Basics of Natura 2000

Animals and plants are not confined by national borders. Therefore, the preservation and protection of endangered species and their habitats must be carried out across countries.

In the European Union, it was therefore decided in 1992 to establish a network of protected areas (Natura 2000), which serves to preserve endangered wild plant and animal species and their natural habitats in Europe. The necessary EU regulations had to be implemented by each member state through their own national laws. In federal Germany, this process required adapting the EU directives into the nature conservation laws of each federal state. 

The Natura 2000 network consists of protected areas covered by the Habitats Directive (Habitats Directive, from May 21, 1992, 92/43/EEC) and the Birds Directive (from April 2, 1979, 79/409/EEC). The Habitats Directive sites are also referred to as Sites of Community Importance (SCI) or Special Areas of Conservation (SAC). The areas designated under the Birds Directive are known as Special Protection Areas (SPA). These sites were selected and protected according to uniform EU-wide standards.