The layer contains data on NATURA2000 Special Areas of Conservation.

The sites in the Natura 2000 network are designated under the 'Nature Directives', i.e. the Birds and the Habitats Directives.

In 1979, the Birds Directive (amended in 2009) established an EU-wide protection regime for all bird species naturally occurring in the EU. It included classification by Member States of Special Protection Areas (SPA) for 194 particularly threatened bird species and for all migratory birds.

This approach was extended through the 1992 Habitats Directive, which also provided for the establishment of a representative system of legally protected areas throughout the EU. These areas are named Sites of Community Importance (SCI) and aim for the conservation of the 233 habitat types listed in Annex I of the Directive and the 900 plus species listed in Annex II.

SCIs must also be designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) as soon as possible and within six years at most. SPAs and SCIs/SACs together make up the Natura 2000 network.

The target of both directives (specifically set out within the Habitats Directive and echoed in the Birds Directive) is to ensure the long-term sustainability of the habitats and species they have been set up to protect.

The European Union (EU) is one of the Contracting Parties to the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats. The Habitats Directive and subsequently the Natura 2000 network were set up in order to fulfil the EU's obligations to the Convention. Natura 2000 sites are therefore considered as the contribution from EU Member States to the Pan-European Emerald Network of the Bern Convention. The two networks are fully compatible and use the same methodology and information tools. Whereas Natura 2000 applies to the EU Member States, Emerald applies to the rest of Europe.

• GIS
• Natural assets
• Country
  • Carpathians
  • Czech Republic
  • Hungary
  • Poland
  • Romania
  • Serbia
  • Slovakia
• Theme
  • Biodiversity
  • Spatial planning
• Project area
  • Carpathians
• Language
  • English

More information: https://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/sites_hab/index_en.htm

https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/biodiversity/natura-2000/the-natura-2000-protected-areas-network#:~:text=Natura%202000%20is%20a%20network,on%20land%20and%20at%20sea.