The EU has the largest coordinated network of protected areas in the world, known as Natura 2000, consisting of around 27 000 terrestrial and marine sites protected under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive (known as “the Nature Directives”). In addition, EU Member States have protected large portions of their territory under national protection schemes.
In 2021, around 1.1 million km² of the EU Member States’ land area was designated for the preservation of biodiversity as Natura 2000 sites or nationally protected sites. This represents over a quarter (26%) of the total EU land area.
The highest share of protected land area in Luxembourg, lowest in Finland
In 2021, protected areas represented 20% or more of the total land area in 20 of the 27 EU Member States, with the highest shares recorded in Luxembourg (52%), Bulgaria and Slovenia (both 41%).
In contrast, the lowest shares of protected areas were observed in Finland (13%), Ireland and Sweden (both 14%).
This news article is published on the occasion of the Natura 2000 Day (21 May) and the International Day for Biological Diversity (22 May). Environmental degradation is an existential threat to Europe and the world, which is why the European Green Deal is one of the 6 European Commission priorities for 2019 – 24.
To learn more, you can take a look at the Eurostat interactive visualisation tool which shows statistics relevant for the European Green Deal. It presents an overview of 26 indicators for the EU, the Member States and EFTA countries, divided into 3 main topics: Reducing our climate impact, protecting our planet & health and enabling a green & just transition.
For more information:
- Statistics for the European Green Deal interactive visualisation tool
- Statistics Explained article on biodiversity statistics
- Dedicated section on environmental statistics
- Dedicated section on biodiversity statistics
- Natura 2000 Barometer administered by the European Environment Agency and the European Topic Centre on Biodiversity
- Natura 2000 Network Viewer to find the Natura 2000 area closest to where you live
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