Natura 2000 Species
Species listed in Annexes II, IV, and V of the Habitats Directive (FFH-RL) and bird species listed in the Birds Directive (Vogelschutz-RL)
In Germany, there are 281 native animal and plant species listed in Annexes II, IV, and V of the Habitats Directive, along with nearly 110 species included in Annex I of the Birds Directive. These species are subject to different levels of protection, depending on the annex they are listed in (https://www.bfn.de/arten).
The protected areas of the Natura 2000 network are primarily intended to safeguard the habitat types and species of community interest that are listed in Annexes I and II of the Habitats Directive, as well as the bird species mentioned in Annex I of the Birds Directive. In addition, the animal and plant species of community interest listed in Annex IV of the Habitats Directive are strictly protected. Some economically utilized species, such as the medicinal plant Arnica (Arnica montana), are listed in Annex V. These species are regulated to ensure sustainable use without endangering their populations (https://www.bfn.de/arten).
The 281 species listed in Annexes II, IV, and V of the Habitats Directive are divided as follows: 138 species are listed in Annex II, 134 in Annex IV, and 103 in Annex V (https://www.bfn.de/arten). Species listed in Annex II of the Habitats Directive are those for which protected areas must be designated. Annex IV currently lists 134 species in Germany that are strictly protected under § 44 of the BNatSchG. These so-called "planning-relevant" species — along with bird species listed in Annex I of the Birds Directive — must not be harmed, killed, or significantly disturbed under this regulation. A disturbance is considered significant if it negatively affects the conservation status of a species’ local population. Therefore, any planned interventions in nature must either prevent negative impacts on these species or compensate for them in advance.
With the implementation of Natura 2000, nature conservation and environmental planning have increasingly focused on the so-called "Annex species." However, the selection of these species, based on criteria such as their endangered status across Europe and their main distribution within Europe, is not always clear. As a result, many highly endangered species from the Red Lists are missing, particularly those from lesser-known or less "popular" groups, such as grasshoppers, bugs, leafhoppers, flies, or spiders.
To tackle this issue, the 2010 amendment to the Federal Nature Conservation Act (BNatSchG) introduced the concept of "species national responsibility." Under § 54, the Federal Ministry for the Environment is empowered to establish its own legal regulations to protect or enhance protections for species for which Germany has special responsibility – either because they are found exclusively in Germany or because a significant portion of their global population resides here.
The focus on the ecology of species listed in the Habitats Directive does not reduce the importance or threat status of other species, such as those on the Red Lists. For more information on these other species, visit the "Deutschlands Natur"-website (https://www.deutschlands-natur.de/). The Natura 2000 Manager website mainly provides information on the ecology and habits of Annex species of the Habitats Directive and links to profiles on the BfN website, "Deutschlands Natur," or the "NABU Naturgucker Academy," which includes details on birds and species from the Birds Directive. You can also find information on species ecology, management, and threat status in the course units for specific species groups in the training program's login area.
- Mammals in the FFH Directive
- Bats in the FFH Directive
- Amphibians and Reptiles in the FFH Directive
- Fish and Lampreys
- Invertebrates in the FFH Directive
- Birds of Open Landscapes
Refresh Your Species Knowledge with NABU|naturgucker Academy
Interested in strengthening your knowledge of species? The NABU|naturgucker Academy offers free online courses focused on identifying species, including birds, mammals, plants, and fungi. These courses are an excellent supplement to the training provided in the Natura 2000 Manager course.
Sources
Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) and the Federal-State Working Group (BLAK) on FFH Monitoring and Reporting (eds.) (2017): Evaluation schemes for assessing the conservation status of species and habitat types as a basis for nationwide FFH monitoring, Part II: Habitat Types under Annex I of the FFH Directive. Part II: Habitat Types under Annex I of the FFH Directive. BfN-Script 481, 243 pp., Bonn-Bad Godesberg.