The Natura 2000 Discourse

Abstract

Parallel to the development of the European Union from an economic into a political community, the number of policy fields falling under EU regulations has steadily increased. As for the protection of biodiversity, at present two European directives condition member state politics: the Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive. Whereas the Birds Directive includes a number of specific, binding measures to enforce the protection of endangered bird species, the Habitats Directive stresses the need for conservation and protection of natural and semi-natural habitats and their wild flora and fauna. The cornerstone of the European politics of nature, however, is Natura 2000, the ecological network of the European Union. At present this network encompasses tens of millions of hectares of areas protected by the Birds and Habitats Directives, adding up to a total land cover larger than the whole surface of Germany. The percentage of the land falling under the Natura 2000 regime, however, largely diverges. Countries with the highest proportion of their land surface designated as Natura 2000 sites are Spain, Slovakia and Slovenia, with over 30 per cent each.