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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(80 )253 final
Brussels ,7thMay1980
\
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RATIONAL LAND USE :
ITS ROLE INCOMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT POLICY
(Communication from the Commission tothe Council )
I
COM (80)253 final

Fietiorra ,iland ttse ,:Itsrôle inCommimity environment policy -
A. Introduction -
*
.Thapaper assessing Coinnrunity environment policy submitted for theCouncil 's
consideration highlights theimportance ofrational land management ,and -
emphasizes theneed for "balanced distribution ofhuman activities and land
r.llccation which iscompatible with thecapacity oftheenvironment .
Rational land use isanimportant part ofsuch apolicy .
;
This Memo identifies certain specific problems concerning rational land use
which make stronger action necessary ,inthecontext ofthecommon
environment policy ,inregard tothesafeguarding andconservation ofland .
Hitherto ,policies forthesafeguarding andconservation ofland have been
guided mainly bysectoral (inparticular agricultural )considerations .
Thie hasnotalways made itpossible tohave anoverall view oftheproblems
intheir totality asnecessitated inthecase ofsoil changes bythe
complex interactions between human activities andtheenvironment .
Some proposals inthis direction have already been issued inthecontext of
Community environment policy .TheItalian Memorandum of1974 (supplemented
in1975 )concerning theimplementation oftheEuropean Communities'
Environment Action Programme emphasized theprevention ofsoil erosion by
maintaining appropriate types offarming .TheGerman Memorandum of1975
drew attention totheproblems arising from thepollution ofagricultural
land byundesirable substances ,fertilizers andorganic waste spread onthe
land .
TheCommission hascarried outalot ofwork onthese aspects .It
considers that thescope ofitsinvestigations should nowbeenlarged ,
andhasidentified anumber ofaspects concerning which ,initsview ,
action atCommunity level would beappropriate t
- natural hazards
- misuse ofland .
- protected areas *
* * *
EîîV 202
.../

-2-
B«.Prospects
I»Problems ofrational land use inareas subject tonatural hazards "
The "basic problem ofthese areas arises from thefact that their structure
andphysical balance arethreatened hytheeffects ofthenatural phenomena
to -which they areexposed (erosion ,flooding ,landslides ,erosion anddrift
ofcoastal deposits ,etc.)particularly inextreme cases .This situation
isoften aggravated bytheexpansion ofhuman activities ,resulting inan
increase inthenumber ofpeople andproperty atrisk and .modifying the
environment ,generally placing itinasituation which isnolonger in
balance with thephysical forces atplay .
Problems tobesolved
Thesafety ofpopulation centres andofproperty within areas exposed to
natural hazards has been and remains the fundamental concern where these
areas areconcerned .Short-term constraints imposed "bythe pressures
indicated above have often resulted ininsufficient thought being given
todevelopment inthecontext ofnatural hazards .Theneed foramore
comprehensive approach taking greater account ofnatural phenomena has
nowmade itself felt ,ashastheneed formanagement methods suitable
forthese areas ,with aview tosteering andcontaining their development .
TheCommission thinks that asetofactions coordinated atCommunity level
relating toareas subject tonatural hazards could make adecisive
contribution towards solving theproblems inthese areas intheCommunity ,
which will probably beeven more acute after enlargement .Taking into
account thenatural hazards andtheenvironmental protection considerations ,
such action would have three aims :
1)Toexpand operational knowledge ofnatural phenomena ,their activation
conditions ,their inter-reactions ,action zones
This first line ofaction should make itpossible todetermine the
areas atrisk ,according tothesignificance ofthehazards ,and
should make itpossible toselect priority areas .
With this aiminview ,theCommission should intensify itsresearch
work ,initiate newapplied research work ,andstep upthework
concerning theinventory ofareas subject tonatural hazards begun
inthecontext oftheecological mapping project .
.../

