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10 messages for 2010 — protected areas: Protected areas provide a wide range of services in a context of increasing pressures and a rapidly changing environment. Europe is the region with the greatest number of protected areas in the world but they are relatively small in size. Europe's Natura 2000, unique in the world and still young, and the Emerald network under development, are international European networks of protected areas that catalyse biodiversity conservation.
Located in Publications
Average size of terrestrial nationally designated areas (in km2) in different regions of the world: * EEA-39 includes the 32 EEA member countries and seven collaborating countries (http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-andmaps/ figures/political-map-of-eea-member-and-collaborating-countries).
Located in Data and maps › Maps and graphs
Biodiversity - key fact 2: Protected areas, including Natura 2000 sites in EU Member States, now account for 22 % of the terrestrial area of EEA member countries.
Located in The European environment – state and outlook 2010 › … › Biodiversity — SOER 2010 thematic assessment › Key facts
Biodiversity — SOER 2010 thematic assessment: Biodiversity — the variety of ecosystems, species and genes — is essential to human wellbeing, delivering services that sustain our economies and societies. Its huge importance makes biodiversity loss all the more troubling. European species are threatened with extinction and overexploitation. Natural habitats continue to be lost and fragmented, and degraded by pollution and climate change. Despite actions taken and progress made, these threats continue to impact biodiversity in Europe. The new global and EU targets to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2020 are ambitious but achieving them will require better policy implementation, coordination across sectors, ecosystem management approaches and a wider understanding of biodiversity's value.
Located in The European environment – state and outlook 2010 › Thematic assessments
EEA reviews new findings from 2012, the Year of Water: Europe needs to work harder to protect its water resources from increasing pressures. This was one of the messages that emerged during 2012, ‘European Year of Water’. The European Environment Agency (EEA) also presented important findings in many other areas, including air, climate, biodiversity and chemicals.
Located in Press room › News
Europe's ecological backbone: recognising the true value of our mountains: Europe's mountain areas have social, economic and environmental capital of significance for the entire continent. This importance has been recognised since the late 19th century through national legislation; since the 1970s through regional structures for cooperation; and since the 1990s through regional legal instruments for the Alps and Carpathians. The European Union (EU) first recognised the specific characteristics of mountain areas in 1975 through the designation of Less Favoured Areas (LFAs). During the last decade, EU cohesion policy and the Treaty of Lisbon have both focused specifically on mountains.
Located in Publications
Europe's protected areas: The European Environment Agency is working with protected areas in Europe via the data flows on Natura 2000 and Nationally designated areas reported by the countries. The material and analyses presented on these pages are based on the EEA report "Protected areas in Europe - an overview" from 2012.
Located in Environmental topics › Biodiversity
Functional connectivity of Natura 2000 sites across political boundaries in EU, 2009: -
Located in Data and maps › Maps and graphs
Indicators and assessments: Located in Environmental topics › Biodiversity › Europe's protected areas
It's beautiful!: A story in the "Our Natural Europe" series
Located in Publications