Natural heritage and biodiversity (Aragón)

(LEY 42/2007, de 13 de diciembre, del Patrimonio Natural y de la Biodiversidad)

This act establishes the basic legal conservation, sustainable use, enhancement and restoration of natural heritage and biodiversity as part of a duty to preserve and provide a sustainable environment. Among the objectives of the act are the maintenance of essential ecological processes and systems vital for the basic preservation of biodiversity, genetics, population and species, as well as the preservation of the variety, uniqueness and beauty of natural ecosystems and geological and landscape diversity.

Policy actors include the local, autonomous government, in the context of national and European provisions (Natura 2000 network).

The declaration and management of protected natural areas corresponds to the autonomous communities where the territory is located. This law maintains the ability to create peripheral protection for these areas. The law also details specific provisions aimed to promote awareness, conservation and restoration, natural heritage and biodiversity. Furthermore, the law incorporates the creation of the Heritage Fund Nature and Biodiversity, which will act as a co-financing instrument to assure territorial cohesion and the achievement of the objectives. In particular, the development of three year-plans (including management instruments) is an important document aiming to implement measures to support sustainable forest management, prevention strategic forest fires, land stewardship and protection of natural areas and forest part-financed by the General State. Funding is also provided to environmentally engaged non-for-profit association dealing with conservation, restoration and improvement of natural heritage and biodiversity.

The law also includes subsidies for projects under the topics of investigation and conservation, forest fire prevention and conservation of the biodiversity. These projects would be included in a fourth possible capital – scientific or research capital.

The following two laws are also important for the land use management in the area:

• Law 5/2007 Natural Park Network. 42/2007 Law of Natural Patrimony and Biodiversity, which establishes the regulatory basic regimen for conservation, sustainable use and restoration of natural legacy and biodiversity.
• Real decreto 409/1995, from March 17 (Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación), which establishes the Management Plan for the OMPNP (Plan Rector de Uso y Gestión del Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido).

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