‘Biodiversity, Green Infrastructure, and Spatial Planning: optimising the technical foundations for a strategic implementation’ was the title of an expert meeting in Milan (Italy) on 16 April. It was co-organised by the Alpine Convention’s Alpine Biodiversity Board (ABB) and its Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development (SPSD) Working Group together with the Interreg PlanToConnect stakeholders and project partners.
The aim of the meeting was to identify strategic and technical solutions to better incorporate ecological connectivity in Alpine spatial planning instruments through sharing experiences between the Italian partners and stakeholders on the preliminary results of the PlanToConnect project. There was also a presentation on how PlanToConnect’s outputs could contribute to another Interreg project, AlpsLife.
The meeting promoted synergies between the two Alpine Convention working bodies and explored how to effectively use the outputs of the PlanToConnect project. The experts also exchanged on how the project results could support the objectives of the current Italian Presidency. The Presidency, with the support of the ABB, is developing an Alpine Biodiversity Action Plan, based on four areas: biodiversity monitoring, restoration, conservation, and connectivity. One of the aims of the connectivity pillar is to better take into account ecological connectivity in spatial planning. Tackling the other side of the same coin, the SPSD Working Group is developing an Alpine Spatial Development Perspective, which aims to bring together different sectoral aspects of spatial development and through this, facilitate the development of green infrastructure for more harmonious and sustainable spatial planning in the Alps.
