Natura 2000 Network: what it is and protected areas

The Natura 2000 Network is a European project conceived in 1992 as an ecological network of biodiversity conservation areas . In it, different Special Conservation Zones (ZEC) are established according to the Habitats Directive and Special Protection Zones for Birds (ZEPA).

The objective of the Natura 2000 Network is to ensure the survival, in the short and long term, of the different species of living beings and types of habitats that exist in Europe, thus helping to halt the catastrophic loss of biodiversity that is increasing year after year. .

In this way, the European project Red Natura 2000 constitutes the main engine and instrument for the preservation of nature in many of the countries that make up the European Union . For this, the different autonomous, community and state administrations of each European country are in constant communication, verifying and expanding the strategies and conservation measures that are being taken from the Natura 2000 Network project.

In the next sections we will detail which are the areas protected by these conservation strategies of this ecological network of biodiversity protection zones , as well as some more characteristics of this necessary and important European environmental project .

With more than 27,000 protected areas in Europe , the Natura 2000 Network plays one of the most important roles in the conservation and protection of nature , not only at the European level, but also at the global level.

The “Habitats Directive” is in charge of identifying these habitats and species of flora and fauna, considered to be part of the areas protected by the Natura 2000 Network . A total of 231 types of habitats are included in this directive. Each and every one of them meet the following requirements and characteristics:

• They are natural habitats threatened by the danger of disappearance in the territory of the European Union (EU), and their conservation is a special responsibility for the EU.
• These habitats are threatened with disappearance in their natural range, or the natural range is reduced due to regression or any type of restriction.
• The habitats that correspond to protected areas of the Natura 2000 Network must constitute representative examples of one or more of the biogeographic regions located within the European Union.
• These habitats can be natural or semi-natural, terrestrial or aquatic; always characterized by its great community interest within the territory of the different EU Member States.

In Spain, 118 types of habitats (51% of the total) are officially recognized as protected areas by the Natura 2000 Network, and correspond to the Alpine, Atlantic, Macaronesian and Mediterranean terrestrial biogeographic regions, as well as the Atlantic marine regions, Macaronesia and Mediterranean.

In this other AgroCorrn article you can learn more about the importance of nature reserves and protected areas .

In 2017, the Natura 2000 Network celebrated 25 years since its creation and as a commemoration of its 25th anniversary, the European Commission declared the celebration of May 21 as European Day of the Natura 2000 Network official .

On this day, both political, scientific and business entities, as well as the local population of the European countries that are members of the Natura 2000 Network , celebrate the importance of each and every one of the gestures and actions that recall the importance of conserving these protected spaces.

The Natura 2000 Network was created on May 21, 1992, with the purpose of achieving the different objectives that had been established by the Convention on Biological Diversity, approved at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in that same year 1992. Since then, The work of the Natura 2000 Network in the field of conservation of the natural habitats of wild fauna and flora of the European territory has made it possible to raise awareness among the inhabitants and tourists of each and every one of the countries participating in the project.