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Environmental information systems
The indicator shows the share of designated terrestrial protected areas expressed as a share of the total land area. It includes areas protected by other effective area-based conservation measures. The EU and global targets aim for 30% protection.
Slovakia has one of the largest Natura 2000 networks; however, biodiversity remains under pressure. Including national protected areas, 37.5 % of Slovakia’s terrestrial territory is legally protected, which is well above the EU-27 and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development averages. This also exceeds the 2020 Aichi target of 17 % and the 2030 goal of 30 % under the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
In 2021, Slovakia designated 76 new nature reserves, covering 65 km², to preserve old-growth forests. Despite its extensive coverage, the national protected areas network faces several challenges: a low proportion of strict protection within national parks, overlapping and misaligned protection systems (national, EU and international), a lack of management plans, fragmented land ownership and insufficient administrative capacity (including high staff turnover). In 2023, Slovakia adopted sweeping reforms to improve protected area governance, laying the legal foundation for accelerating zoning in national parks and improving management. Nevertheless, further reforms are needed to address persistent weaknesses.