Natura 2000

Natura 2000 is a European network of protected areas designated by the EU Member States based on legally binding legislation: the 1979 Birds Directive (Council Directive 79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds) and the 1992 Habitats Directive (Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora). According to Article 3 of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), Natura 2000 is a coherent European ecological network of Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Areas for birds (SPA).

SPAs are designated by the Member States according to the Birds Directive. The Directive obliges the Member States to "classify the most suitable territories" as SPAs in order "to ensure the survival and reproduction" of the bird species mentioned in Annex I. of the Directive. Similar measures have to be applied "for the regularly occurring migratory species not listed in Annex I.", and particular attention has to be paid "to the protection of wetlands and particularly to wetlands of international importance". The Commission's role is to ensure the coherence of the SPA network.

SACs are required to contribute significantly to the maintenance or restoration at a favourable conservation status of Natural habitat types of Community interest (i.e. habitat types which are in danger of disappearance, occur in small natural range or are outstanding examples of a certain biogeographic region), listed in Annex I of the Habitats Directive, and of Animal and Plant Species of Community interest (i.e. endangered, vulnerable, rare or endemic species), listed in Annex II of the Habitats Directive. Special attention needs to be paid for Animal and Plant Species of Community interest in Need of Strict Protection, which are listed in Annex IV of the Habitats Directive. SACs are required to form a coherent network.

The designation of SACs compared with the designation of SPAs is a more complicated and longer process requiring cooperation between the Commission and the Member States. First, Member States draw up the list of proposed Sites of Community Interest (pSCIs) according to the criteria in Annex III of the Habitats Directive (Criteria for selecting sites eligible for identification as Sites of Community Importance and designation as Special Areas of Conservation). The list of pSCIs then undergo a 'process of moderation' at the EU level, involving representatives from the Member States and the Commission in one or more Biogeographic Seminars, where Sites of Community Interest are designated. Finally, Sites of Community Interest are turned into Special areas of conservation by the Member States.

The designation process was caracterised by long delays in the old Member States. The SCI selection should have been completed within six years after the notification (1992) of the Directive in case of EU 15, but the list of SCI for the Mediterranean Region was adopted only in 2006. The new Member States have three years after the respective date of their accession (2004/2007) to designate SCIs and additional six years to designate SAC at national level. Read more about the designation process here.

Why is Natura 2000 different from traditional site protection?

The Natura 2000 network has some features which distinguish it from protected areas designated at the national level. First of all the designation of SACs is based on purely scientific information (provided they are available) which gives an unambiguous basis to select these areas and unifies the entire network. These sites provide protection for selected species or habitats only, taking into consideration their protection requirements. Moreover, the protected areas shall form an ecological network which is representative of all European environments, and which can reduce the isolation and the fragmentation of the threatened populations with regards to biodiversity conservation.

The Habitats Directive is also a basis from which to request some European Community financial resources - though quite limited - to protect and maintain these areas. Until 2006 the main European Union funding source for Natura 2000 was the Commission’s LIFE-Nature fund. From 2007 financing is integrated into the EU Structural and Cohesion policy thus the management and maintenance of the network can be financed through the EARDF (European Agricultural Rural Development Fund), the ERDF (European Rural Development Fund), ESF (European Social Fund), Fisheries Fund etc. LIFE+ will provide some extra small amount for other necessary measures.

The use of financial allocations from these funds for Natura 2000 aims to assist the management of these sites, as well as to provide additional income to local inhabitants, contribute to stopping the major trends in land abandonment and decrease the social gap between rural and industrialised areas. Because socioeconomic and other activities, e.g. extensive agricultural practices may not only be permitted but actually required on Natura 2000 sites it helps to create jobs and thus contributes to sustainable development in rural areas.

The purpose of the Natura 2000 network is not to create nature sanctuaries where all human activity will be systematically excluded. The preservation of biodiversity in the designated sites may require human activities to be maintained or encouraged. For instance, some types of meadow have to be mown or grazed so that they do not become fallow, which would lead to the disappearance of certain endangered species. However, human activities must remain compatible with the conservation aims of the designated sites. Article 6 of the Directive obliges the Member States to establish conservation measures (The provisions of Article 6 of the 'Habitats' Directive). Management plans, specifically designed for the sites concerned or integrated into other development plans seem to be one of the possibilities to achieve this. Each Member State is free to choose the method and type of measures to be taken. Whether statutory, administrative or contractual, they must prevent any deterioration of the site and if necessary restore them. For this aim the plans and projects that may significantly affect Natura 2000 sites must be also assessed (Methodological guidances on the provisions of Artle 6 of the Habitats Directive by the European Commission).

Finally, according to the estimates for the EU 15, Natura 2000 areas will cover more than 17% of the land area of the Member States, which is significantly more than the coverage of protected areas protected under national law for most of the European countries.

Natura 2000 in the enlarged European Union

In May 2004, ten new member states accessed the EU (the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia). The accession of Bulgaria and Romania followed in 2007. These evens opened a new chapter in European nature conservation, as the EU nature conservation legislation - the Birds and Habitats Directives - have to be applied to the new member states from the date of accession (1st May 2004 and 1st January 2007) onwards. This involved considerable quantitative, and - which is even more significant - qualitative change concerning the abovementioned directives, since several typical and endangered species and habitat types occur in the Acceding Countries which are either nearly extinct, or do not occur at all in the former EU15.

Following a series of discussions between the Acceding Countries, existing Member States and the European Commission, several new species and habitats have been included into the annexes, and also three new biogeographic region were added to the existing six (Continental, Mediterranean, Alpine, Atlantic, Macaronesian, Boreal): the Pannonian, the Black Sea and the Steppic Regions. The final product forms part of the environment chapter of the Treaty of Accession to the European Union 2003, which was signed in Athens on 16 April, 2003.

Summary of changes introduced to the Annexes of the Habitats Directive before the 2004 enlargement and before the 2007 enlargement.

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