- The Secretary of State for the Environment recalls that Spain has contributed around 220,000 km2 to this network, which represents more than 18% of the total protected area of the EU
- Saavedra visited the Special Area of Conservation of the Manzanares River Basin, in Madrid, to celebrate the creation 20 years ago of this network, a fundamental piece for the conservation of biodiversity in Europe
- He stressed that the Natura 2000 Network “is, in addition to a system of nature reserves, a set of human activities compatible with conservation
The Secretary of State for the Environment, Pablo Saavedra, today visited the Special Area of Conservation (SAC) of the Manzanares River Basin, in Madrid, on the occasion of the celebration of the fourth edition of the European Day of the Natura 2000 Network.
Saavedra was accompanied at the event, among others, by Daniel Calleja, Director General for the Environment of the European Commission, and by the Executive Director of SEO/Birdlife, Asunción Ruiz, the NGO from which this initiative arose and which organized the event.
The Secretary of State has assured that “Spain is the country that has included the largest area in the Natura 2000 Network, with around 220,000 km2, which represents more than 18% of the total area that makes up the network throughout the EU”.
Of the Natura 2000 Network, created 20 years ago as a cornerstone for the conservation of biodiversity in the European Union, Saavedra wanted to highlight that “it is, in addition to a system of protected nature reserves, a set of human activities compatible with conservation”.
MORE LAND AND MARINE AREA PROTECTED
Regarding the implementation of the Natura 2000 Network in Spain, he recalled that “it has allowed us to go from approximately 10% of the protected land area, according to figures of national legislation, to 27%, and in the marine environment, this increase is even greater, going from less than 1% to more than 8%”.
Another of the important consequences that Saavedra explained about the application of the national legislation relating to the Natura 2000 Network, is that all these spaces must be equipped with management plans, which is undoubtedly one of the most important milestones in recent decades for biodiversity conservation policies in Spain. because “for the first time almost a third of our territory will have effective planning figures”.
To conclude, the Secretary of State has established that, among the future challenges of the Natura 2000 Network, in addition to achieving its effective conservation and transmitting the environmental knowledge it brings us, is “to ensure that the people who live in places included in the Network feel proud of it and also enjoy the benefits it brings”.
EUROPEAN CELEBRATION
The SAC of the Manzanares River Basin is a protected area, of 63,000 hectares representative of the Mediterranean biogeographical region, which is home to 26 types of natural habitats and was declared a Special Area of Conservation in 2014. During his visit, the Secretary of State for the Environment participated, together with schoolchildren from the area, in the placement of nest boxes for birds.
This edition of the European Day is the last to be held within the framework of the Life+ Activa Red Natura 2000 project, coordinated by SEO/BirdLife, from which the initiative emerged. From next year the baton of the celebration will be passed on to the European Commission, creator and safeguarding of the Natura 2000 Network throughout Europe, and to the public.
