Natura 2000, a challenge for the future
The 1992 Directive 92/43/EEC, known as Habitat, is legislation created for the conservation of natural habitats, fauna and flora. This Directive and Directive 79/409/EEC of Birds are the basis of the European policy of nature conservation.
What is the Natura 2000 Network?
The Natura 2000 network aims to be the most representative network of natural spaces in Europe to address the degradation that these natural spaces are suffering. The creation of this Network is a new challenge for States, since it involves the fulfillment of the European general objectives in terms of environmental quality and biodiversity.
The Natura 2000 network is structured in two areas: special protection zones for birds and special protection zones. The former are already designated and the latter are those to be designated in the coming years by the hand of the Natura 2000 Network.
For this purpose, Europe has been divided into 8 climatic regions: Mediterranean, Atlantic, Central Europe, Alpine, Boreal, Panonic, Aesthetic and Macaronesian (Atlantic islands). These climate regions cover all European Union countries, including those that will soon be recognized. In the case of Euskal Herria there are three climatic regions, the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Alpine.
Researchers from the Department of Botany of Leioa investigate, among others, the habitats present in the Atlantic. Javier Loidi's team has spent 10 years studying the areas to be proposed within the Habitat directive. This work identifies, first, the habitat to be protected by phytosociological methods. The species present are then typified, the quality of the habitats will be invented and valued. Finally, everything is cartographed, that is, reflected in a map.
As for the number of shelters that can be proposed, there are no numerical limitations. Currently there are 12,000 areas of protection proposed in Europe and it is expected to expand them to 13,000. All represent 20% of the European surface. In the case of Euskal Herria, through an agreement of the Basque Government of 1997, 25 spaces were chosen to be part of the Natura 2000 Network. All of them account for 12% of the territory of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country.
Shortcomings of the Natura 2000 Network
In the case of Euskal Herria, in addition to several spaces already protected, there are few proposals to create the network. For Javier, there are also areas that have yet to be proposed, including Arenal beach and some coastal stretches. In this sense, Javier detects other deficiencies in the Natura 2000 Network, such as the lack of ecological corridors, that is, the lack of routes of displacement of species, or the belief that anything can be done outside the protected spaces.
The list and complete information of the spaces proposed for Natura 2000 can be found at www.nekanet.net
- Project title Atlas de habitats naturales y seminaturales en España.
- Objective To develop a 1:50,000 scale mapping of all natural and semi-natural habitats according to vegetation units based on an international typology.
- Directed by Javier Loidi.
- Working Group Itziar García Mijangos, Mercedes Herrera, Juan Antonio Campos, Ainhoa Darquistade, Juan Carlos Báscones.
- Department Biology and ecology of plants.
- •
Zu idazle
Zientzia aldizkaria
