Natura 2000 - Europe's top sites for nature and wildlife

Natura 2000 network with around 25,000 sites cover almost a fifth of the EU territory demonstrate nature can exist in harmony with humans. Zoom In | Hi-Res

Natura 2000 lies at the heart of Europe’s efforts to protect its biodiversity. It includes the sites protected under the EU Birds and Habitats Directives. Covering almost a fifth of the EU territory Natura 2000 consists of around 25,000 sites where nature can exist in harmony with humans. Natura 2000 sites are not “fenced-off” protected areas. On the contrary, they are often dependent on sustainable human activities and land-use that have shaped them and maintained them over the years. Natura 2000 is coordinated and supervised by the European Commission, and implemented by EU Member States.

Natura 2000 represents and shows the huge variety of European landscapes: from the last untouched forests of Eastern Poland, to the extensive cork-oak-pastures in Spain, from peaceful Mediterranean islands to the busy port of Antwerp – Natura 2000 sites can be found in densely populated areas as well as on remote mountain peaks.

What is so unique about Natura 2000?

Natura 2000 areas are selected on a scientific basis, for animal and plant species as well as for certain habitat types. There are clear rules for site selection as well as a clear framework for how the sites should be protected and managed by the EU Member States.

However, what makes Natura 2000 so special is that it does not exclude, but rather builds on the involvement of people. For each site conservation objectives need to be set and management plans should be developed, together with all interested stakeholders. That way it can jointly be discussed how to best reach the common objectives and what this means for the individual types of land-use. This approach, if properly done, allows the buy-in of all concerned and in many cases prevents the typical “nature vs. economy” conflicts from occurring.

Another unique aspect of Natura 2000 is the fact that for the first time in the world, a big group of countries (the currently 27 EU Member States) have agreed to set up jointly an international network of protected areas, with binding rules for site selection and protection. Nature doesn’t know any borders, so nature conservation can only work in an international framework. At the same time Natura 2000 provides investors who operate in the EU’s Single Market a “level playing field” with clear rules and planning security.

Natura 2000 has already helped a great number of species including birds like Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia, White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla and Spanish Imperial Eagle Aquila adalberti to stabilise or even increase after decades of loss (Read more...).

Chris Gomersall Western Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus is one of the many bird species that breed in Natura 2000 sites in north-west Europe Zoom In

Why does Natura 2000 help us against climate change?

Natura 2000 is a safety-net for our future. Many Natura 2000 sites store carbon (like wetlands, bogs and forests) and that way help reducing the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.  At the same time humans, just like animals and plants, need a green network to buffer against the impacts of climate change, which is unavoidable, and already happening now. Natura 2000 sites provide valuable environmental services that protect us against extreme weather events like floods or droughts. Many studies have shown that nature conservation is one of the most cost-effective and most sustainable ways of climate change adaptation. (Read more about BirdLife’s work on climate change here.)

What could be done better to increase the success of Natura 2000?

The establishment of an ambitious concept such as Natura 2000, covering almost 20% of Europe’s territory, is necessarily a long and difficult process. More than 30 years after the adoption of the Birds Directive, and almost 20 years after Natura 2000 was born through the Habitats Directive, the process of site selection still continues in marine areas. The time has nonetheless come to focus increasingly on the proper implementation of the Directives underpinning the Natura 2000 network. These foresee that conservation objectives are set and management plans designed for the protected habitats and species within Natura 2000 sites. The development of management plans can also play a key role in showing the benefits of Natura 2000, for example for job creation, health, recreation, climate change adaptation etc. BirdLife has compiled examples from all over Europe to show how people benefit from wildlife (download the English version of the publication "Wellbeing through wildlife" here or find more language versions and the press release here. It is very important that Member States and the European Commission, as well as NGOs, continue communicating about the ways in which Natura 2000 benefits society and how it works in practice.

In order for the network to fulfil its purpose, sufficient financing of the necessary protection, restoration and management measures also needs to be guaranteed.  (Read more...).