Series details: CRDA/57

The creation of the Natura 2000 network is often referred to as the "cornerstone of Community nature conservation policy" as it is focused upon capturing data with the specific purpose of maintaining the extraordinary diversity of sites and species present within the European Union.1In accordance with Council Directive 92/43/EEC (Habitats Directive), each member state of the European Union was required to prepare and propose to the European Commission a national list of sites, which were evaluated in order to form a European network of Sites of Community Importance (SCIs). These were subsequently to be designated by the Member States as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). Furthermore, as per the provisions of the Birds Directive, it is the Member States who designated sites directly as Special Protection Areas (SPAs) under Natura 2000. In essence, the SAC network, together with the classified SPAs, is collectively known as Natura 2000.

The main objectives of the database documenting the Natura 2000 network have been identified by the European Commission 2 as follows:

• To provide the necessary information to enable the Commission, in partnership with the Member States, to co-ordinate measures to create a coherent NATURA 2000 network and to evaluate its effectiveness for the conservation of Annex I habitats and for the habitats of species listed in Annex II of Council Directive 92/43/EEC as well as the habitats of Annex I bird species and other migratory bird species covered by Council Directive 79/409/EEC.
• To provide information which will assist the Commission in other decision making capacities to ensure that the NATURA 2000 network is fully considered in other policy areas and sectors of the Commission's activities in particular regional, agricultural, energy, transport and tourism policies.
• To assist the Commission and the relevant committees in choosing actions for funding under LIFE and other financial instruments where data relevant to the conservation of sites, such as ownership and management practice, are likely to facilitate the decision making process.
• To provide a useful forum for the exchange and sharing of information on habitats and species of Community interest to the benefit of all Member States.

The process of Natura 2000 is maintained as a dynamic one which can be adjusted according to the relative success or failure of the resulting protection measures undertaken. Therefore, it is anticipated that sites will continue to be added to the Natura 2000 Network if a species or habitat continues to decline as a result of habitat loss.3

The advent of datasets capturing a coherent European ecological network of international designations provides new opportunities to explore the sustainable use and management of areas. For example, by actively utilising the datasets for educational and research opportunities and ensuring that the needs of Natura 2000 are effectively implemented in other Community policies. One scoping study in Scotland has already investigated the possibilities for demonstrating and promoting the local socio-economic benefits which can be derived from Natura 2000 sites.4 Overall, the information contained in Natura 2000 datasets is of vital use for supporting efforts aimed at assisting the EU in meeting wider biodiversity conservation targets and in overarching attempts to halt biodiversity decline by 2010.

Under the ambit of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, responsibility for the UK administration of Natura 2000 resided with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) whose special functions contributed to: sustaining and enriching biological diversity, enhancing geological features and sustaining natural systems. For further information on the history of the JNCC and its special statutory functions, see the Administrative History of Nature Conservation Departments.

In 1992 the then European Community adopted Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora, known as the Habitats Directive. The main objectives of the Habitats Directive are: "...to contribute towards ensuring biodiversity through the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora in the European territory of the Member States to which the Treaty applies" (Article 2.1); and "...to maintain or restore, at favourable conservation status, natural habitats and species of wild fauna and flora of Community interest" (Article 2.2). The 24 articles of the Directive specify a range of measures, including conservation of features in the landscape that are important for wildlife, the protection of species listed in the annexes from damage, destruction or over-exploitation, the surveillance of natural habitats and species, and ensuring that introductions on non-native species are not detrimental to naturally occurring habitats and species. In the United Kingdom, the JNCC oversees the most stringent of Directive obligations as they pertain to the selection, designation and protection of a network of sites - special areas of conservation (SACs). The data for the Natura 2000 datasets has been collated at the JNCC from information supplied by English Nature, Scottish National Heritage, Countryside Council for Wales and Department of Environment, Northern Ireland.5

The datasets in this series represent 90% of the fields contained in the original International Designations Database (IDD) (as managed by the JNCC and which has not been transferred to NDAD). The European datasets described in this series only differ from the original IDD in a very minor administrative respect. For example, the European datasets have separate tables for fish and plants whereas the JNCC retain these in the one table for ease of analysis within the IDD. The representation of datasets in this series however still comprises the same standard European format that was legally required for provision of data to the European Commission. Consequently, to reflect and qualify this particular version of data, this series has been termed: International Designations - European database (Natura 2000).

