Economic stimulation of rational use and protection of lands of the national ecological network

The article is devoted to studying the features of economic stimulation of rational use and protection of lands within the national ecological network. The author focuses on the problems of ensuring an effective balance between the public interests of environmental protection and the private socio-economic needs of landowners and land users whose holdings are part of the ecological network. The article examines the principles and individual aspects of the procedure for forming a national ecological network, as well as the procedure for including territories and objects in its composition. It is highlighted that an important tool that can convince landowners and land users to agree to the establishment of environmental restrictions in the sphere of their private interest is economic incentives, which will compensate for certain inconveniences in conducting economic activities. Particular attention is paid to analyzing the experience of the European Union Member States in managing land plots within Natura 2000. An effective tool of environmental policy in the EU is the implementation of the environmental impact assessment procedure. At the same time, it is mandatory to conduct a public discussion in order to determine the best mechanisms for nature conservation, taking into account financial resources and compensation. A similar procedure is also provided for in Ukraine, but it should extend not only to the territory of the nature reserve fund, but also to all structural elements of the national ecological network. The conclusions of the article emphasize the importance of economic stimulation of the processes of rational use and protection of lands within the national ecological network, aimed at preserving biological and landscape diversity, maintaining ecological balance and sustainable development of territories. It is proposed that the improvement of the legal regime of lands of the national ecological network should be based on an ecosystem approach and ensuring a balance between environmental protection and guarantees of land ownership.