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Natura 2000

From Tilcayo Cats, the lean encyclopaedia by Tilcayo Knowledge Systems

Natura 2000 is a network of protected areas across the European Union. It was set up in 1992 to protect Europe's most valuable and threatened species and habitats, and the European Environment Agency (EEA) describes it as the largest coordinated network of protected areas in the world.[1]

How sites are chosen

Sites join the network under two EU laws. Special Protection Areas (SPAs) are designated under the Birds Directive, and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) protect the habitats and species listed in the Habitats Directive.[2] According to the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), the habitat types and species listed in the Habitats Directive are those thought to be most in need of conservation at a European level, not counting birds.[3]

Size

The EEA reports that by the end of 2024 the network had 27,173 sites. Together they covered 18.6% of the EU's land area and 10.5% of its marine territory.[4] The network grew steadily after 1992, but its area fell when the United Kingdom left the EU in 2020.[5] The agency has said that member states still need to make significant efforts to manage their sites effectively.[6]

United Kingdom

Since leaving the EU, the United Kingdom's SACs and SPAs are no longer part of Natura 2000. The UK government explains that regulations made in 2019 created a "national site network" on land and at sea instead.[7] The JNCC reports that 78 of the Habitats Directive's Annex I habitat types are believed to occur in the UK, and that 43 of its Annex II species are native to and normally resident in the UK.[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Natura 2000 sites designated under the EU Habitats and Birds Directives". European Environment Agency. 13 October 2026. Retrieved 20 October 2026. Natura 2000 is the largest coordinated network of protected areas in the world. Established in 1992 to safeguard Europe's most valuable and threatened species and habitats
  2. ↑ "Natura 2000 sites designated under the EU Habitats and Birds Directives". European Environment Agency. 13 October 2026. Retrieved 20 October 2026. Special Protection Areas (SPAs) are designated under the Birds Directive, while Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) protect habitats and species listed under the Habitats Directive.
  3. ↑ "Special Areas of Conservation". Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Retrieved 20 October 2026. The listed habitat types and species are those considered to be most in need of conservation at a European level (excluding birds).
  4. ↑ "Natura 2000 sites designated under the EU Habitats and Birds Directives". European Environment Agency. 13 October 2026. Retrieved 20 October 2026. By the end of 2024, the Natura 2000 network extended over 18.6% of the EU land area and 10.5% of its marine territory. The network consists of 27,173 sites
  5. ↑ "Natura 2000 sites designated under the EU Habitats and Birds Directives". European Environment Agency. 13 October 2026. Retrieved 20 October 2026. The reduction of Natura 2000 area in Figure 1 is due to the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU in 2020.
  6. ↑ "Natura 2000 sites designated under the EU Habitats and Birds Directives". European Environment Agency. 13 October 2026. Retrieved 20 October 2026. EU Member States still need to make significant efforts to establish and effectively
  7. ↑ "Changes to the Habitats Regulations 2017". Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Retrieved 20 October 2026. SACs and Special Protection Areas (SPAs) in the UK no longer form part of the EU's Natura 2000 ecological network. The 2019 Regulations have created a national site network on land and at sea
  8. ↑ "Special Areas of Conservation". Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Retrieved 20 October 2026. Of the Annex I habitat types, 78 are believed to occur in the UK. Of the Annex II species, 43 are native to, and normally resident in, the UK.
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