Luxembourg

Luxembourg is a landlocked country bordered by 3 other countries, with an terrestrial area of close to 2,600km², making it the second smallest country in the EU. The highest point is Kneiff with a height of 560m. Luxembourg has a population of 643,000 people and a population density of 255 people per km².

of land covered

by protected areas

species protected

under EU law

habitats protected

under EU law

Protected areas in Luxembourg cover a total of km².

Percentage of area covered by protected areas

Currently, of the territory of Luxembourg is designated as protected areas, which is significantly above the EU value of 26.4%. The EU Biodiversity Strategy has set a target of reaching 30% protected area coverage at the EU level by 2030.

Number of protected areas

Luxembourg has a total of protected areas, comprising sites designated under national laws and 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 Luxembourg, slightly more than the half of the protected areas are designated solely under national laws and the other half consists mainly of Natura 2000 sites overlapping with national designations.

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 (37%) of protected areas in Luxembourg are smaller than 1km² and the rest is distributed between areas of 1-10km² (35%) and 10-100km² (27%). 2% of protected areas are 100-1,000km².

Natura 2000 sites

Natura 2000 sites in Luxembourg 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 Luxembourg under EU law fall under the Habitats and Birds Directives. Luxembourg hosts protected under the Habitats Directive, which is approximately 4% of the total of the Habitats Directive’s species and protected birds, which is approximately 35% 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 Luxembourg, 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 Luxembourg, the distribution of protected species across taxonomic groups highlights the prominence of birds, comprising the largest proportion at 72.7%. They are followed by mammals, accounting for 10% of protected species, and arthropods, representing 4.5%.

Conservation Status by Taxa

In Luxembourg, the assessment of species groups reveals that non-vascular plants have the highest proportion of species with a good conservation status, standing at 50%. Other invertebrates exhibit the highest percentage of species with a bad conservation status, reaching 100%. Reptiles exhibit the highest percentage of species with a poor conservation status, standing at 100%.

Habitats protected in Luxembourg under EU law fall under the Habitats Directive. Luxembourg hosts habitat types, which is approximately 12% of the total of habitat types protected by the Habitats Directive.

habitats protected under EU law in Luxembourg

Conservation status of habitats

In Luxembourg, 32.1% of habitats assessments indicate a good conservation status which is above the EU average of 14.7%. While the proportion of assessments indicating a bad conservation status, amounting to 50%, is surpassing the EU average of 35.8%.

Protected habitat composition by group

In Luxembourg, the group of protected habitats with the largest number consists of forests, encompassing 25% of the total. Following closely behind are grasslands and rocky habitats, each accounting for 21.4% of the protected habitats.

Conservation status by group

In Luxembourg the assessment of habitat groups reveals that rocky habitats have the highest proportion of good conservation status, standing at 83.3%. Following behind are forests, with 42.8% of habitat types in good conservation status. On the other hand, heath and scrub and bogs, mires and fens exhibit the highest percentage of habitat types with a bad conservation status, reaching 100%, while grasslands also have a significant proportion of habitat types in bad conservation status at 83.3%.

Luxembourg is predominantly characterised by two main types of ecosystems: agroecosystems, which cover 52.4% of the country, followed by forest ecosystems occupying 37% of the land area. While urban areas account for 9.7%, Luxembourg also has relatively smaller proportions of heathlands (0.5%), rivers and lakes (0.4%), and wetland ecosystems (0.1%).

In terms of the protected area network, agroecosystems constitute the largest portion, covering 51.8% of the protected areas. Forest ecosystems make up 44.4% of the protected areas, while urban areas account for 3.2%. Rivers and lakes contribute to 0.6% of the protected areas and heathlands represent 0.04%.