It’s the dream of every footballer to walk out on the pitch at the Bernabeu or the San Siro or Old Trafford. Opera fans plan their pilgrimage to La Scala. No tourists worth their salt would fail to miss St Mark’s Square when visiting Venice or not bother to view the Old Town from the Charles Bridge in Prague.
Europe’s natural world, too, has its Premiere league. A heritage that predates the oldest trappings of our civilisation, but adapted, modelled and often enriched by centuries of human activity. Imagine a network of the very best places for nature spread across all 27 countries of the European Union (EU) – from sweeping coastal wetlands, through towering forests to the highest mountains. These are some of the most iconic and most loved landscapes of Europe. Their protection should be our natural reaction to their beauty and intrinsic value.
The good news is that such a network – though in parts incomplete - exists. It’s called Natura 2000. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation designated under the 1992 Habitats Directive and Special Protection Areas designated under the 1979 Birds Directive. These areas are selected against rigorous scientific criteria to protect the most threatened and important species and habitats in Europe. They are not, generally, nature reserves; their emphasis is on ensuring future management is sustainable, both ecologically and economically. The network of protected areas is a key part of EU nature and biodiversity policy and also fulfils some of the European Union’s obligations under the UN’s Convention on Biological Diversity. I've used the term in a few blogs and often (well, sometimes) get asked what the term Natura 2000 means.
Our own Minsmere and Abernethy Forest nature reserves are part of this network of sites that include the Camargue in France, Spain’s Coto Donana and the primeval Bialowieza forest in Poland. Not bad company!
In fact, the RSPB’s network of nature reserve contains over 100 Natura 2000 sites. We’re proud not only to care for some of the best places for wildlife in Europe but also to host over 1.9 million visits to them each year.
We also work through the planning system to try to ensure development proposals do not harm these special places. We regularly engage with over 250 proposals each year. We campaign to ensure that the UK Government honours its commitment to designate sufficient Natura 2000 sites to meet its obligations to conserve Europe’s most important species and habitats.