Every May 21, the European Day of the Natura 2000 Network is celebrated, a date proclaimed by the European Commission in 2017 with the aim of making visible and reinforcing the commitment of all social sectors to the conservation of this network of protected areas, key to the protection of Europe’s natural heritage.

This ecological network is the European Union’s main instrument for the conservation of biodiversity. It is made up of three protection figures: Sites of Community Importance (SCI) and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), designated in accordance with the Habitats Directive, and Special Protection Areas for Birds (SPAs), established under the Birds Directive. These areas seek to preserve natural habitats and species in a favorable state of conservation, also ensuring compatibility with sustainable human activities.

With more than 27,500 protected areas, the Natura 2000 Network covers a fifth of the surface area of the European Union. It is home to 37% of the continent’s flora and fauna . Spain is one of the countries with the largest representation: it has 1,468 SCIs and 662 SPAs, which represents an area of more than 222,000 km², including both the terrestrial and marine environments. This represents approximately 27.35% of Spain’s territory and reinforces its role as a key country in European conservation.

The Natura 2000 Network in Spain extends over various biogeographical regions, including Atlantic, Alpine, Macaronesian and Mediterranean areas, both on land and at sea. It is home to 118 habitat types from Annex I of the Habitats Directive and 263 species from Annex II, in addition to 125 species from Annex I of the Birds Directive. The marine network, which is continuously developing, also plays a strategic role in protecting species and ecosystems from threats such as climate change or biodiversity loss.

At the beginning of 2024, MITECO declared seven new marine protected areas based on the scientific proposal for the adaptation of the marine Natura 2000 Network in Spain, developed within the framework of the LIFE INTEMARES project, coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation. With these new designations, the marine protected area in Spain has increased from 12% to 21%, approaching the international commitment to reach 30% by 2030. These additions represent an important advance in the conservation of sensitive habitats and marine species such as turtles, cetaceans or pelagic birds.

COMMITMENT OF THE BIODIVERSITY FOUNDATION TO THE NATURA 2000 NETWORK

Since its inception, the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) has been working to strengthen this network of protected areas as a way to stop the loss of biodiversity in Spain and make progress in complying with international commitments in the field of conservation. In this context, the Foundation promotes and collaborates in numerous projects linked to the Natura 2000 Network through various programmes and initiatives.

Specifically, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (RTRP) There are a variety of projects benefiting from the Call for grants for the promotion of the forest bioeconomy in 2023 which have their scope of intervention in different parts of the Natura 2000 Network, such as MIXING which focuses on the development of models of forest use of the Atlantic mixed forest in protected areas of Galicia and Asturias or FARM CLUB, whose area of action is located between the Tagus and Duero basins, an area that has the highest density of Natura 2000 Network spaces in the biodiversity hotspot of the Mediterranean basin.

Also noteworthy is the CORMIÑOS project, beneficiary of the 2021 call for grants to promote research on biodiversity, whose objective is to deepen knowledge about the state of conservation of the Special Protection Areas for Seabirds (SPAs) of the Cantabrian Sea, such as the European shag (Gulosus aristotelis) or the European storm petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus), with a view to the expansion of the marine area of the Natura 2000 Network.

On the other hand, the Biodiversity Foundation coordinates or participates as a partner in various LIFE projects whose actions take place in areas of the Natura 2000 Network.

Within the framework of the LIFE A-MAR project, Knowing and loving the marine areas of the Natura 2000 Network to protect them, of which the Foundation is a partner, a nautical journey is being carried out during the month of May through more than 10 marine areas of this network in the Spanish Mediterranean, with the aim of raising awareness of their benefits and opportunities. This project, coordinated by the Italian Federation of Parks and Nature Reserves (Federparchi), is being developed in parallel in Italy and Spain. The journey began on May 9 and will travel along the coasts of the Region of Murcia, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands, Catalonia and Andalusia until June 6. At each of the eight stops, guided tours and participatory sessions are being carried out with socio-economic agents and the local population, in coordination with the different regional administrations.

Likewise, in the marine field, the LIFE INTEMARES project has completed several demonstration experiences. These include the analysis of risks and measures to adapt to climate change in five marine protected areas of the Natura 2000 Network, an experience of control of the invasive exotic algae Rugulopteryx okamurae in Ceuta and the evaluation of underwater noise pollution in the Balearic Islands. INTEMARES contributes to the integrated, innovative and participatory management of marine protected areas and advances towards compliance with international commitments on marine protection, with science and the participation of the sectors involved as key tools.

Likewise, the Foundation works in Natura 2000 Network areas to guarantee the conservation of endangered species. The LIFE Marbled Teal project, which he also coordinates, enters its last year of implementation having reached, among other achievements, a reproduction record for this duck, the most endangered in Europe, and listed as in a critical situation in Spain: 130 pairs reproduced during the last breeding season, in 2024. In addition, work is being done to improve the state of 3,160 hectares of wetlands important for the species, through stewardship agreements and agreements, exceeding the 3000 hectares planned for the completion of the project.

On the other hand, currently, 15 of the 43 projects under execution within the framework of the Pleamar Programme, co-financed by the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (FEMPA), carry out actions linked to the Natura 2000 Network. In addition, historically, around 80% of the projects developed are complementary to the LIFE INTEMARES project and contribute to achieving its objectives.

IMPALHA II stands out: Impact of the Bottom Longline on Benthic Habitats in the SCIs of the Natura 2000 Network, which is the second part of a program that has made it possible to analyze the spatial distribution of the benthic habitats present in the SCI System of Submarine Canyons of Avilés and of the fishing activity in the area. identified the areas of overlap between the two.

In the coming months, it is expected to determine the most vulnerable habitats, taking into account their ecological sensitivity and the fishing pressure to which they are subjected, in addition to specifically studying and quantifying the impact of bottom longlining on these ecosystems. The results obtained will contribute to generating the necessary knowledge for the design of future mitigation strategies. These advances will also serve as a scientific basis for the preparation of the Management Plans for the Marine Protected Areas of the Natura 2000 Network.

Aware that the Natura 2000 Network has significant potential to generate green employment, the Biodiversity Foundation has projects in these territories that promote job creation and green enterprises that promote the economic development of these areas, contributing to their conservation and restoration.

The Empleaverde+ Programme, co-financed by the European Social Fund+, includes in the evaluation criteria of the projects that actions are carried out in these territories. Hence, projects such as Ecobios Next: cultivating a sustainable future are being carried out, whose main objective is to train more than 120 participants in the production, distribution and sale of organic products, primarily in Spanish biosphere reserves and Natura 2000 Network spaces; or the project “EmpleaXúquer: learning by working to restore, promote and protect the Júcar river ecosystem”, which will improve the skills of 40 unemployed people to respond to existing needs in terms of restoration, protection and promotion of river ecosystems belonging to the Natura 2000 Network. Finally, “Empléate en fotografía de la naturaleza” will train and hire unemployed people to work in Natura 2000 Network areas.

Thanks to these initiatives and the coordinated work with multiple entities, progress continues towards a more effective, participatory management adapted to the current context of the areas that are part of the Natura 2000 Network. This European celebration is an opportunity to recognise these efforts and reinforce the collective commitment to the protection of natural heritage.