Natura 2000 in the Lublin Voivodeship – A Development Barrier or Opportunity for Municipal Government?

Abstract

The aim of the article was to determine the importance of Natura 2000 areas to local development in the Lublin voivodeship. It is hypothesized that the establishment of the European environmental networking programme Natura 2000 (N2000 EEN) resulted in a deterioration of the socio-economic situation of municipalities, as evidenced by the weakening of the income potential of budgets and the willingness of local authorities to invest in the Natura 2000 EEN areas. It is also assumed that protective restrictions have caused a significant need for intervention in the Master Plans of those municipalities. In connection with the above-mentioned assumptions, it has been assumed that the perception of the Natura 2000 network as a barrier to development will be dominant in the surveyed local governments. Literature analysis was used in order to achieve the aim and verify the hypothesis, including the analysis of strategic development documents of the administrative units and the Natura 2000 implementing instruments. It has been shown that the municipalities which included Natura 2000 areas featured a more favorable situation in terms of both the level and the dynamics of their income potential, as compared to other municipalities of the region. The most favorable situation, both in terms of income potential and the tendency to invest, was in the municipalities with a significant share of the Natura 2000 areas. The SWOT analysis has not clearly indicated the importance of Natura 2000 as a barrier, but it has not been seen as a stimulant for development. A small group of municipalities began to use their local natural values as elements of the developing territorial brands. In the light of the presented test results, there is no clear reason to confirm the hypothesis of an adverse effect of the Natura 2000 EEN on the local economy.