nature

The Nature Directives have created a better environment for people in the UK and
across the European Union. Looking after our landscapes and countryside, helping wildlife
to survive and thrive, and ensuring that they are passed on in good condition to the next
generation all increase our enjoyment of nature and the benefits that nature provides
for people.
What people want
Public demand for environmental protection is growing.
A surge in RSPB membership numbers shows the support
for nature that led to the adoption of the Birds Directive.
Today, our membership is higher than ever, at
1.2 million people.
For most of us, protecting nature is not about material
benefit – it is about saving the wildlife we love, or
protecting the green spaces and landscapes we grew up
with. Many people share the RSPB’s view that nature is
intrinsically valuable and should be conserved for its own
sake. The vast majority of EU citizens see the conservation
of biodiversity as first and foremost a moral obligation. vi
It is also clear that people understand the need for crossborder
action. The Directives were first passed in response
to public concern for migratory species, which motivated
the European Parliament to express its alarm “at the threat
of extinction to our migratory birds”, arguing that birds
should be regarded as everyone’s shared responsibility. vii
Today, most people value the EU’s role in protecting our
natural heritage; more than three-quarters of us think EU
environmental law is needed. Environmental protection
is seen as a key benefit of EU co-operation and an area
where we trust the EU and acknowledge that it has a role
to play. viii
What people need
Not only do people want to live in a natural world full of
life, they also need nature. Ecosystems in good condition
do more for society, both in terms of the enjoyment and
wellbeing we feel and the services we derive from nature.
ix
Protected sites, in particular, often provide a wealth
of ecosystem services, especially when they are in
Favourable Conservation Status. x For example:
• Full implementation and management of the Natura
2000 network could directly support 122,000 jobs and
contribute €3.05 billion to local economies, helping to
provide new sources of income for landowners and
managers and diversifying the rural economy xi
Some of these benefits are local (such as local air quality
improvements), while others are global (like carbon
sequestration by Natura 2000, which gives global climate
change mitigation benefits). Many are public goods,
meaning that they are under-provided by the market –
natural services are regarded as “free”, so we do not often
attribute a financial value to the benefits they provide.
Importantly, the Natura network helps to provide nature for
everyone. 65% of EU citizens live within 5 km of a Natura
2000 site, and 98% live within 20 km. Accessible nature
is particularly important close to urban areas, where most
people in Europe live. Natura 2000 sites can be found in
32 major cities in Europe and over half of EU capital cities.
Together, these sites harbour 40% of threatened habitat
types, half the bird species and a quarter of the rare
butterflies listed in the Directives. xiv
Investing in nature is excellent value for money. The cost of
managing the Natura 2000 network is around €5.8 billion a
year, but the benefits derived are in the order of €200–300
billion a year – equivalent to between 1.7% and 2.5%
of EU GDP. For example, there are 1.2–2.2 billion visits
to Natura 2000 sites each year, generating recreational
benefits worth between €5 and €9 billion per annum.
Defra has estimated that there is a benefit to cost ratio of
around 9 to 1 for conservation regulations. xv
In the UK, the Directives have acted as a catalyst and
driver for projects which deliver multiple benefits far
in excess of their costs. Key examples include the
Alkborough managed realignment project on the Humber
Estuary and the Wallasea Island habitat creation project.
Both were driven by the need to avoid deterioration and
to compensate for losses of intertidal habitat to flood
defence developments within SPAs and SACs. xvi
Biodiversity is the bedrock of ecosystem services and
plays an important role in enhancing ecosystem stability,
ensuring long-run sustainability. xvii By enriching biodiversity
in the UK and across Europe, the Nature Directives
support the services that nature provides for people, as
well as protecting the wildlife and habitats that so many
of us love.
• Investing €5.8 billion a year to keep Europe’s natural
capital in good conservation status could provide
€200–300 billion a year in services and benefits to
society and the economy xii
• Proximity, quantity and quality of green spaces
are related to health. People living near nature
engage in more physical activity, and psychological
wellbeing increases with greater species richness
and vegetation. Nature can have a positive impact on
mental health, stress, heart rate, concentration, blood
pressure, children’s behaviour and learning, and other
health factors. xiii
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