Natura 2000

Natura 2000 is the official name for a coherent network of protected areas, which will be built within the European Union according to the stipulations of Directive 92/43/EEC (Fauna - Flora -Habitat Directive, just the Habitats Directive). Its purpose is the transnational conservation of threatened wild native plant and animal species and their habitats. Also in accordance with Directive 79/409/EEC ( Birds Directive short ) can be integrated from designated areas in the protected area network.

The Natura 2000 network consisted of 2010 already about 18 % of the land area of the European Union.

Basics

The Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive with its network of protected areas Natura 2000 and its species protection provisions constitute a comprehensive legal instrument for habitat and species protection for nature conservation. They serve the goal of implementing the protection adopted by both the European Union and the Member States in the Convention on Biological Diversity ( CBD, Rio 1992) biodiversity of species and habitats. At the European Council in Gothenburg in 2001, the EU Member States also decided to stop further loss of biodiversity by 2010 ( 2010 target ).

For the systematics of an ecological- geographical zone model of Europe and adjacent regions has been developed, the biogeographical regions of the European Union. It includes 11 regional and five marine areas.

Conduct of the proceedings and naming

Natura 2000 is not a simple development of the existing inventory of protected areas of national or international categories, but is set up independently. The procedure to be laid down in detail is shown in the Habitats Directive, simplistic here:

• Member States shall choose, guided by the criteria according to Annex III of the Habitats Directive, eligible areas from. These include: Include areas which natural habitat types according to Annex I of the Habitats Directive ( habitats of Community interest )
• Include ( species of Community interest ) areas, habitats of the species according to Annex II of the Habitats Directive

In contrast, gain areas that have been selected by the Member States in accordance with the stipulations of the Birds Directive (Special protection areas, SPA), the status of a special protection area directly in its notification to the Commission, that is, without evaluation procedures.

It should be noted that the German translation of " special protection area " for both the " Special Area of Conservation " of the Habitats Directive as well as the "special protection area" of the Birds Directive is used, and that the term "special protection area" not was coined in the Birds Directive itself, but only a few years later in the Habitats Directive. Furthermore, since the two types of areas may overlap in the area have been established, the terms FFH and European bird sanctuary to distinguish in Germany. For the areas of the Birds Directive is often ambiguous short form found " bird sanctuary ".

In most provinces of Austria Natura 2000 sites are consistently prescribed under the name of European nature reserve, in some places when it comes to areas of protection under both Directives in particular. The European nature reserve is enshrined in the country's modern nature conservation laws as a national protected class.

Schedule and expanding state

The Habitats Directive establishes a precise timetable for the establishment of Natura 2000. Accordingly, should, within three years of its notification (until 1995) the area Member States' proposals carried. Within six years of the notification of the Directive ( to 1998 ) should be created from the list of sites of Community importance by the European Commission. After that, the specified areas should as soon as possible, but no later than within a further six years, are reported by the Member State concerned as special protection areas ( by the year 2004).

This schedule was not adhered to. Delays have occurred initially, inter alia, by the lack of standards in terms of the scale or the completeness of the field reports. Appropriate criteria were worked out only on expert meeting convened by the Commission since 2000. The delays still occur further prompted the Commission to the threat of sanctions and lawsuits against individual Member States. Additional pressure exerted from various non-governmental conservation organizations by offering numerous field messages drawn from my own competence (so-called shadow lists), and thus the underreporting of the Member States made ​​it clear. Recognized and scale- forming importance came primarily the lists of Important Bird Areas, which are managed by BirdLife International.

In 2004, a still tentative list of sites of Community importance has been published, with the implementation by the Member States received a solid foundation first. In addition, were constantly reported by the Member States more sites to the Commission. Even without considering the states that have only become after 1992 EU member, the Nachmeldeprozess had not been completed in 2008.

Periodically updated information on the development status offers published by the European Commission Natura 2000 barometer. Thus, the end of 2009 in the EU as a whole 23,810 areas (marine and terrestrial ) with 716,992 km ² total area, of which 585,533 km ² land area reported (13.5% of the EU's land area) and 131,459 km ² marine area as a Natura 2000 sites of European importance; them in Germany a total of 4675 areas with 54,342 km ² total, of which 34,574 km ² of land area ( 9.7% of land area) and 19,768 km ² marine area in Austria 168 areas with 8978 km ² of land area (10.7% of land area). Total accounts with 2010, about 11.6 % of the EU territory to areas of common interest. By January 2011, almost 27,000 km ² were again added in the fifteen EU Member States.

Practical Implementation

The Member States are obliged to ensure in the designated areas for a defined in the Habitats Directive, favorable conservation status of each significant Artvorkommen and habitats and to report every six years on the Commission report.

It is for Member States to select the suitable protection instruments. These may be statutory, administrative or contractual, with the under protection according to existing national categories as possible and common is - the inclusion in the Natura 2000 network is an ad hoc basis no protected status but a presentation of the Community importance of the area. Existing national conservation areas or parts thereof, which corresponded to the selection criteria, have often been reported as Europe reserve. This manifold overlaps and combinations of protected areas under national protection categories and specially established protected areas Natura 2000 network result.

To identify each Natura 2000 site receives a unique number across Europe, EU code called. Addition, however, cause for example, the federal states in Germany and partly in Austria and internal numbering. They also carry a letter code (A -K), which represents their positional relationship to other areas of the Natura 2000 network.

Financing

The EU provides financial assistance to the Member States for the designation of Special Areas of Conservation are available. Long the Commission and the Member States argued about the real costs of the measures. 2007, the Commission published an estimate finally, after were 3.4 to 5.7 billion euros per year is necessary for the implementation of the EU territory. The Commission noted at that time that it is more RELATES to the lower limit of the financial requirements. The future accession states were not taken into account.