2)Todevelop anappropriate management framework forareas exposed
tonatural hazards
Thepurpose ofthis line ofaction would betoestablish guiding ,
principles andtodevelop management andplanning methods forthe
various types ofarea exposed tonatural hazards .Where planning
isconcerned ,thedevelopment ofamethodology forprogramming
andcoordinating preventive andremedial action inrelation to
nuisance caused bynatural phenomena should begiven special
attention ,asshould anassessment ofthe technical resources
(structures ,safeguarding andprotection ofland )andthedefining
ofrelevant criteria fordeploying these resources .
Twoproblems should bethesubject ofspecial examination inthis
connection :
a)themanagement ofareas thesituation ofwhich asaresult
ofdevelopment isseriously atodds with theprinciples
concerning themanagement ofareas exposed tonatural
hazards ;
b)theredevelopment andmanagement ofareas which have recently
been hitbylarge natural disasters .
These are new areas for action asfar asthe Commission isconcerned
Itintends tomake acontribution towards thework required inorder
toformulate these principles .Jtwill examine thedesirability of
making proposals totheCouncil concerning thegeneral application
ofthese principles intheMember States andinCommunity policy .
3)Toexpand Community action inpriority sectors orpriority .
geographical areas
a) Twotypes ofgeneral measures could beenvisaged :
1
–tomake theallocation ofCommunity funds toregions
exposed tonatural hazards subject totheprinciples
ofsound management inthese areas ;
–»tomake itacondition ofqualifying forthese funds
that work becarried outtoprevent natural hazards
andprotect theland .
Several types ofspecial measures could bedeveloped :
-sectoral measures ,e.g. theMediterranean forestry
regulation toimprove protection against erosion .
Other measures ofthis kind (agricultural structural
measures andinfrastructure measures )could betaken
inthecontext ofspecific plans forpreventive and
remedial action against natural hazards :*)
EECRégulation 269/79,OJL3814.2.79

-4-
–measures relating toparticular geographical areas exposed
tonatural risks .These measures would heprogrammes
relating todevelopment and "theprevention ofnatural
hazards inline with theprinciples ofenvironmentally
sound management *
Special programmes forreorientation andtheprevention of
natural hazards could heestablished for areas inwhich the
situation with regard tonatural hazards issignificantly
atodds with theprinciples ofenvironmentally sound management .
Special development andredevelopment programmes could he
established forareas hitbylarge natural disasters .
-promotion ofinformation andtraining ,notonly for
planners but ,ingeneral ,forallland users .
♦ * *
Thecoordinated use ofexisting Community financial instruments will be
required inorder toimplement these measures ,butthey arelikely tobe
inadequate without independent funds forenvironmental protection measures .
/
Itwill benoted that these measures ,inparticular those referred
tounder (3),arelikely tohave asignificant effect asregards job
creation ,particularly since theareas inquestion aremostly less-developed
regions . ••
II»Areas where theproblems are due tothemisuse ofland
1)Soil pollution
Onecategory ofproblems concerns areas inwhich land andthe
maintenance ofitssuitability arethreatened byvarious types of
pollution .
Onethreat concerns how thesoil isaffected byproducts which are
notsufficiently environmentally safe andwhich canpollute if
repeatedly used forvarious specific activities (certain -produots
used inagriculture orforthemaintenance oflines ofcommunication ).

