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01 THE FACTS
Which extension is Spain´s contribution
to the Natura 2000 Network?
The Natura 2000 Network is composed by 1.461 SCIs (some of them
already designated as SACs) and 634 SPAs. In total, it comprises 1.858
sites (some sites are designated both as a SCI and a SPA) that amount
approximately to 27% of the Spanish territory (204.000 km2). Out of those,
almost 138.000 km2 are land sites and 66.000 km2 are marine sites,
according to data extracted on 30th September 2014 from the official
database of the Natura 2000 Network in Spain (CNTRYES).
Spain is the European Union country with the largest Natura 2000
Network surface. This is due to a combination of factors that make it
one of the European countries with a richer biodiversity:
• Spain is the second largest country in Europe, after France.
• Spain boasts a marine territory that verges on the million square kilometres,
adding up the Atlantic ocean, the Cantabric sea and the Mediterranean
sea coasts.
• The geographical situation of the Iberian peninsula has favoured its
being a shelter area for flora and fauna during the most recent glacial
periods.
• Its location, as a sort of bridge to the African continent, favours the
passage and regular presence of many migratory species.
• Four of the nine biogeographical regions existing in Europe can be
found in Spain: Mediterranean, Macaronesian, Atlantic and Alpine.
Which are the objectives of the Natura 2000 Network?
Ensuring the conservation of European biodiversity, both species and
habitats. The network is the main conservation tool in the EU and, at the
same time is an opportunity for fostering sustainable development of the
human populations more closely linked with it, fostering a balance between
social and economic activities and nature with a view to improving the
quality of life of those populations.
Management of the Natura 2000 Network
Each member state must:
• lay down the necessary conservation measures.
• adopt measures to deter the degradation of natural habitats and key
species habitats.
• carry out an evaluation of any project and plan that could affect the
Natura 2000 Network and bar them if they could have negative effects
on conservation objectives. However, there is a very strict exceptions
regime for authorizing projects that may have an effect.
Who will manage the Natura 2000 Network in Spain?
The Spanish state is solely accountable to the European Union as regards
the correct management, conservation and restoration if necessary of the
Network. However, due to the particularities of our administrative divisions,
it is the autonomous communities who have the powers and responsibility
of managing the land, and hence the Natura 2000 Network. It is them
who are in charge of drafting and agreeing upon the management plans
as well as implementing them. That is with the exception of marine sites
that have no ecological continuity with a land site, where it is the Ministry
of Agriculture, Food and the Environment (MAGRAMA) that has powers.
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Natura 2000 Network. Handbook for journalists