Germany

Germany has a terrestrial area of close to 358,000km² and a marine area close to 56,000km² split between the Atlantic and the Baltic and is bordered by 9 other countries. The northern part of the country consists of lowlands with the southern part of the country consisting of the Alps, in-between are forested upland regions. The highest point is Zugspitze at 2,962m. Germany has a population of 83 million people and a population density of 234.7 people per km².

of land
is covered

by protected areas

of marine waters

is covered
by protected areas

of species
are protected

under EU law

of habitats
are protected
under EU law

Sources: Terrestrial protected area coverage by country and in the EU-27 by the end of 2023, Marine protected areas in Europe's seas (2023), Conservation status of habitat types and species: datasets from Article 17, Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC reporting (2013-2018).

In 2023, of Germany's land was designated as protected areas, above the EU value of 26.4%. With a coverage of in its marine waters, Germany is below the EU value of 13.7%.

Percentage of area covered by protected areas

Evolution of area covered by protected areas

From 2012 to 2023 the share of terrestrial protected areas in Germany increased by 1.8%, equal to the EU value increase of 1.8%.
National marine protected areas coverage trends are not available because methodological changes prevent a consistent comparison across years.

The EU Biodiversity Strategy has set a target of reaching 30% protected area coverage at the EU level by 2030.

If you want to know more about the Biodiversity Strategy, you can explore the Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity (KCBD) and in particular the Dashboard section showing progress of the EU and its Member States towards the Biodiversity Strategy targets set for 2030.

Go to the EU Biodiversity Strategy Dashboard

Distribution of protected areas between national designations and Natura 2000

In Germany, of protected areas in the terrestrial environment consists of Natura 2000 sites, while the is designated under national laws ( In the marine waters of Germany, the majority of protected areas, accounting for , are designated as Natura 2000 sites.

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 size distribution of the protected areas network in Germany’s terrestrial environment, aligns with the trend observed in many other EU countries, where the majority of protected areas are smaller than 1km². About 3% of terrestrial protected areas are larger than 1,000km². The distribution of protected areas in the marine waters of Germany presents a more heterogeneous picture, encompassing a range of sizes, with the majority being 100-1,000km² and about 14% covered by sites larger than 1,000km².

A focus on Natura 2000 sites in

Germany has a total of Natura 2000 sites, they are designated under the Birds Directive, encompassing Special Protection Areas (SPA), and the Habitats Directive, encompassing Sites of Community Importance (SCI). Many sites are designated under both Directives.

Go to Natura 2000 Barometer

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Species protected in Germany under EU law fall under the Habitats and Birds Directives. Germany hosts protected under the Habitats Directive, which is approximately 14% of the total of the Habitats Directive’s species and protected birds, which is approximately 60% of the species protected under the Birds Directive.

The figures are based on data electronically reported by the Member States under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) on the conservation status of habitat types and species for the 2013–2018 reporting period.

species protected under EU law

species under the Habitats Directive

species under the Birds Directive

Conservation Status of species: Habitats Directive

In Germany, 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%.

Protected species composition by taxonomic group

In Germany, the distribution of protected species across taxonomic groups highlights the prominence of birds, comprising the largest proportion at 58.6%. They are followed by mammals, accounting for 9.1% of protected species, and arthropods, representing 8.9%.

Conservation Status by Taxa

In Germany, the assessment of species groups reveals that mammals have the highest proportion of species with a good conservation status, standing at 35.7%. Following closely behind are molluscs, with 31.5% of species in good conservation status, and fish. On the other hand, arthropods exhibit the highest percentage of species with a bad conservation status, reaching 48.6%, while vascular plants also have a significant proportion of species in bad conservation status at 46.6%. All other invertebrates have unknown conservation status.

Habitats protected in Germany under EU law fall under the Habitats Directive. Germany hosts habitat types, which is approximately 39.9% of the total of habitat types protected by the Habitats Directive.

habitats protected under EU law in Germany

Conservation status of habitats

In Germany 29.7% of habitats assessments indicate a good conservation status which is above the EU average of 14.7%. On the other hand, the proportion of assessments indicating a bad conservation status, amounting to 37.4%, is surpassing the EU average of 35.8%.

Protected habitat composition by group

In Germany the group of protected habitats with the largest number consists of forests, accounting for 19.3% of the total. Following closely behind are grasslands, coastal and salt-tolerant habitats, each accounting for 13.9% of the protected habitats.

Conservation status by group

In Germany the assessment of habitat groups reveals that rocky habitats have the highest proportion of good conservation status, standing at 81.2%. Following behind are heath and scrub, with 60% of habitat types in good conservation status. On the other hand, grasslands exhibit the highest percentage of habitat types with a bad conservation status, reaching 53.3%, while dune habitats also have a significant proportion of habitat types in bad conservation status at 47.8%.

Germany is predominantly characterised by two main types of ecosystems: agroecosystems, which cover 55% of the country, followed by forest ecosystems occupying 32.4% of the land area. Urban areas account for 10.4% however, Germany has relatively smaller proportions of rivers and lakes (1.2%), heathlands (0.7%), and wetland ecosystems (0.3%).

The figures are based on the dataset "Ecosystem types of Europe 2012 - Full map (marine and terrestrial habitats) - version 3 revision 1, Feb. 2019".

In terms of the protected area network, forests constitute the largest portion, covering 51.8% of the protected areas. Agroecosystems make up 41.5% of the protected areas, reflecting the importance of conserving and managing agricultural landscapes for biodiversity. Rivers and lakes account for 2.6% of the protected areas, emphasizing the significance of protecting nature within aquatic environments. Urban areas contribute to 2.5% of the protected areas, while heathlands represent 1%, and wetlands comprise 0.6%.