-5-
Another threat arises from the conditions under which certain
products ,including waste ,arestored under theground orabove
theground where sealing conditions areinadequate .There-use
onagricultural land ofcertain types oforganic waste also causes
problems because oftheundesirable substances which they contain
(heavy metals ).This concerns primarily sewage sludge butalso
livestock effluent .
Thephysical properties ofsoils canalso deteriorate ,sometimes to
aconsiderable extent ,inthecase ofcertain types ofsoil ,asa
result ofengineering plant andwork carried outforthelaying of
pipes andenergy transmission lines .
Inaddition ,pollution maybetransmitted toagreat extent .This
concerns certain airpollutants retained byvegetation and soil but
also water pollutants .Inthis respect ,attention should bepaid to
thequality ofcertain types ofirrigation water ,flood water in
certain areas subject toflooding andcertain types ofrunoff water
(lines ofcommunication subjected totreatment against snow and
frost ). 7 . r ,
Some ofthese problems arealready being examined within theCommission ,
e.g. theconditions under which livestock effluent and sewage sludge
areused .This work should bestepped upinorder toprepare ,where
appropriate ,proposals governing theconditions under which certain'
products areused .This work should also beexpanded toinclude the
various problems mentioned ^inthecontext ofaction specifically
geared totheprevention ofsoil pollution .The first stage should
betomake amore detailed assessment ,following onfrom what has
been outlined ,inorder toforestall theeffects ofseveral types of
soil pollution occurring inthesame area oraparticular type of
pollution affecting large areas ofland .
2)Derelict areas (agricultural ,industrial ,urban )
\r , • .
a)Abandoned farmland intheCommunity covers aconsiderable
area .Astudy carried outbytheCommission hasestimated
thesize ofthis area asover 4million hectares .Thewayin
.which such areas evolve from thepoint ofview ofthe
environment isclosely connected with thelocal conditions .
Where ithasbeen possible torecord thetrends inthese
conditions they have proved tobevaried ,since sometimes
they arefavourable but atother times they areunfavourable
.particularly .intheareas exposed tonatural hazards .

This question ,which isanimportant one "because ofthe
substantial total surface area affected inthe various Member
States ,should give rise totwotypes ofaction atCommunity
level :(a)action toassemble asmuch information aspossible
ontheareas ofland concerned ,theclassification ,ofthese
areas from thepoint ofview oftheenvironment andthe
corresponding evolving trends ,and (b)action along thesame
lines asthat proposed forareas subject tonatural hazards .
b) Areas abandoned bydeclining industry asaresult ofthe
considerable amount ofconversion that hastaken place give rise to
several problems stheir influence onother areas ofland asa
result ofthereorientation ofactivities ,problems todowith
waste ,changes inthestructure ofthesubsoil (extractive
industries )andproblems resulting from thetemporary storage .
ofwaste .
TheCommission already carries outlarge reconversion operations
(e.g. ERBF ,under Article 56ofECSC Treaty eto.).Inthis
context itwill attach greater importance toprocedures for
restoring orredeveloping these areas ofland inawaywhioh
isenvironmentally sound .- ,
#second lineof action would betodraw upalist oftheareas
inwhich such problems occur .
c) Derelict areas inthecentre ofoldtowis arealso problem areas
which have asignificant influence onland use since thedecline
ofthese areas pushes urban development totheoutskirts oftowns ,
causing anincreasing loss ofland hitherto used forother
purposes .
These problems also maybeimportant enough toappear to
warrant support atCommunity level .Thescope forassistance under
existing financial instruments should beexamined and ,insofar
asnecessary ,extended .
3)Built-up areas andinfrastructure :Their influence ontheland
Theinfluence ofareas which arebuilt uporused byinfrastructure ,
byreducing thequality ,oftheland over large areas ,affects the
useoftheland inquestion forother purposes .Theproblem in
question arises notonly because ofthepercentage ofarea covered
butalso asaresult ofthecarving-up oftheland which dismembers
structures compatible with effective activity andastable function *
.../