The Natura 2000 datasets contain UK data for Candidate Special Areas of Conservation (under EU Habitats Directive 1992) and Classified Special Protection Areas (under EU Birds Directive 1979). It does not include proposed sites (or extensions to previously submitted sites) where the data has not yet been submitted to Europe. In the final phase of designation or classification of the site listed under either Directive all the ecological information necessary to enable evaluation of the contribution of the site to overall effectiveness and coherence of the NATURA 2000 network must be provided.

The legal basis for providing the data to implement NATURA 2000 is outlined in article 4 of the Habitats Directive which defines that "information shall include a map of the site, its name, location, extent and the data resulting from application of the criteria specified in Annex III (Stage 1) provided in a format established by the Commission in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 21." Under Article 4 paragraph 3 of the Birds Directive Member States are already required to "send the Commission all relevant information so that it may take appropriate initiatives with a view to the coordination necessary to ensure that the areas provided for in paragraph 1 and 2 (of Article 4) form a coherent whole which meets the protection requirements of these species in the geographical sea and land area where this Directive applies."6

• Site identification
• Site location
• Ecological information - Habitat Types
• Ecological information - Species - Animals (Birds, Mammals, Amphibians/Reptiles, Fishes, Invertebrates)
• Ecological information - Species - Plants
• Ecological information - Other important species
• Site description - General site character
• Site description - Descriptive text fields (Quality, Vulnerability, Designation, Ownership, Documentation)
• Site Protection status
• Relation with CORINE Biotopes
• Impacts and Activities in and around the site
• Map/Aerial photographs/Slides of the site
• History

The one data collection form type was used for all sites included in NATURA 2000 ie to cover classified Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and those sites that are eligible as Sites of Community Importance (SCI). There may be cases where a relationship exists between two or more NATURA 2000 sites. See the Dataset Documentation Catalogue, reference CRDA/57/DD/1/1 (figure 1, p.23), for an outline of the different possible relationships that can exist between two NATURA 2000 sites.

Further accruals expected. Submissions of tranches are expected to be required far less frequently in the period from 2005 onwards. The frequency is not yet known but it is potentially one or two per year. This will include updates to reflect changes in spatial data, eg a revised hectarage resulting from the use of an amended Ordnance Survey base map.8

The Natura 2000 dataset and its related documentation are public records under the Public Records Acts, 1958 and 1967. The National Archives has assigned the dataset the class reference KR 8.

The data and related documentation in the dataset are open to users of NDAD on demand and do not require to be booked in advance.

The International Designations datasets and dataset documentation are subject to Crown Copyright. Copies may be made for private study and research purposes only.

The International Designations datasets are not subject to registration under the Data Protection Act.

The language of the materials is English.

The Natura 2000 standard data form, explanatory notes and appendices have been downloaded from the Environment Directorates-General, European Commission website and are available via the Dataset Documentation Catalogue, reference CRDA/57/DD/1/1. Other documents relating to the Natura 2000 Datasets have been transferred to NDAD and can also be consulted within the Dataset Documentation Catalogue.

This European Commission (Environment Directorates-General) website link takes you directly to related Natura 2000 documents and publications. By visiting the EU Nature Conservation links on this site, more information can be found concerning: EU Nature legislation; Natura 2000 Network (eg standard data forms); useful information (eg issues of Newsletter Natura ); and monitoring, indicators and reporting (eg Composite Report from the Commission on the implementation of the Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora ). The site includes an online catalogue of publications, many of which are free of charge.

The European Topic Centre on Biological Diversity website (as part of The European Environment Agency) provides access to support resources relating to Natura 2000 such as ETC reports and working papers, Natura 2000 weblinks and the Natura 2000 software package. This site also provides a direct link to the online European Nature Information System (EUNIS). The European Commission launched this geographic information system (GIS) database with the help of the EU's Joint Research Centre (JRC). EUNIS contains data on species, habitats and sites compiled in the framework of NATURA 2000, but also data collected by ETC/NPB (formerly the European Topic Centre for Nature Conservation) from literature and other sources as reference data. This system intends to provide online information about every Natura 2000 site in Europe.

The European Commission tracks progress in classification of SPAs across the European Union by analysing the data submitted to it by Member States in the Natura 2000 Standard Data Form. This progress is then summarised in the regularly updated Natura 2000 Barometer available on the European Commission's website.

