Brussels, 17/01/2002 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday, the European Commission approved the first list of sites that Member states will be held to protect in accordance with the "Habitats" Directive. These are sites (now belonging to the protected network "Natura 2000") in the Canary Islands, the Azores and Madeira (called the biogeographic region of "Macaronesia") that provide protection for natural habitats and rare and endangered plant and animal species. On the basis of proposals presented...