-7-
Without special action ,situations ofthis kind notonly result ina
loss ofagricultural land ornatural areas butalso reduce the
regeneration capacity asaresult ofuses which exert greater pressure
onthe environment . ,
Thepublic authorities which have attempted toremedy such situations
andprevent them from developing have placed theemphasis onmore
extensive planning ofdevelopment andinfrastructure andonefforts to
arrive atamore balanced distribution ,e.g. asaresult ofthe
maintenance ofopen spaces . /
TheCommission could draw ontheexperience acquired atinternational ,
level ,inparticular intheOECD context ,andpossibly addtothis
experience .Itcould also have recourse tospecific instruments of
Community action inorder todefine anintervention framework and ,asa
first step ,promote apackage ofpilot operations intheareas where
these problems aremost acute (metropolitan areas ). -
Itisevident that itshould bepossible tobase Community measures
topromote better land useoncomparable information forthewhole of
theCommunity concerning thecurrent state andvalue ofland asa
resource which isincreasingly scarce inEurope .With this inview
itishi^ily desirable tospeed upwork inprogress onthis subject
atCommunity level .
"N
C. Protected areas
Protected areas are ofvital importance inthecontext ofthe
conservation ofnatural resources .Protected areas fulfil multiple
functions,' sometimes simultaneously ,ranging from thestrict protection
ofcertain biotopes essential totheconservation offauna andflora ,
theprotection ofopen spaces ontheoutskirts ofurban areas for
recreation purposes ,totheprotection ofcertain forests inorder to
preserve land andwater .
TheCommission hascarried outaninitial study ofthevarious types of .
protected areas intheMember States inorder toestablish acommon
classification toprovide abasis forcomparison forCommunity action
relating toprotected areas (seeEHV/202/oO).
Inregard toareas which areimportant forbird conservation work has
been carried outinthecontext oftheDirective ontheConservation of^
Wild Birds andtheCouncil Resolution concerning Special Protection Areas .
*79/409/EEC. ; •••/•
**Resolution of2April 1979 *
^ ΛΟ*

-8-
Thepurpose ofthis work istoestablish acoherent network ofprotected
areas satisfying requirements regarding theprotection ofspecies and
certain biotopes .
Onthe "basis ofinformation to "beprovided "bytheMember States ,the
Commission will prepare aninventory andpropose thecreation of
protected areas capable offitting into awider network ,where
appropriate .
Itisbecoming increasingly obvious that theextinction ofmany species
cannot beavoided inthelong rununless more effort ismade topreserve
habitats .Future work should therefore focus onthis aspect in
particular inorder toguarantee theprotection ofbiotopes ofCommunity
importance onapermanent basis .
Inorder toattain this objective itwill benecessary topass
legislation ,inform thepublic andthecircles concerned anddeploy
adequate financial resources atCommunity andother levels .
D.Particular considerations relating tocoastal andmountain areas
There isanurgent need foraction tosafeguard andconserve land in
twoareas inparticular :coastal areas andmountain areas .
Many andvaried activities which areoften difficult toreconcile are
laying claim toanextremely limited amount ofspace inthecoastal
fringe andinthevalley regions inmountain areas .
Thecoast isanimportant focal point fortrade ,itisaffected by
energy policy ,mining policy andindustrial policy ,anditisa
production area andaplace fortourism .
With appropriate development ,themountains must guarantee thewelfare
ofthelocal population ,accommodate anincreasing number oftourists
from allareas ofEurope andoften also fulfil atransit function .
Inaddition ,thenatural ecosystems andcoastal andmountain landscapes ,
which arealready bytheir very nature very sensitive toexternal
influences ,have become increasingly rare because oftherapid
development ofthese areas since the50s*

Inaddition ,natural hazards (inparticular coastal erosion ,land
movements ,andflooding )areapermanent major constraint onthecoast
and inthemountains . -
\
All theproblems concerning land usearetherefore particularly acute
inthese twotypes ofareas ;-this makes rational management there
more difficult than elsewhere .
TheCouncil might therefore think itappropriate tofocus efforts
atCommunity level onanumber ofpriority measures tohecarried out
inthese problem areas .Because ofthecomplexity oftheinter­
relationships between themany andvaried factors which determine the
'way inwhich these areas evolve ,these measures should ,ofcourse ,
fitinto overall frameworks foraction envisaged forthe "continuation
oftheCommunity measures already under wayconcerning coastal areas
andmountain areas (seeEtTV/202/oO). ~