Natura 2000 needs better management, financing and monitoring, say EU auditors

Improvements are needed in the management, financing and monitoring of Natura 2000, the EU's flagship biodiversity programme, according to a report from the European Court of Auditors. While recognising that Natura 2000 plays an important role in protecting biodiversity, the auditors found shortcomings in management and a lack of reliable information on costs and financing, a press release shows.

2017-02-21 15:52:37

Funding was not sufficiently tailored to the needs of environmental sites. The auditors visited 24 Natura 2000 sites in France, Germany, Spain, Poland and Romania, covering most of the biogeographical regions in Europe, and consulted with various stakeholder groups. They acknowledged the major role played by Natura 2000 in protecting biodiversity, but concluded that the network had not been implemented to its full potential.

"The setting-up of the Natura 2000 network was a long process, now mostly completed," said Nikolaos Milionis, the member of the European Court of Auditors responsible for the report. "To achieve adequate protection of biodiversity across the Natura 2000 sites, the Member States must still put in place proper conservation measures, appropriately funded and with a complete set of indicators measuring the results achieved."

The auditors found that Member States were not managing the Natura 2000 network sufficiently well. Coordination between relevant authorities, stakeholders and neighbouring Member States was not sufficiently developed, according to the quoted source. The necessary conservation measures were too often delayed or inappropriately defined.

The Natura 2000 network was established under the Birds and Habitats Directives as a key element of the EU's 2020 strategy to halt biodiversity loss and improve the status of habitats and species. The Directives provide a common framework for nature protection across the Member States. The Natura 2000 network has more than 27,000 sites all over Europe, protecting diverse habitats and species covering more than 18 per cent of the EU's land area and around six per cent of the sea area.