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Data

Natura 2000 data - the European network of protected sites

Data
Prod-ID: DAT-68-en
Created 18 Apr 2012 Published 02 May 2012 Last modified 11 Sep 2015
14 min read
This page was archived on 20 May 2015 with reason: Other (New version data-and-maps/data/natura-6 was published)
Natura 2000 is the key instrument to protect biodiversity in the European Union. It is an ecological network of protected areas, set up to ensure the survival of Europe's most valuable species and habitats. Natura 2000 is based on the 1979 Birds Directive and the 1992 Habitats Directive. The green infrastructure it provides safeguards numerous ecosystem services and ensures that Europe's natural systems remain healthy and resilient.

European data

Natura 2000 - Tabular data (12 tables)

[+] Show table definition

bioRegion (26303 records)

Field nameField DefinitionNoteData type
siteCode unique code wich forms the key-item within the database. The unique code comprises nine characters and consists of two components. The first two codes are the country code the remaining seven characters, which serve to create a unqiue alphanumeric code for each site. see section 1.2 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(9)
bioGeographicRegion Indicate in which biogeographic region the site is falling. see section 2.6 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(255)

contacts (10996 records)

Field nameField DefinitionNoteData type
siteCode unique code wich forms the key-item within the database. The unique code comprises nine characters and consists of two components. The first two codes are the country code the remaining seven characters, which serve to create a unqiue alphanumeric code for each site. see section 1.2 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(9)
respondent The name, affiliation and address of the individual or organization providing the information contained in the record. see section 1.6 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details memo

describeSites (130171 records)

Field nameField DefinitionNoteData type
siteCode unique code wich forms the key-item within the database. The unique code comprises nine characters and consists of two components. The first two codes are the country code the remaining seven characters, which serve to create a unqiue alphanumeric code for each site. see section 1.2 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(9)
habitatCode code for the general habitat class see section 5.1 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(255)
percentageCover % Cover the site is covered by a general habitat class see section 5.1 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(38)

designationStatus (74027 records)

Field nameField DefinitionNoteData type
siteCode unique code wich forms the key-item within the database. The unique code comprises nine characters and consists of two components. The first two codes are the country code the remaining seven characters, which serve to create a unqiue alphanumeric code for each site. see section 1.2 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(9)
designationCode Designation code see section 5.2 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(5)
designatedSitename name of the designated site see section 5.2 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(255)
overlapCode Relationship code (=:types are coincident, +:The described site includes another site completely, -:the other site includes the described site completely, *:the two sites partially overlap. see section 5.2 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(1)
overlapPerc The percentage of the described site that is overlapping with the other site. see section 5.2 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(38)

directivesSpecies (2315 records)

Field nameField DefinitionNoteData type
directive Name of the Directive text(18)
speciesName Sientific name of the species in the Annex of the Directive see section 3.2i in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(61)
annexII species listed in Annex II of the Directive (Y=Yes, N=no) text(1)
annexII1 species listed in Annex II1 of the Directive (Y=Yes, N=no) text(1)
annexII2 species listed in Annex II2 of the Directive (Y=Yes, N=no) text(1)
annexIII1 species listed in Annex III1 of the Directive (Y=Yes, N=no) text(1)
annexIII2 species listed in Annex III2 of the Directive (Y=Yes, N=no) text(1)
annexIV species listed in Annex IV of the Directive (Y=Yes, N=no) text(1)
annexV species listed in Annex V of the Directive (Y=Yes, N=no) text(1)
priority priority form of the habitat type, see Annex of the Habitats Directive text(1)

generalHabitatClass (27 records)

Field nameField DefinitionNoteData type
objectId Unique identifier long
habitatCode Code of the general habitat class see section 4.1 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(3)
descriptionEn Name of the general habitat class in English see section 4.1 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(255)
descriptionFr Name of the general habitat class in French see section 4.1 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(255)

habitats (125475 records)

