European Natura 2000 Award

The Natura 2000 Award team wishes you all the best for the holiday period and the new year.

The 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the UN Convention on Biodiversity is being held from 7 – 19 December 2022, in Quebec.

The EU and its Member States are calling for urgent and transformative action by all to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. The EU wants an ambitious agreement in Montreal, including a target to protect and effectively manage 30% of land and oceans by 2030, as well as targets to promote sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystems.

Natura 2000, the EU-wide network of protected areas established under the EU Birds and Habitats directives, of course plays a key role in achieving this challenge. The Natura 2000 Award also contributes by recognising and promoting excellence in the management of Natura 2000 sites and by showcasing the network’s added value of conserving nature for local communities and economies across the European Union.

Find out more about the EU COP15 position and actions here, and follow on social media with #ForOurPlanet.

To celebrate their achievements and engage a wider audience in understanding the issues at stake, the six winners of the 2020 edition of the Natura 2000 Award have organised local events to showcase their activities

Usually, local events are held within a year of the winners being announced. However, the COVID-19 restrictions made the organisation of in-person events difficult in 2020 and 2021. As a result, the 2020 events were organised up until 2022.

Read more here and below about these events, which were held in or close to the Natura 2000 sites where the winners’ activities were centred.

The 2020 Citizens’ Award winner achieved significant advances in the protection of old-growth forests in Bulgaria through establishing an inventory of old-growth forests in state-owned forest habitats within Natura 2000 that all interested stakeholders agreed to.

Their event was hosted by the Bulgarian Executive Forest Agency (EFA) and held in the “Vitosha“ Natura 2000 site, an old-growth forest south-west of Sofia in Bulgaria, on 20 July 2021. Read more ….

The 2020 Reconciling interests / perceptions category winner focused on improving the nature and recreational values of the Kruibeke Polders, and as a result demonstrated how views on nature protection can be turned around by involving a wide group of actors in the decision-making.

Their event was hosted by the Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos and held on 24 October 2020 in the Natura 2000 site “Scheldt and Durme estuary running from the Dutch border to Gent”, in the Polders of Kruibeke area near Antwerp in northern Belgium. Read more ….

The 2020 Socio-economic benefits category winner created a special certification brand, Pro-Biodiversidad, to support the extensive sheep sector, halt rural abandonment and improve conditions for biodiversity.

Their event was held on 28-29 October 2021 and hosted by the Foundation for the Conservation of the Bearded Vulture. The event was held in the Natura 2000 sites “Picos de Europa (Asturias)” and “Desfiladero de la Hermida” in northern Spain. Read more ….

The 2020 Cross-border cooperation and Networking category winner involved six countries, 16 partners and multiple Natura 2000 sites working together to address the increasingly important issue of landscape fragmentation.

Their event was hosted by the Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic and held from 16-18 March 2022, close to the Natura 2000 “Beskydy Protected Landscape Area” site in the Czech Republic. Read more ….

The 2020 Conservation category winner was the Finnish Inventory Programme for Underwater Marine Environment (VELMU), which aimed to develop a picture of marine habitats and species in Finnish marine waters, and gain an insight into their conservation status.

Their event was held on 17 and 18 May 2022 and hosted by the Finnish Ministry of Environment at the “Liminganlahti” Natura 2000 site in Liminka Bay National Park in Finland. Read more ….

The 2020 Communication category winner implemented an environmental awareness campaign aimed at relevant stakeholders to help them minimise their impact on the coastal and marine environments.

Their event was hosted by the Lannion-Trégor Communauté and held at the “Trégor-Goëlo” and “Pink Granite Coast – Sept-Iles” Natura 2000 sites in France on 15 June 2022. Read more ….

The organisation of the 2022 winners’ local events is underway and the first date has already been confirmed:

• The 2022 Citizens’ Award winner - FLORA: empowering conservation entrepreneurs, Austria – will hold their local event on 14-16 March 2023. They are planning a varied programme involving numerous stakeholders, visits and info stands.

Further information on each event will be published on the Award website, as well as in future editions of the Natura 2000 Award Newsflash, as it becomes available. In the meantime, remind yourself about the 2022 winners and their impressive achievements.

And last, but definitely not least, it’s never too early to begin thinking about your application for the 2024 edition! Check out the benefits of applying on the Award website, and start reflecting on which category would be most fitting to showcase your achievements.

The new call for applications to the Natura 2000 Award will be launched to coincide with Natura 2000 Day on 21 May 2023. Further information will be available on the Award website and in a dedicated Newsflash closer to the date.