Denmark

Denmark is a low-lying country that comprises the Jutland peninsula and over 400 islands. It has a terrestrial area of over 43,000km² and a marine area of over 120,000km². The highest point in Denmark is Møllehøj, standing at 171m. The country shares its borders with Germany. With a population of 5.9 million people, Denmark has a population density of 138 people per km².

of land covered

by protected areas

of marine waters covered

by protected areas

species protected

under EU law

habitats protected

under EU law

Protected areas in Denmark cover a total of km² on land and km² at sea.

Percentage of area covered by protected areas

Currently, of terrestrial area of Denmark has been designated as protected areas, which is below the EU value of 26.4% with the target of 30% to be reached at the EU level by 2030, as set by the EU Biodiversity Strategy.
With a coverage of in its marine waters, Denmark surpasses the EU value of 12.1%.

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Number of protected areas

Denmark has a total of protected areas, comprising sites designated under national laws and sites recognized as Natura 2000 sites. These Natura 2000 sites are designated under the Birds Directive, encompassing Special Protection Areas, and the Habitats Directive, encompassing Sites of Community Importance. Many sites are designated under both Directives.

Number of protected areas

Protected areas designated

under national laws

Designated sites

in the Natura 2000 network

Distribution of protected areas between national designations and Natura 2000

In Denmark , of the protected areas in the terrestrial environment are designated exclusively under national laws. Slightly more than the half of the network is covered by Natura 2000 sites either where they are the only designation ( ) or where they overlap with national designations ( ). In the marine waters of Denmark, the majority of protected areas are exclusively designated as Natura 2000 sites, with a small portion covered by areas where these overlap with national designations and a small portion covered exclusively by national designations.

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Spatial distribution of protected areas network

Protected areas designated under national laws

Designated sites in the Natura 2000 network

Size distribution of protected areas network

The majority (75%) of protected areas in Denmark are less than 1km² in size, which is higher than the average proportion of small protected areas across the EU. Only about 1% of terrestrial protected areas in Denmark are 100-1,000 km² and about 2% are larger than 1,000km².

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Natura 2000 sites

Natura 2000 sites in Denmark cover species and habitats from the nature directives. The number of species and habitats protected in each site varies depending on the location of the site, the biodiversity in the region, the designation being used, and the features the site is being created to protect.

Species protected in Denmark under EU law fall under the Habitats and Birds Directives. Denmark hosts protected under the Habitats Directive, which is approximately 6% of the total of the Habitats Directive’s species and protected birds, which is approximately 49% of the species protected under the Birds Directive.

species protected under EU law

species under the Habitats Directive

species under the Birds Directive

Conservation Status of species: Habitats Directive

In Denmark, of species assessments indicate a good conservation status, while the EU average corresponds to 27.5%. The proportion of assessments indicating bad conservation status is reaching , compared to the EU average of 20.6%

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Protected species composition by taxonomic group

In Denmark, the distribution of protected species across taxonomic groups highlights the prominence of birds, comprising the largest proportion at 74.1%. They are followed by mammals, accounting for 8.5% of protected species, and amphibians, representing 3.6%.

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Conservation Status by Taxa

In Denmark, the assessment of species groups reveals that mammals have the highest proportion of species with a good conservation status, standing at 47.7%. On the other hand, reptiles exhibit the highest percentage of species with a bad conservation status, reaching 100%. Vascular plants also have a significant proportion of species in bad conservation status, standing at 81.8%, as well as non-vascular plants, standing at 66.6%. All other invertebrates have unknown conservation status.

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Habitats protected in Denmark under EU law fall under the Habitats Directive. Denmark hosts habitat types, which is approximately 25.8% of the total of habitat types protected by the Habitats Directive.

habitats protected under EU law in Denmark

Conservation status of habitats

In Denmark only 5.4% of habitats assessments indicate a good conservation status which is below the EU average of 14.7%. Conversely, a significant proportion of assessments, amounting to 76.6%, indicate a bad conservation status, surpassing the EU average of 35.8%.

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Protected habitat composition by group

In Denmark the group of protected habitats with the largest number consists of coastal and salt-tolerant habitats (23.3%) and coastal and inland dunes (20%). Following closely behind are forests, encompassing 15% of the protected habitats.

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Conservation status by group

In Denmark the assessment of habitat groups reveals that rocky habitats have the highest proportion of good conservation status, standing at 100%. On the other hand, forests, sclerophyllous scrub, and heath and scrub exhibit the highest percentage of habitat types with a bad conservation status reaching 100%, while grasslands and bogs, mires and fens also have a significant proportion of habitat types in bad conservation status, which stands at 88.8% and 84.6%, respectively. .

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Denmark is predominantly characterised by agroecosystems covering 76.1% of the country. Forest ecosystems occupy 12.8% of the land area, while Urban areas account for 8.5%. However, Denmark has also relatively smaller proportions of rivers and lakes (1.08%), heathlands (0.9%), and wetland ecosystems (0.6%).

In terms of the protected area network, agroecosystems constitute the largest portion, covering 54.4% of the protected areas, reflecting the importance of conserving and managing agricultural landscapes for biodiversity. Forests make up 23.6% of the protected areas and rivers and lakes contribute to 9.3%. heathlands represent 8.3%, while wetlands comprise 3.2% and urban areas account for 1.1%.

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