Field nameField DefinitionNoteData type
siteCode unique code wich forms the key-item within the database. The unique code comprises nine characters and consists of two components. The first two codes are the country code the remaining seven characters, which serve to create a unqiue alphanumeric code for each site. see section 1.2 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(9)
habitatCode code for the habitat type listed in AnnexI of Directive 92/43/EEC see section 3.1i in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(4)
descriptionEn name of the habitat type listed in AnnexI of Directive 92/43/EEC see section 3.1i in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(255)
percentageCover % Cover the site is covered by a habitat type of AnnexI see section 3.1i in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details decimal
representativity degree of representativity of the habitat type on the site. see section 3.1ii in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(1)
relSurface Area of the site covered by the natural habitat type in relation to the total area covered by that natural habitat type within the national territory. see section 3.1ii in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(1)
consStatus Degree of conservation of the structure and functions of the natural habitat type, concerned and restoration possiblities. see section 3.1ii in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(1)
globalAssesment Global assesment of the value of the site conservation of the natural habitat type concerned. see section 3.1ii in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(1)
habitatPriority * when the priority of the habitat is present text(1)

impact (147879 records)

Field nameField DefinitionNoteData type
siteCode unique code wich forms the key-item within the database. The unique code comprises nine characters and consists of two components. The first two codes are the country code the remaining seven characters, which serve to create a unqiue alphanumeric code for each site. see section 1.2 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(9)
activity Human activity and natural process that may have an influence, either positive or negative, on the conservation and management of the site. see section 6.1 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(100)
inOut Inside or outside the surounding of the site. The surrounding is the area where the outside impacts and activities may effect the integreity of the site. see section 6.1 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(1)
intensity Intensity of the infuence on the site. (A:high influence, B:medium influence, C:low influence) see section 6.1 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(1)
percentageAff Percentage of the surface of the site affected by the activity. see section 6.1 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details decimal
influence Indicate whether the influence is positive (+) or negative (-) see section 6.1 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(1)

natura2000Sites (25903 records)

Field nameField DefinitionNoteData type
siteCode unique code wich forms the key-item within the database. The unique code comprises nine characters and consists of two components. The first two codes are the country code the remaining seven characters, which serve to create a unqiue alphanumeric code for each site. see section 1.2 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(9)
siteName Site name in the local language. see section 1.7 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(240)
countryCode Two digit country code the site belongs to. text(4)
siteType This one-character code takes into account the possible relations between proposed eligible Sites of Community Importace (SCI) and classified Special Protection Sites (SPA). Each of these codes (from A to K) corresponds to a particular relation as outlined in Figure 1 of the Standards data form explanation. see section 1.1 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(1)
altitudeMin Altitude (meters) of the site above sea level within the site boundaries. see section 2.4 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details long
altitudeMax Mininum Altitude (meters) of the site above sea level within the site boundaries. see section 2.4 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details long
altitudeMean Maximum Altitude (meters) of the site above sea level within the site boundaries. see section 2.4 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details long
dateCompilation The date information has been recorded in the Standard Data Form. The data field takes the form of the year (four digits) followed by the month in numeric form (two digits) see section 1.3 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details date/time
dateUpdate The date when the information reported for the site was last changed. The data field takes the form of the year (four digits) followed by the month in numeric form (two digits) see section 1.4 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details date/time
datePropSci Date site proposed as eligible for identification as a Site of Community importance (SCI) see section 1.8 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details date/time
dateConfSci Date site has been confirmed as a Site of Community importance (SCI) see section 1.8 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details date/time
dateSpa Date site classified as SPA see section 1.8 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details date/time
dateSac Date site designated as SAC see section 1.8 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details date/time
areaHa Surface area of a site in hectares. Although it is an obligatory field, the value -99 is given for sites for witch the areas is unkown.. A value of 0 cab be correct if the site is a cave or cliff. In this case the field 2.3 is obligatory. see section 2.2 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details decimal
lengthKm Site length is entered in kilometers. see section 2.3 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details decimal
longitude The geographic coordinate of the site centre. (ETRS89 projection) see section 2.1 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(38)
latitude The geographic coordinate of the site centre. (ETRS89 projection) see section 2.1 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(38)

otherSpecies (286797 records)

