Regional development program's (RDP) main objective is to harmonize the development goals of the development region in the field of economic, social, educational, public health, spatial and environmental and cultural development and to assess the instruments and resources for their implementation. RDPs are prepared at the level of the development region, which is a territorial unit of NUTS 3l - Gorenjska, which includes 18 municipalities.

The strategic part of the RDP - the regional development strategy represents a common starting point for development and spatial planning at the regional level. It provides the basis for goal-oriented development planning while considering the site planning of interventions in the region. With this integration of both the development plaminning and spatial planning at the regional level is ensured.

Special focus to green areas is foreseen in Regional development program priority 6.4. Gorenjska – energy efficient and clean region: Green, low-carbon Gorenjska: Measure: 6.4.2. protection of environment and preservation of biodiversity and adaptation to climate related risks. This priority and measure indicate a starting point for GI with forests and trees for biodiversity. We want to expand on this with multifunctionality of GI as a climate change adaptation and mitigation solution.

With the Frisian Tree and Forest Strategy, the province wants to contribute to the European and national goals for CO2 capturing and storaging. This with the aim of reducing climate change and, at the same time, strengthening biodiversity and restoring the landscape, among other things. In line with the Dutch National Forest Strategy, the province of Fryslân has set a target by 2030 to:
- expand areas for trees, forests and wet nature, capturing at least the amount of CO2 that we would be captured with an expansion of 10% of our forest area;
- revitalize forest and landscape elements.

This goal is elaborated along six lines:
- Forest expansion within NNN
- Revitalization of existing forest
- Forest expansion outside NNN
- Expansion and revitalization of landscape elements
- Agroforestry and food forestry
- Expansion of wetlands: salt marshes, marshland, etc

This strategy provides the frameworks and guidelines for implementation in other policy fields. Within the GIFT project, the focus is on the current policy programs within the theme of nature: Forest expansion within NNN, Revitalization of existing forests, Expansion and revitalization of landscape elements and Expansion of wet nature.

This means that the strategy is not an independent program, but there will be direction and guidance for implementation to achieve the goals. During implementation, it is important that it is done in collaboration with regional partners and stakeholders.

The policy instrument has been developed on behalf of the Swedish government to contribute to the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.

The policy instrument is a knowledge and planning document that identifies where there is a functioning green infrastructure exists and where there are deficits in green infrastructure for different habitats at the regional level. The document is being developed by the County Administrative Board in collaboration with many different regional stakeholders.

The instrument can be used by all sectors of society for planning nature conservation measures, community development, climate adaptation measures and other ecosystem services. The instrument is based on a variety of analyzes of geographical data as well as compilations of knowledge about species and habitat types.

The document describes what measures are required on a regional level to preserve and strengthen green infrastructure for different habitat types, while also strengthening ecosystem services. It now needs to be implemented and applied at the local level.

The policy instrument is intended to be a basis for initiatives by various stakeholders to improve conditions for achieving national environmental quality objectives, strengthen ecosystem services, and provide a basis for sustainable land and water use.

Main features of the national operational Program Competitiveness and Cohesion 2021-2027 (PCC) are:

Specific objective 2.vii - Strengthening the protection and conservation of nature, biodiversity and green infrastructure, including in urban areas, and reducing all forms of pollution

Measure addressed:
- Construction and significant upgrading of green infrastructure.
- Raising public knowledge, understanding and support about nature and biodiversity protection.
- Strengthening the capacities of relevant stakeholders by developing and providing continuous opportunities for capacity building to experts and the general public.
- Potential construction of green infrastructure, such as a park, a central park, a forest in an urban area.

To enforce selected policies via project activities are directed towards strengthening biodiversity and green development infrastructure, which will contribute to the increase effectiveness of management, implementation measure of conservation, preservation and restoration and the development of green infrastructure in urban areas

It is in line with the main EU/national strategies that consider ecological/digital transition as a pillar of socio-economic development/cohesion of territories. It is inspired, among others, by the Pact for Work and Climate signed by more than 40 organisations (Regional Government, Provinces, Universities, Business Associations) to integrate ecological transition policies with social/economic ones (linking climate and social justice).

