managing land consumption in Germany. The following instruments are analysed:

1. Landscape Planning;
2. Impact regulation;
3. Environmental Impact Assessment;
4. Strategic Environmental assessment;
5. Nature reserve and wildlife sanctuaries;
6. Protected areas; and 
7. Environmental Monitoring.

The study looks closely at the legal basis and the conceptual design of the instruments mentioned above. In addition, causes of implementation problems will be investigated. To this end, two surveys will be carried out that ask experts from research, policy making and administration about the effectiveness of nature protection instruments in reducing land consumption. One survey is based on a standardised questionnaire and covers all of Germany, while  the other survey will be composed of in-depth interviews with selected experts in the field. Another objective of the surveys is to collect recommendations on how to improve the effectiveness of nature conservation instruments in regard to managing land consumption.