Brussels, 21/05/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 21 May the Habitats Directive, which created the pan-European network of protected natural areas, and LIFE, the financial instrument of the EU for the environment, will celebrate both their 20th anniversaries and their success, the European Commission points out, taking the opportunity to take stock of these two key instruments of European nature protection policy.
“We can be proud of the EU's nature protection laws which help us appreciate and take care of our rich natural heritage. Biodiversity is our life insurance, and Natura 2000, which protects the areas of highest biodiversity value, is its cornerstone. We have made great progress in the past two decades, and there is much to celebrate, but nature still needs our help, and it will pay us back many times over with the vital ecosystem services it provides”, says Janez Potocnik, European Environment Commissioner.
It was the observation of the rapid decline in wildlife and the loss of natural habitats which, 20 years ago, convinced the member states of the EU unanimously to adopt the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) to protect the most threatened species and habitats in Europe. In order to help restore these species and habitats, the directive set in place protected areas within the Natura 2000 network, which enjoyed the support of the financial instrument LIFE.
In its 20 years of existence, the directive has made it possible to make progress towards the objective of putting an end to the large-scale destruction of biological diversity in Europe, and a number of species and habitats are already showing signs of recovery. With more than 26,000 protected sites, the Natura 2000 covers nearly 18% of the territory of the European Union and now includes 200,000 km² of protected areas at sea.
Over the same period, LIFE has contributed more than €1.2 billion for the management and restoration of more than 2000 Natura 2000 sites across the EU. Thanks to projects financed by this programme, threatened species which were on the point of extinction have been rescued, such as the freshwater pearl mussel, the Abruzzi chamois in Italy, the Orsini's viper and the Iberian imperial eagle, to name but a few. The restoration projects have helped to put an end to the large-scale destruction of habitats with a great value for wildlife, such as the maritime dunes in Lithuania, the wetlands in the Netherlands and the raised bog areas of Poland. (AN/transl.fl)