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  • Biodiversity Action Plan Report
  • Biodiversity Baseline report
  • Streamlining European Biodiversity Indicators
  • State of the Environment Report
  • The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity
 

Folder Protected areas

 

According to IUCN's new definition, a protected area is a 'clearly' defined geographical space, recognised, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values (Dudley, 2008).

 

With more than 100 000 sites designated in 52 countries, Europe accounts for more protected areas than any other region. To some extent this reflects the high pressure on land use arising from agriculture, transport and urban development in Europe.

Protected areas have long been the only way to preserve remarkable natural assets from adverse land use. The size of Europe’s designated areas varies greatly, ranging from an individual tree, such as the Kačja smreka in Godovic, Slovenia, to over 97 million hectares (ha) for a site in Greenland. Ninety per cent of sites are less than 1000 ha, however.

• Protected areas provide a wide range of services in a context of increasing pressures and a rapidly changing environment.

• Europe is the region with the greatest number of protected areas in the world but they are relatively small in size.

• Europe's Natura 2000, unique in the world and still young, and the Emerald network under development, are international European networks of protected areas that catalyse biodiversity conservation.

The Natura 2000 network

click to start the Natura 2000 viewerNatura 2000 is an EUwide network of nature protection areas established under the 1992 Habitats Directive. The aim of the network is to assure the long-term survival of Europe's most valuable and threatened species and habitats. It is comprised of Special Areas of Conservation designated by Member States under the Habitats Directive, and also incorporates Special Protection Areas which they designate under the 1979 Birds Directive. It also applies to the marine environment. The Natura 2000 network consists currently of nearly 26 000 protected areas and has a total area of more that 850 000 sqkm, representing approximately 18 % of the total EU terrestrial area.

 

The Emerald network

The Emerald Network is an ecological network which was launched by the Council of Europe in compliance with Resolution 4 and 6 of the the Bern Convention.

It involves all the European Union states, some non-Community states and a number of African states. The Emerald Network is based on the same principles as Natura 2000, and represents its de facto extension to non-Community countries.

 

Further reading:

 

Selected links:

More on Natura 2000 from DG ENV web page

Building the Natura 2000 network

search Life project database

Natura 2000 map viewer

Data on Natura 2000

Statistics on Natura 2000

Digital Observatory for Protected Areas (DOPA)

The Emerald Network

Nationally Designated Areas (CDDA)

The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA)

Protectedplanet.net - WDPA map viewer