Nature conservation in Europe. Policy and practice

Land Use Policy, Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 331-334, 1998 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved Printed in Great Britain 0264-8377/98 $19.00 + 0.00 Pergamon Book reviews Nature Conservation in Europe. Policy and Practice PII: S0264-8377(98)00025-8 Peter Bromley (1997) E & FN Spon, London. ISBN 0-41921610-3. 349 pp. There is an old adage in the environmental movement that whilst conservation expenditure is highest in the better-off nations, threatened species and habitats are concentrated in developing countries such as Madagascar and Indonesia. But although western Europe has already undergone centuries of agricultural and then industrial development, it does retain a set of unique biotopes and species. Beyond the immediate scientific and ethical considerations, there are strong social grounds for their conservation, including the oft-cited need to set a shining example to the rest of the world, and the desire for a pleasant and interesting (semi-)natural environment. Peter Bromley's latest book, Nature Conservation in Europe, assumes that the reasons for conservation and the value of the 'nature' under consideration are obvious to the reader. Although it does briefly describe European land use history and the growth of environmentalism, its main focus is conservation policy in the European Union. For this book, the bounds of Europe are defined by EU membership rather than any biogeographic or climatic zonation. This makes sense in a discussion of regional political systems, though it would have been interesting to compare the EU's environmental policies and performance with those of its independent European neighbours in the North and East. The Europe described here has a wide latitudinal range, with environments that grade from the Arctic in Sweden through to the Mediterranean in Italy. It has a correspondingly broad set of species, biotopes and protected area networks, with dramatic differences in the area of land designated in each country as well as the degree of protection available. Greece and Ireland sit at the bottom of the list with less than 1% of their land area designated, with Luxembourg, Austria and the UK all designating around 20% at the top end. As Bromley notes, all countries but Denmark employ a site-based management system as the main mechanism for nature conservation. It seems unlikely that Ireland's countryside should be radically less valuable than that of the UKthese disparities highlight the need for the forthcoming Natura 2000 network intended to protect areas of European-level importance. The book is ostensibly aimed at countryside managers, but could prove to be a useful reference for a wider audience, especially students looking for an introduction to European conservation policy objectives and their realisation. It avoids discussing practical conservation matters, providing instead a refreshingly readable overview of the creation and implementation of the EU's environmental legislation (Recommendations, Regulations, Decisions, Directives and Conventions are all discussed). It covers a 40 year time period from the signing of the Treaty of Rome in 1955, through to the arrival of the European Environmental Agency and the Fifth Environmental Action Programme. This gives as revealing an introduction to the functioning of European political institutions as to conservation itself. Many of us still struggle to absorb the exact roles of the European Commission, Parliament, Council of Ministers, Court of Justice and Directorates-General: this task becomes more manageable when the institutions are examined for their relevance to conservation policy. The author tracks the progress of a piece of legislation from drafting through to compliance by member states, and describes the piecemeal development of the current set of policy and programmes. The 'Practice' component promised in the title is primarily a look at each individual country's implementation of EU policies, including national and local administrative structures, legislation, management strategies, designations and land use zones. The variety of systems in place around Europe is intriguing, and it is interesting to see the different priorities and interpretations placed upon the protection of natural and cultural heritage. There is an overwhelming impression of diversity in political systems that matches the natural diversity of the region. The legislation created and the degree of enforcement reflect traditional concerns around nature and wildlife through Europe, with hunting and waterresource questions being important in the countries of the South, while quality of life and pollution issues are emphasised in the North. One approach is to combine responsibility for natural and cultural heritage in one network, as exemplified in Greece. Here the landdesignation system evolved from one designed to protect Greco-Roman antiquities, and the major environmental NGO (Elliniki Etairia) has interests in both fields. In the UK, these categories of conservation are clearly separated. Bromley is a British author with experience of both sides of the divide: he had previously written land management handbooks and currently works for English Heritage. He acknowledges a resultant bias towards the British side of Europe that is evident in some of the information