Management of Natura 2000 sites on military training areas

There is a special importance of military training areas (MTAs) for the protection
and maintenance of our biodiversity in Europe. MTAs host a number of specific
habitat types and species protected by the Habitats Directive, especially habitats of
the open landscape, which developed through and rely on an extensive (often historical)
agricultural use, a disturbance regime (of the military training) and /or specific
conservation measures. Many important habitats of EU community relevance,
especially those requiring oligotrophic to mesotrophic conditions, have some of their
best and largest representation on military areas and thus have been integrated into
the Natura 2000 network of protected areas. Most of these habitat types and species
have an unfavourable conservation status at the biogeographical level. Actively used,
as well as decommissioned, MTAs play an important role in maintaining or improving
the conservation status of several of these habitat types and species.
This volume presents the proceedings of the workshop „Management of Natura 2000
sites in Military Training Areas“, which was held by the German Federal Agency
for Nature Conservation from 28 September to 1 October 2015 at the International
Academy for Nature Conservation at the Isle of Vilm (Germany). The workshop
discussed the specific conditions for the management of open landscapes on active
and former military training areas (Natura 2000 sites). Experts from several EU
Member States presented and discussed management measures to maintain or to
restore habitat types and habitats of species on MTAs, problems during management
and solutions to overcome these, best practice examples of Natura 2000 management
on MTAs and the handling of unexploded ordnance devices (UXO) in order to allow
or facilitate the necessary nature management.