It is divided into 4 priorities: 1) Research, Innovation & Competitivity. 2) Sustainability, Decarbonisation, Diversity & Resilience. 3) Sustainable Mobility and Air Quality. 4) Attractivity, Cohesion & Territorial development. Priority 2 includes SO "strengthen protection & preservation of nature, biodiversity & green infrastructures, including in urban areas, to reduce all sources of pollution" and action 2.7.1 " Green and blue infrastructures", which will be addressed in this project.

These infrastructures should link with continuity to urban/suburban green spaces with parks, gardens, tree lines, green roofs/walls, community gardens, urban gardens/rain gardens to achieve a variety of goals in a timely manner: reduce GHG, capture PM, produce micro-climatic mitigation with shading/evapotranspiration, increase personal wellness in open spaces, reduce energy use for cooling buildings, improve water cycle management by reducing the runoff, promote bicycle mobility, increase attractiveness/quality of life of streets, squares and parks.

The Act on Land Development contains a whole range of instruments (toolbox) for the implementation of programmes, projects and plans. It provides a legal basis for the implementation of development works (voluntary or by virtue of law), the establishment of easements for public use, the acquisition and land mobility, complementary tools to minimise the impact of developments, etc.
We will focus on the instruments for the management (voluntary or mandatory) of realisations or existing features. The Act is currently under review. Improvements have been identified and the Decree will be changed by the end of 2023/begin 2024. The payment for mandatory management was not implemented yet. The conditions to apply this instrument were enhanced. Before the improved Decree can be deployed, it needs to be further developed in consecutive law (implementing decision and ministerial order). In the project we will contribute to this legislative process.
We will optimise the management instruments and make them more user-friendly, while ensuring the quality and subsequent management.
We will improve the management of the Decree to make sure that it can be applied in the most performant way. e.g. we will make sure that all suitable partners can apply the Decree, that the remuneration is attractive (result based) and correct (and in line with state aid regulation), that the business processes (back office) are performant and user-friendly to maximize the uptake.

The SBP aims to ensure that the threat to biodiversity is perceived as a problem for society as a whole. This should increase the general acceptance of measures, but also the understanding of sustainable use. It offers the chance to resolve the apparent contradictions between protection and sustainable use. This should also provide impulses for future constructive cooperation between different stakeholders.

The programme places a special focus on sustainable forest management and forest protection as well as Green Infrastructure. It defines concrete principles that are to contribute to the protection of forests and their ecosystems in this area and flanks these principles with a programme of action.

Among other things, the following fields of action are described:
- further expansion of near-natural forest management in Saxony
- ecological forest conversion with the aim of stabilising forest ecosystems in the long term
- Continuation of nature conservation measures in the forest (Natura 2000, renaturation of the Ore Mountain bogs, conservation and restoration of wetland biotopes in the forest).
- Forests are to be preserved or created as a natural biotope network.
- Establishment of a state-wide network of connected biotopes (biotope network).

The purpose of this law is the legal recognition, protection, management of the landscape of Galicia to preserve all the elements that make it up, within the framework of sustainable development, understanding that the landscape has a global dimension through the general interest of the Galician community, given the environmental, cultural, social and economic perspective. The following tools are provided for development and application with a view to ensuring adequate protection, management and planning of Galician landscapes:

Catalogue:
These are reference documents that, based on the different geographical, morphological, urban and coastal areas of the Galician territory, identify the different types of landscapes and their different characteristics from the natural and cultural point of view.

Guidelines:
These are specifications that define and specify the quality objectives to be achieved for each landscape unit, based on the landscape catalogues.

Impact studies and landscape integration:
For all projects that must undergo the Environmental Impact Declaration procedure, project proponents must prepare an impact and landscape integration study as part of the environmental impact study.

Strategic plans:
They are designed to plan landscape values at regional level.

Action plans:
They are designed to protect and manage the landscape identified in the landscape catalogues, especially in special landscape interest areas (AEIP) of Galicia's green infrastructure.