presented. The statement that 'by 1992 the Birds Directive had not been enacted [in Portugal]' could surely have been updated, and it is similarly frustrating to know only that 'in 1993 Ireland had signed six of the eight major 331 Book reviews nature conservation conventions'. On the other hand, the figures offered for British Sites of Special Scientific Interest and National Nature Reserves are actually those belonging to England alone. It is also a pity that some of the country sections lack site maps. The book does better on the history and structure of the political systems and the socio-economic circumstances influencing the current situation in each country. For example, where one Danish farmer fed 27 people in 1950, he or she now feeds 160. The various conflicts between Member State and EU, local and national government are also clearly explained. Unfortunately, these disputes serve to slow and dilute the implementation of EU environmental Directives. Here the UK takes an atypically decentralist approach, which appears to involve offloading direct responsibility onto over-stretched local authorities. The author expresses a generally optimistic view of the future of European reserve networks and of conservation outside protected areas, whilst lamenting the damage done to conservation interests by wider political changes such as regionalisation and government instability, and by division of responsibility between different agencies within a country. These structural changes tend to have the side effect of delaying Europe-wide realisation of conservation objectives. Several positive themes emerge: • On joining the EU, new countries vigorously implement conservation policies to get up to speed with the rest of Europe. This by itself shows that the EU can be a positive force for conservation. • Since the passing of the Single European Act in 1987, the EU has new powers to take action on environment. This supersedes the original Treaty of Rome statement, which restricted the Community to action only when 'the objectives can be attained at Community level'. • The ongoing reform of the environmentally disastrous Common Agricultural Policy is facilitating a slow move away from the agricultural production imperative established after the Second World War. • The Fourth and Fifth Environmental Action Programmes encourage a move towards the integration of environmental policy into other parts of EU decision-making: the Fifth emphasises 'sustainability, proactivity, integration, and more mechanisms for implementation'. • The first full list of Special Areas for Conservation (SACs) that will make up the Natura 2000 network is due for announcement in 2000. A further six years have been allocated to fill gaps, including the designation of network 'enhancements', which could include habitat buffers outside protected sites. This book provides a straightforward and concise information source for those interested in the environmental policies and programmes of the EU or one of its members. With this in mind, it might be particularly useful to those contemplating a conservation project that involves partners from multiple EU countries. It certainly fills a gap in my library. Lera Miles School of Geography Universi~/ of Leeds 'People, Politics, Policies and Plans' Ted Kitchen PII: S0264-8377(98)00026-X This book focuses upon Manchester and its primary aim is to show how the city planning process operates in practice. The author served as a senior manager with major planning responsibilities for 16 years, from the late 1970s to the mid 1990s. The book thus offers a personal view from 'the eye of the storm' and the author stresses that his own attitudes and values are a component in the 'stories' he tells. In the introductory chapter the author outlines his perspectives and seeks to briefly link his work to that of planning officers, elected officials and academic commentators as well as providing some introductory material on the British planning system and its operation in Manchester. 332 The main body of the text is structured around three themes viz. 'Actors', 'Tools' and 'Arenas'. The author views the main 'actors' in the planning process as the customers of the planning service and the elected members. In looking at the former he identifies 10 customer clusters and explores the challenges and tensions in meeting their needs and in reconciling them with the interests and the statutory powers of the City Council. In a similar vein the chapter 'Working with Elected Members' identifies nine roles that councillors play in impacting upon the planning process and it is argued that this approach helps to develop a more sophisticated view of officer/ member relationships. The discussions about both sets of actors are clearly rooted in practical experience but the paucity of theoretical inputs for example to link to debates about the role of the local state and discretion, perhaps partially limits the general value and potential richness of these chapters. The twin focus in terms of 'tools' is predictably upon development planning and development control but there is little focus on the capital investment and development processes or on the production and reproduction of urban space. Having examined the approaches to the development plan making progress, the author suggests a number of improvements that could help to make it more cost effective. These