Natura 2000 is a network of areas designated to protect threatened species and habitats throughout the European Union (EU). It is the largest coordinated network of protected areas in the world, extending across all 27 EU member states, both on land and at sea (Source: https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/biodiversity/natura-2000/the-natura-2000-protected-areas-network). In August 2022, the Natura 2000 network comprised 27,031 sites (Source: Natura Newsletter Number 52, page 8 at https://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/info/pubs/natura2000nl_en.htm).
In 1979, the Birds Directive (as amended in 2009) established an EU-wide protection regime for all bird species naturally occurring in the EU. It included classification by member states of Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for 194 particularly threatened bird species and for all migratory birds.
This approach was extended through the 1992 Habitats Directive, which also provided for the establishment of a representative system throughout the EU of legally protected habitats (places) and species other than birds. The areas are named Sites of Community Importance (SCI) and aim for the conservation of the 233 habitat types listed in Annex I of the Directive and the 900 plus species listed in Annex II. Member states identify SCIs and designate them as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs).
SPAs under the Birds Directive and SACs under the Habitats Directive together make up the Natura 2000 network.
The target of both directives, specifically set out within the Habitats Directive and echoed in the Birds Directive, is to ensure the long-term sustainability of the habitats and species they have been set up to protect.
Natura 2000 sites in Ireland
The requirement under the Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive to designate Natura 2000 sites is 