Nature protection
The EU rules on nature protection aim to safeguard species and their habitats. Natura 2000 is the largest coordinated network of protected areas globally.
How the EU protects nature
The EU has set very ambitious and large-scale rules to safeguard Europe's natural heritage and protect biodiversity.
The EU birds and habitats directives, adopted in 1979 and 1992 respectively, together form the cornerstones of EU legislation on nature conservation and protection. The two directives' overall objective is to not only save species and habitats from decline or disappearance but make sure they can prosper over the long-term. The goal is to reduce biodiversity loss in the EU.
Each EU member state can decide how to best implement the directives. It is crucial that the way in which they are implemented reflects the ecological needs of each area.
In 2019, the EU launched the European Green Deal, setting the goal of reaching climate neutrality and achieving zero pollution in the EU by 2050. The protection and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems are part of this long-term plan.
As a complement to the birds and habitats directives, in 2024 EU countries adopted the nature restoration regulation, which sets legally binding targets for the restoration of degraded ecosystems on land and in the sea.
State of nature in the EU
Europe covers less than 5% of the planet's land mass but is home to a large diversity of wild species and habitats.
Over the past decades, nature in the EU has started to drastically decline as species population and their habitats are shrinking and degrading.
Climate change, loss of habitats, pollution and invasive species are among the main degradation factors.
What is the state of nature in the EU? (infographic)
The birds directive
The EU birds directive was adopted in 1979. It remains just as relevant today and continues to set the standard for bird conservation and for the protection of biodiversity at large across EU member states.
Some 500 bird species currently exist in Europe and each plays an important role in terms of biodiversity. Birds are sensitive to environmental pressures and their populations can reflect changes in the health of the environment.
The goal of the directive is to protect all naturally occurring wild bird species present in the EU and their most important habitats. It also aims to allow bird species to recover from decline and to thrive over the long-term.
The directive requires all EU member states to take any necessary measures to maintain and restore bird populations and their habitats. This includes introducing a ban on the deliberate disturbance, killing, capture or trade of wild birds and on the destruction of their nests.
The habitats directive
The habitats directive aims to protect a large variety of animals and species and the habitats in which they occur.
Like the birds directive, the habitats directive obligates all member states to establish a strict protection regime for listed species and habitats. For instance, they must prohibit:
- all forms of deliberate capture or killing in the wild
- the deterioration or destruction of breeding sites or resting places
- the keeping, transport and sale of specimens taken from the wild
The directive's rules ensure that economic, social and cultural factors are taken into account when adopting further conservation measures.
Conserving large carnivores in Europe
The EU is home to six species of large carnivores: brown bears, wolves, Eurasian lynx, Iberian lynx, wolverines and golden jackals. At least one of these species can be found in every mainland EU country.
Through successful protective legislation, like the habitats directive, large carnivore populations have recovered remarkably in Europe in the last half century.
Protection status of wolves
The population of wolves in Europe has doubled in ten years. This has led to challenges regarding the coexistence of wild animals and human activities.
In April 2025, the Council agreed to the Commission's proposal to change the protection status of wolves from 'strictly protected' to 'protected'. Member states must continue to ensure that wolves enjoy a favourable conservation status and monitor the situation, which may lead to temporary or local bans on hunting.
Natura 2000 network
The Natura 2000 network represents the world's largest coordinated system of protected sites, spread across all EU countries, both on land and at sea. It aims at protecting areas covering the most valuable and threatened species and habitats.
The birds and habitats directives outline the overall legal framework for protecting and managing Natura 2000 sites. The habitats directive defines how EU member states should protect and manage the sites.
Economic, social and cultural factors, as well as regional and local characteristics, must be taken into consideration when setting site-specific conservation objectives and measures.
LIFE programme
The LIFE programme is the main EU fund to support projects aiming to protect the environment, restore nature and safeguard species.
Since it was created, the programme has supported over 1 800 projects whose goal was to protect species and biodiversity. It also played a key role in establishing the Natura 2000 network by supporting the management of protected sites.
Why salamanders are important to you
The tiniest of creatures, even tinier than a salamander, bear huge responsibility for sustaining the fascinating web of life.
With the habitats directive, the EU has been safeguarding salamanders, together with hundreds of other animal species, as well as plants and natural areas. From Finland to Malta, from Romania to Portugal, EU law has helped preserve habitats and the living species they host.
See also
Last review: 15 January 2025