Methods of habitat reports’ evaluation

Abstract

Abstract A building investment, especially in nature valuable areas, is almost always inseparable with a bigger or smaller environmental interference. For a few years there are legal regulations created to protect these areas. One of them is the requirement to conduct a habitat evaluation and to prepare a habitat report if there is a indication of significant impact on the Natura 200 site. The quality of such a report is crucial for completion an investment in a chosen localisation as well as for shortening a preparation stage with respect to environmental requirements. A defective report can result in a agreement refusal of investment completion conditions of an investment by an authorised body, and can be a reason for protests of a community which is affected by the planned investment. A well-made report, on the other hand, results in a smooth acceptance of the project without the need for consultation of the investor with the proceeding body and saving the cost of correction of a defective documentation. An review of the literature done by the authors and the talks carried out with the staff making an assessment of reports of an impact on Natura 2000 sites showed the lack of common use in practise of a formalised set of criteria of evaluation of such documents. The aim of the study was to prepare a set of evaluation criteria for reports on environmental impact on Natura 2000 sites. The set was tested on already made reports and it showed their basic omissions and disparities. The set prepared can be used by an investor in the course of making a report. It can be also a useful tool for a verifying clerk while evaluating a report for its completeness and adequacy. On the basis of the prepared set of evaluation criteria, a procedure was proposed allowing an impartial verification of reports. As a result of analyses made, a procedure was worked out which is presented in the diagram concluding this paper.