Data centre overview

The dataset consists of a collection of annual soil moisture (SM) anomalies during the vegetation growing season (GS) for the years 2000-2019 across EEA 38 area and the United Kingdom. The vegetation growing season is defined by EEA´s phenology data series "Vegetation growing season length 2000-2016" [https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/data/annual-above-ground-vegetation-season]. The anomalies are calculated based on the European Commission's Joint Research Centre European Drought Observatory (EDO) Soil Moisture Index (SMI) with respect to the 1995–2019 base period. The yearly start and end of GS periods are dynamic and calculated according to the EEA Phenology Indicators. A positive anomaly indicates that the observed SM was wetter than the long-term SM average for the base period, while a negative anomaly indicates that the observed SM was drier than the reference value. Because SM anomalies are measured in units of standard deviation from the long-term SMI average, they can be used to compare annual deficits/surplus of SM between geographic regions. EDO is one of the early warning and monitoring systems of the Copernicus Emergency Management Service. As the dataset builds on EDO's SMI, it therefore contains modified Copernicus Emergency Management Service information (2019).

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The area and number of terrestrial protected areas in Europe have grown steadily over time, with the biggest increases in recent decades. In 2020, protected areas covered 26 % of EU land, with 18 % designated as Natura 2000 sites and 8 % as other national designations. In the EEA-38 countries plus the United Kingdom, this coverage is lower and amounts to 23 %. Further expansion of terrestrial protected areas will be needed to achieve the target of legally protecting a minimum of 30 % of EU land, as set out in the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030.  The designation of protected areas is not in itself a guarantee of biodiversity conservation. Effective management requires building a coherent and well-connected network of protected areas with clearly defined conservation objectives and measures. 

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At the EU level, only 15 % of habitat assessments have a good conservation status, with 81 % having poor or bad conservation status. Grasslands, dunes, and bog, mire and fen habitats show strong deteriorating trends, while forests have the most improving trends. The EU is not on track to meet the 2020 target of improving the conservation status of EU protected species and habitats. At the EU Member State level, the majority of assessments indicate a low number of habitats with a good conservation status. Intensive agriculture, urban sprawl and pollution are the top reported pressures to habitats.

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The figure shows the conservation status of habitats at Member State level. Statistics are based on the number of habitat assessments at Member States′ biogeographical/marine level. The number of assessments per Member State is indicated in parentheses. The total number of assessments is 3 246.

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The figure shows the conservation status of habitats at EU level. Statistics are based on the number of EU habitats assessments (818)

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This dashboard presents statistics about the completeness of the information in the national reports on derogations. It shows the percentage of derogations for which mandatory fields of the reporting form have been filled in. This dashboard does not provide any assessment of the reported derogations

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This dashboard presents detailed information on individual derogations/exceptions, as extracted from the national reports that have been submitted to the European Commission. Click on a derogation to see more information below the table

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The map shows the long-term impact of water deficit on vegetation productivity, and the area of low vegetation productivity under water deficit impact, aggregated by NUTS3 regions. Negative anomalies are expressed in standard deviation and indicate vegetation productivity conditions that are lower than the long-term average under normal, non-drought conditions.

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All Member States are requested by the Habitats Directive to monitor habitat types and species listed in its annexes and send a report every 6 years following an agreed format. The assessment of conservation status is based on information about the status and trends of species populations and of habitats at the level of the biogeographical or marine region.

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New technology and tools are opening up new possibilities for environmental monitoring and analysis. For example, citizen science, satellite observations, big data and artificial intelligence present opportunities for improving the timeliness, comparability, granularity and integration of data.

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The map shows the biogeographical and marine Regions for EU28 countries.

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The map shows the temporal development of the distribution of warm-favouring (Lusitanian) fish species and of cool-favouring (Boreal) fish species by statistical area in yearly intervals, 1967 to 2018.

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For visualisation purposes, the initial 100 m spatial resolution Corine Land Cover dataset was re-sampled to a 10 km2 grid. The observation periods can be visualised by activating the 'layers' icon and selecting the respective periods.

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New technology and tools are opening up new possibilities for environmental monitoring and analysis. For example, citizen science, satellite observations, big data and artificial intelligence present opportunities for improving the timeliness, comparability, granularity and integration of data.

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Soil plays a crucial role in nature’s cycles, including the nutrient cycle, which involves how much soil organic matter — i.e. carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus — is taken up and stored in soil. Organic compounds, such as leaves and root tips, are broken down to simpler compounds by organisms living in soil before they can be used by plants. Some soil bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen into mineral nitrogen, which is essential for plant growth. Fertilisers introduce nitrogen and phosphates to induce plant growth but not all amounts are taken up by plants. The excess can enter rivers and lakes and affect life in these water ecosystems.

