1. The document discusses the involvement of conservation NGOs in managing European regional development funds. 2. It provides examples of how some NGOs in countries like France have received 20-50% of their annual budgets from funds like ERDF, but that Catalan NGOs have not accessed these funds much. 3. The document outlines challenges NGOs face in applying for funds and makes recommendations like establishing quotas for NGO participation and innovative funding strategies.

1. Xarxa de Custòdia del Territori /
Land Stewardship Network of Catalonia
The implication of NGOs in the management of
Regional Funds
5th Surf Nature Workshop,
European Funding – Forest Biodiversity and Risk
Prevention
Solsona, 24 May 2011

2. Summary
1. Who is XCT and our action at European level & funding
2. Some examples of conservation NGOs & ERDF and
other European funding
3. Lessons learnt, challenges & recommendations.

3. Who are we?
Xarxa de Custòdia del Territori (xct)
Land Stewardship Network in Catalonia
• Non-profit association created in 2003 with 162 members
from Catalonia and Balearic Islands
• Umbrella organization to promote the use & development of
Land Stewardship
• Communicates LS to
the general public
• Assists land
stewardship
organisations (land
trusts)
• Networking strategy
• Studies legislative
opportunities
• Research and pilot
projects in LS

4. LAND STEWARDSHIP STAKEHOLDER MODEL
Civil Society General
Funding institutions administration
Citizenship
Regional and
Private Companies State Governments,
EU
BIODIVERSITY
STEWARDSHIP
Landowners & Land Land stewardship
users (farmers, organizations (≈
hunters, Land Trusts)
fishermen,
NGO & Local
foresters) and
government –
their
specialized public
organisations
institutions

5. XCT Membership
Land stewardship
organisations (land trusts) 162 members 18.5.11

6. IV Catalan
Land
Stewardship
Inventory,
2009
First in GIS
format,
Geographical
Information
System

7. IV Land stewardship Inventory (Catalunya,
Balearic Islands, Andorra)
• 629 LS agreements, 441 in
Catalunya & 188 Balearic
Islands, 211.000 Ha under
agreement.
• 74 land trusts, 56% private
& 44% public. 68 Catalunya,
6 Balearic Is.
• Main Land trusts with agreements: Consell Insular de Menorca,
Obra Social Caixa Catalunya, Minyons Escoltes de Catalunya,
Diputació de Girona.
• 48 land trusts with less than 20 agreements, 192
agreements, 32% of the total
Inventary by: Martí Puig & Montserrat Masó, 2009

8. European Grouping for Territorial Cooperation.
European Parliament resolution of 21 September 2010 on the implementation of
EU legislation aiming at the conservation of biodiversity (2009/2108(INI))
Article 35: “Furthermore expresses its concern about the lack of cross-
border cooperation, which can lead to identical areas being approached
differently, and stresses the usefulness of harnessing existing instruments, such
as the European Grouping for Territorial Cooperation (EGTC), a judicial tool; .”
EGTC – European Grouping for
Territorial Cooperation
Land stewardship Territorial connectivity
Pirinees Mediterranean Euroregional
Network

9. Euroregional network for land stewardship and
conservancy management
http://cepmctgc.
blogspot.com/
• 8 member network
& alike
organisations.
• Created 2009.
• Need for dialogue
with EEIG Forespir.

10. Promotional
blog & lealflet
http://cepmctgc.
blogspot.com/

11. The four European Stewardship Engines
• Milano Declaration
for Land
Stewardship
• Exchanges
• Seminars
• Presentation DG
Environment
October 2010

12. LANDLIFE: Boosting land stewardship
as a conservation tool in the Western
Mediterranean Arch & all Europe:
A communication and training scheme
LIFE + Information
and Communication
A proposal
to 2011 call

13. Catalonia & xct
• Catalan conservation NGOs do not apply to
ERDF programs at all (even Life+ project
application is scarce).
• European Rural Development Program
(ERDP) in Catalonia with very limited access
to NGOs as mostly managed with a view in
agricultural production.
• Lack of european level granting culture & absence of
consulting athmosphere
• Very little access to information on calls. Sense of
burdensome calls & lack of capability.
• Catalan public institutions never partner with NGOs. Sense
of unfair competition and use of public structures.

14. Conservatoires des
Espaces Naturelles
(France)
• ERDF funds are key to the scale of their
activity and to achieve 50% from other
cofunding sources.
• ERDF ≈ 20% - 50% of annual budget.
• 2006-11 12 ERDF co-funded projects at
CEN Languedoc-Roussillon, & 13 at CEN
Midi Pyrenees.
• Slowness in payment a challenge plus
some administrative difficulties
identified.
• Programs managed and developed at national and regional
level, completely different from Spain.
We thank Claudie Houssard (CENLR) & Daniel Marc (CENMP)
for their help & info.

15. Fundación Naturaleza y
Hombre (Cantabria, Spain)
• Has applied three times to Intereg projects, only once
succesful as partner of a French lead consortium.
• Considers that public support and lobby for the
projects is fundamental. If public institutions are not
involved Intereg or ERDF funding is impossible.
• Regionally based program management implies a
strong political component on decisions.
• Slowness in payment a challenge, plus need to select
highly reliable partners able to certify and reach
deadlines.
• In conclusion not very supportive of NGOs
participating in ERDF as it is today.
We thank Carlos Sánchez, director of FNyH for his help
& info.

16. DVL Landcare Germany
Deutscher Verband für Landschaftspflege e.V
• Only a few pilot projects of ERDF funding to NGOs in
recent years, none at DVL
• DVL in contact to WWF Germany to participate in ERDF.
We thank Bernd Blümlein, director of DVL for his help &
info.

17. Lessons learnt
• NGOs find particularly burdensome and complex
applying to ERDF and other european funding.
• There is a need for instruments facilitating finance
& treasure over project span.
• Evidence of uneven access and opportunities for
NGOs and public bodies & different strategies in
member states.
e.g. Med Program 2009 1/17 projects Objective 2.1:
Protection and enhancement of natural resources and cultural
heritage/label > lead by NGO (WWF France)

18. Challenges and recommendations / 1
• ERDF should include a support role towards
conservation NGOs for their social value & public policy
contribution for conservation NGOs (structural funding,
capacity building, networking and consultancy...).
• Public institutions like CTCF and alike must support and
advice NGOs in applying to European funding (probono &
low cost consulting). Umbrella sectoral organisations (xct
like) to act as partner searching organisations.
• Minimum objectives or quota of NGO participation in
ERDF, Intereg, EGTC, and alike projects should be defined
at European level.
• Independent and innovative strategies of project treasury
management are key (credit coops, public credit bodies,
low-interest agreements with financial sector & CSR)

19. Challenges and recommendations / 2
• Innovative public-private cofinancing strategies must
be facilitated adequately (project duration and auditing,
flexible budgeting...)
• Biodiversity stewardship agreements & payment for
ecosystem services should become an innovative priority
actions for european conservation funding.
• Surf Nature could play a role in promoting NGO
participation in ERDF: partners to start pilot partnership
actions, European wide communication and advocacy role,
etc.

20. Thank you for you attention!
Agraïts del vostre interès!
www.custodiaterritori.org
Xarxa de Custòdia del Territori
And all its member organisations and individuals
In 2010-2011 XCT has a specific support towards its
Legal Innovation Models for Land Stewardship by: