European and Internationally Designated Sites

Some sites of international importance are protected through European Union law, others have been given special status through international conventions and organisations.

Protected sites – the EU

The European Union's 25 Member States contain several thousand types of habitat, 150 species of mammal, 520 species of bird, 180 species of reptile and amphibian, 150 species of fish, 10 000 plant species and at least 100 000 species of invertebrate.

Across Europe, about a half of native mammals, butterflies, reptiles and freshwater fish are threatened, along with 30% of amphibians and 15% of birds.

Conservation, through protection of sites and species, is based on two EU Directives:

The 1979 Birds Directive identified 193 endangered species of bird and instructed Member States to designate Special Protection Areas (SPAs).
The 1992 Habitats Directive aims to protect other wildlife species and habitats and requires each Member State to identify sites of European importance and to put in place a special management plan to protect them, combining long-term conservation with economic and social activities on these sites to be designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SAC).

Together, these two types of protected areas are known as Natura 2000 sites.