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The area and number of terrestrial protected areas in Europe have grown steadily over time, with the biggest increases in recent decades. In 2020, protected areas covered 26 % of EU land, with 18 % designated as Natura 2000 sites and 8 % as other national designations. In the EEA-38 countries plus the United Kingdom, this coverage is lower and amounts to 23 %. Further expansion of terrestrial protected areas will be needed to achieve the target of legally protecting a minimum of 30 % of EU land, as set out in the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030.  The designation of protected areas is not in itself a guarantee of biodiversity conservation. Effective management requires building a coherent and well-connected network of protected areas with clearly defined conservation objectives and measures. 

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At the EU level, only 15 % of habitat assessments have a good conservation status, with 81 % having poor or bad conservation status. Grasslands, dunes, and bog, mire and fen habitats show strong deteriorating trends, while forests have the most improving trends. The EU is not on track to meet the 2020 target of improving the conservation status of EU protected species and habitats. At the EU Member State level, the majority of assessments indicate a low number of habitats with a good conservation status. Intensive agriculture, urban sprawl and pollution are the top reported pressures to habitats.

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Monitoring  vegetation response to water deficit due to droughts is necessary to be able to introduce effective measures to increase the resilience of ecosystems in line with the EU’s nature restoration plan — a key element of the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030. Between 2000 and 2016, Europe was affected by severe droughts, causing average yearly vegetation productivity losses covering around 121 000 km 2 . This was particularly notable in 2003, when drought affected most parts of Europe, covering an estimated 330 000 km 2  of forests, non-irrigated arable land and pastures. Drought impact was also relatively severe in 2005 and 2012.

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This dashboard presents statistics about the completeness of the information in the national reports on derogations. It shows the percentage of derogations for which mandatory fields of the reporting form have been filled in. This dashboard does not provide any assessment of the reported derogations

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This dashboard presents detailed information on individual derogations/exceptions, as extracted from the national reports that have been submitted to the European Commission. Click on a derogation to see more information below the table

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A derogation/exception is a permit produced by an administration in a EU Member State that allows to deviate from the legal obligation for strict protection of all individuals of certain species, and of the breeding/resting sites of these individuals, as provided in the EU Birds and Habitats Directives. This dashboard presents an overview of the derogations and exceptions that national, regional or local administrations have granted across the EU. It is based on the number of derogations/exceptions that are reported to the EU. Please note that the number of derogations does not reflect the number of individuals affected by the derogations – a single derogation may cover many individuals, or just a single one

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The map shows the temporal development of the distribution of warm-favouring (Lusitanian) fish species and of cool-favouring (Boreal) fish species by statistical area in yearly intervals, 1967 to 2018.

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For visualisation purposes, the initial 100 m spatial resolution Corine Land Cover dataset was re-sampled to a 10 km2 grid. The observation periods can be visualised by activating the 'layers' icon and selecting the respective periods.

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This web map application uses the new version of the Effective Mesh Density (seff) 2016 dataset with improved input data, for the years 2009, 2012 and 2015. This new dataset uses the Copernicus Imperviousness and the TomTom TeleAtlas data sets as fragmenting geometries. The application shows the change in effective mesh density (seff), i.e. the number of landscape elements between 2009 and 2012 and between 2012 and 2015.

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The map shows the long-term impact of water deficit on vegetation productivity, and the area of low vegetation productivity under water deficit impact, aggregated by NUTS3 regions. Negative anomalies are expressed in standard deviation and indicate vegetation productivity conditions that are lower than the long-term average under normal, non-drought conditions.

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The map shows the biogeographical and marine Regions for EU28 countries.

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This map is a cartogram that distorts the geometry of regions to convey specific information by resizing. The bottom left box refers to the Macaronesian islands (Azores, Madeira and Canary Islands). It only includes terrestrial Natura 2000 sites for EU-28 (SPAs, SACs, SCIs and proposed SCIs).

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The figure shows the conservation status of habitats at Member State level. Statistics are based on the number of habitat assessments at Member States′ biogeographical/marine level. The number of assessments per Member State is indicated in parentheses. The total number of assessments is 3 246.

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The figure shows the conservation status of habitats at EU level. Statistics are based on the number of EU habitats assessments (818)

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The figure shows the rate of growth in the number and cumulative area of nationally designated terrestrial protected areas. Statistics are based on data reported by EEA countries to the Nationally designated areas (CDDA) database.

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