Managing and protecting Natura 2000 sites (original) (raw)
Overview
The Birds and Habitats Directives set out the overall legal framework for protecting and managing Natura 2000 sites. Each EU country decides how best to implement them.
Every site is unique. It is important that landowners and site managers work together to find local solutions to best manage the sites.
EU countries must first set site-specific conservation objectives. These should reflect the ecological needs of the species and habitats. This will determine the type of management that is required.
Conservation measures can then be implemented to meet these objectives using a variety of tools and agreements with landowners and users. EU funds are also available to support the management of Natura 2000 sites.
Setting conservation measures
Article 6 of the Habitats Directives defines how EU countries must protect and manage their Natura 2000 sites. They should take several factors into account: economic, social and cultural requirements and regional and local characteristics. There are three main sets of provisions.
- Article 6(1): positive conservation measures. These involve management plans, and statutory, administrative or contractual measures, which correspond to the ecological requirements of the natural habitat types in Annex I and the species in Annex II present on the site.
- Article 6(2): preventative measures. This requires EU countries to avoid the deteriorationof natural habitats and the habitats of species as well as significant disturbance of the species for which the areas have been designated,
- Article 6(3) and (4) set out a series of procedural and substantive safeguards governing plans and projects likely to have a significant effect on a Natura 2000 site.
Implementing Article 6(1) requires EU countries to set site-specific conservation objectives and measures. This ensures that the Natura 2000 site is managed effectively and contributes to reaching the overall objectives of the Nature Directives – achieving a favourable conservation status for the species and habitats protected under the directive across their natural range within the EU.
Site-specific conservation objectives and measures should correspond to the ecological requirements of the habitats and species present on the sites. They should be comprehensive, realistic, quantifiable and measurable. Natura 2000 management plans are a way to set objectives and measures in an open and transparent manner.