Special shapes

In addition to the implementation of the two central policies, the network also provides space for national and regional special forms:

• Wild European Protected Areas in Salzburg / Austria are specially designed for hunting legal aspects FFH or bird sanctuaries.

• Marine Protected Areas ( Marine Protected Areas) represent a special category within the Natura 2000 concept dar.

In Germany, the Federal States are responsible for the implementation of Natura 2000 in the territorial waters (within 12 nautical miles ). At the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation her own research group working on the program for marine protected areas named Habitat Mare Natura 2000. For Natura 2000 in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Germany (EEZ ), the seaward side of the 12-mile zone contiguous and to the international waters extends beyond the 200 - nautical-mile zone, however, is the federal government, represented by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation and the Federal Environment Ministry, in charge. The main reason for the designation of Natura 2000 sites in the sea are the occurrence and distribution of specific types of seabirds, marine mammals and fish, also can particularly sensitive, internationally important habitat types such as sand bars and reefs can be obtained. On May 25, 2004, Germany notified the EU Commission 10 Natura 2000 - Areas in the German EEZ of the North and Baltic Sea. Two of the sites to protect seabirds since September 2005 as a national nature reserve and international Special Protection Area (Special Protected Area - SPA ) reported. The remaining eight Special Areas of Conservation were in November 2007 by the EU as sites of Community importance ( Site of Community Importance - SCI ) accepted. Since January 2008, their status has become final.

From the perspective of marine protection, the importance of the sites has been provided by precedents in question: the planned fixed link is to be established in the Natura 2000 site Fehmarn Belt. The EU Structural Funds is intended to bear a substantial part of the construction costs.

Position of the Natura 2000 network in the system of IUCN

In the current international system of management categories of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN ) is the Natura not moor 2000 network: The Commission has exempted the members of the EU, as the EU law enshrined interest converted into measures of protected area management will. Depending on the subject of protection and target are different protection regimes, from the perfect addition to Terms position to active measures for the conservation of a species or habitat, reasonable and possible. The legal foundations of the Communities require only a prohibition of deterioration, some states - like Austria - focus their national protection measures to " restore " and " achieving favorable conservation status " (positive conservation idea ). In some countries, the Natura 2000 network covers only strictly protected areas, others have also included agricultural and forest areas used with. Many of the areas are also national protection categories assigned, and so between IUCN II National Park ( "protected area managed Mainly for ecosystem protection and recreation " ) to be classified up to V Protected landscape ("... managed Mainly for landscape / seascape conservation and recreation " ), Natura 2000 sites have but of their protection conceptually nothing to do with the wilderness thoughts ( untouched nature, IUCN I) the classical nature conservation.

In addition, a working group of the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE ) a - specifically European - Classification Scheme Assessment Guidelines for Protected and Protective Forest and other Wooded developed in Europe ( MCPFE reserve classes) for forest conservation areas that, under Division 1.3. " Conservation through active management" ( German: "Conservation through active management " ) provides - but even this concept corresponds to the Natura 2000 network in his concern, " the biological diversity in the Member States by establishing a common framework for the conservation of wild plants and animals and habitats of Community interest to maintain, " not - the specific criteria list is more representative of the World Heritage of UNESCO thoughts.

National transpositions

End 2011 26.400 areas were reported at 986,000 km2, 768,000 km2 land area, 218,000 km2 of marine area. This is 18 % of the national territory (EU -27) and about 4 % of the offshore zone. Spain was at the time a European leader in the extent of protected area ( 140,000 km ², 27.7 % of the national territory ). - France in 2nd place had reported 68,000 km ². The densest network in relation to the territory of Slovenia had (over 35 % of the national territory protected ) and Bulgaria ( 34%), which return the system within a short time since joining in 2004. Implemented in 2007. In the overseas territories, Britain had the most extensive area with 49,000 km2, and Germany with 45 %, the highest national density.

• In Germany Natura 2000 was legally binding on the transposition into national law within the Federal Nature Conservation Act in April 1998, and the amendments to the Federal Nature Conservation Act 2002 and 2007. Since conservation lies at national level in Germany, the individual states are responsible for the designation of habitat areas. Exception is the German EEZ; of Marine Protected Areas ( MPA) in the maritime sector, the federal government and thus BfN is responsible.
• For Austria, where Natura 2000 will be implemented in the provincial nature conservation law, see European Protected Areas in Burgenland, Carinthia, Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Vienna.
• Sweden is also Natura 2000 to gradually. For Sweden, 90 habitat types are listed and to about 100 endangered animal and plant species from Annexes 1 and 2

Conflicts

Across Europe, the expulsion of the network is connected to land use conflicts. Therefore, the national implementation is also very different successful. Conservation organizations reported repeatedly point to the degradation of habitat areas through direct destruction, fragmentation or reduction in quality.

Examples:

• The most important, according to Euro natural migratory rest area on the Adriatic coast to be sold by the saline of Ulcinj in Montenegro for at least 257.8 million euros. This threatens the degradation of globally significant wetlands and a future FFH area. As part of the privatization of the former state-owned enterprise in 2005, the company Euro Fund has acquired 75 percent of the operation for 800,000 euros from the state of Montenegro. This includes the 14.5 million -square-foot saline terrain that is to be land now. For Montenegro in 2007 created a space plan ( 2005-2020 ) with the support of the German government and the German Society for International Cooperation ( GIZ), which also provided FFH areas. The candidate Montenegro 2012 changed the intended use of the area.

• In 1998 the designated Natura 2000 MPA Fehmarn Belt is created by the will of the German and the Danish government, the Fixed Fehmarn crossing.