Field nameField DefinitionNoteData type
siteCode unique code wich forms the key-item within the database. The unique code comprises nine characters and consists of two components. The first two codes are the country code the remaining seven characters, which serve to create a unqiue alphanumeric code for each site. see section 1.2 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(9)
speciesGroup Species group (Reptiles,Birds,Amphibians,Mammals,Invertebrates,Fish,Plants) see section 3.3 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(1)
speciesName Sientific name of an important species of flora and fauna in the site see section 3.3 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(61)
population Regular maximum population size. Where quantitative data do not population size is given semi-quantitatively using the notaion oulinede in section 3.2.i see section 3.3 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(14)
motivation Motivation for listing these other important species in the site see section 3.3 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(1)

species (323306 records)

Field nameField DefinitionNoteData type
siteCode unique code wich forms the key-item within the database. The unique code comprises nine characters and consists of two components. The first two codes are the country code the remaining seven characters, which serve to create a unqiue alphanumeric code for each site. see section 1.2 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(9)
speciesName Sientific name of the protected species see section 3.2i in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(61)
speciesCode Code the species listed in Article4 (1) and 4(2) of the bird directive 79/409/EEC and Annes II of Council Directive 92/43/EEC. see section 3.2i in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(8)
population Size and density of the population of the species present on the site in relation to the populations present within national territory. (A:100% >=p >15%, B:15% >=p > 2%, C:"% >p>0%) see section 3.2i in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(14)
conservation Degree of conservation of the features of the habitat importat for the species. (A:conservation excelent, B:good conservation, C:Average or reduced conservation) see section 3.2ii in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(1)
isolationFactor Degree of isolation of the population present on the site in relation to the natural range of the species. see section 3.2ii in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(1)
globalImportance Global assesment if the value of the site for conservation of the species concerened. see section 3.2ii in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(1)
resident Resident population see section 3.2 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(14)
breeding Breeding population see section 3.2 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(14)
winter Wintering population see section 3.2 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(14)
staging Staging population see section 3.2 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(14)
SpGroup Species Group (Reptiles,Birds,Amphibians,Mammals,Invertebrates,Fish,Plants) see section 3.2 in Standard Data Form explanatory notes for more details text(20)

metaData

This system table is used to understand the time stamp of preparing the final European dataset. It's best to use this table when question are asked about the data towards EEA.

GIS data

Natura 2000 - Spatial data

Additional information

Database relation structure diagram

Metadata

Additional information

About this data

Natura 2000 is an ecological network composed of sites designated under the Birds Directive (Special Protection Areas, SPAs) and the Habitats Directive (Sites of Community Importance, SCIs, and Special Areas of Conservation, SACs).

For each Natura 2000 site, national authorities have submitted a standard data form (SDF) that contains an extensive description of the site and its ecology. The European Topic Centre for Biological Diversity (ETC/BD), based in Paris, is responsible for validating this data and creating an EU wide descriptive database.

The European database on Natura 2000 sites consists of data submitted by Member States to the European Commission. This data is subject to a regular validation and updating process. After validation a new EU-wide Natura 2000 database is released. The date of release of a new EU-wide database does not guarantee that the data has been regularly and uniformly updated by Member States.

The spatial data (borders of sites) submitted by each Member State is validated by the European Environment Agency (EEA) and linked to the descriptive data. Any problems identified during this process are brought to the attention of the concerned Member States. 

There are specific terms and conditions relating to the use of downloaded boundary data within the United Kingdom.  If you intend to use the UK data you must first agree to the end user licence http://www.jncc.gov.uk/page-5232.

Please note that some Member States have submitted sensitive information that has been filtered out of this database. The following Member States have submitted sensitive information: Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden and United Kingdom. This concerns mainly species associated to specific sites. All reference to these species has been removed from the related sites. Certain descriptive fields, possibly mentioning the presence of these species, have also been removed. If this sensitive information is necessary to your field of research, please contact the Member States' administrations individually. You can find a compiled list of national or regional Natura 2000 websites at the following address: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/db_gis/index_en.htm#sites

For more information on this Natura 2000 database please contact:

Disclaimer

This data is provided for general information purposes only. Only the data possessed by the competent authorities of the Member States is authentic. Therefore, no rights or legal claims can be derived from the data displayed on this site.