The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) website is an excellent resource for obtaining a comprehensive overview of the scope and content of protected sites. Through this direct weblink to protected sites, users have the option of exploring background information regarding both candidate SACs (eg electronic information resource The Habitats Directive: Selection of Special Areas of Conservation in the UK ) and SPAs (eg online publication of the UK SPA review ). These resources are also regularly updated and available from the JNCC as printed publications, each helping to supplement and support the use of datasets in this series. Notably, through providing: up-to-date details of selected sites; searchable descriptions of interest features and individual site and species accounts; explanations of the selection process; and accompanying information including downloadable GIS boundary data and a downloadable spreadsheet of spatial/summary data for UK candidate SACs that allows users to undertake complex queries.

Users may find it useful to consult the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) Natura 2000 publications due to the active role that the WWF has played in selecting Natura 2000 sites (including raising awareness about insufficient site selection) in accordance with its underlying campaign to ensure that the network provides adequate protection for all of Europe’s most threatened species and habitats.

The Natura 2000 database system was run over a network of Compaq PCs.

The system was run on the Microsoft Windows 2000 operating system.

Natura 2000 is a database application developed by the European Environment Agency, and based on Microsoft Access 97. The software comprised regional and national modules for use in data entry by Member States of the European Union, and a central management system which integrated data imported from the national databases. In addition to data entry and central management, Natura 2000 also provided components for data querying, data conversion, and mapping.

The Natura 2000 data input module comprised a number of Access forms based upon the main sections of the standard paper data form. Where appropriate, for example when entering details of species or habitats, the interface provided access to lookup selection lists containing data from the Annexes of the Birds or Habitats Directives.

The Natura 2000 data transferred to NDAD comprises two subordinate groupings of datasets: Special Areas of Conservation (11 datasets) and Special Protection Areas (3 datasets). The data structure for tables was defined at the European level (ie generic structure for all EU member states) as either obligatory or non-obligatory. The structure of each dataset has not changed since its inception. See links to subseries catalogues and individual dataset catalogues for further information.

The dataset is dynamic, in the sense that new information is entered into the existing database thus periodically producing a new snapshot.

Any limitations concerning the selection and designation of SACs and SPAs are discussed in online reports located on the Joint Nature Conservation Committee website ie The Habitats Directive: selection of Special Areas of Conservation in the UK 9 and The UK SPA network: its scope and content . 10 With regard to some of the limitations relating to the capture of SAC data, it should be noted that site selection has been limited by an imperfect knowledge of the distribution and relative abundance of many habitat and species types.11 While designated timescales under the Directives precluded the commissioning of extensive survey work to complement existing knowledge, some additional surveys have since been undertaken to improve knowledge of certain sites.12 In relation to the identification and classification of SPAs, progress has been hampered by the absence of formally agreed criteria or selection guidelines at the EU level. 13

Subseries catalogues provide more detailed information about individual subseries, and are currently available for the following subseries:

1. Europa - European Commission (Environment Directorates-General) website, (http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/nature/nature_conservation/useful_info/documents_publications/index_en.htm) Environment Directorates-General Natura 2000 publications, EU FOCUS NATURE 2002 p.17, consulted on 2 September 2004.

2. Dataset Documentation Catalogue, reference CRDA/57/DD/1/1, p.21

3. Europa/European Commission (Environment Directorates-General) website, (http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/news/natura/nat1_en.htm) Environment Directorates-General Natura 2000 publications, European Commission DG XI's Nature Newsletter Issue 1, May 1996, consulted on 31 August 2004.

4. Scottish Executive website, (http://www.scotland.gov.uk/cru/kd01/orange/n00ss.pdf) Environment and Natural Resources Publications, consulted on 30 September 2004.

5. Dataset transfer form for the International Designations - European database (Natura 2000) dataset.

6. Dataset Documentation Catalogue, reference CRDA/57/DD/1/1, p.1

7. Dataset Documentation Catalogue, reference CRDA/57/DD/1/1, pp. 3-19

8. Note of communication from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee to NDAD on 28 October 2004.

9. Joint Nature Conservation Committee web site, The Habitats Directive: selection of Special Areas of Conservation in the UK (http://www.jncc.gov.uk/ProtectedSites/SACselection) consulted on 18 October 2004

10. Joint Nature Conservation Committee web site, The UK SPA network: its scope and content (http://www.jncc.gov.uk/UKSPA) consulted on 18 October 2004.

11. Joint Nature Conservation Committee web site, Background to Site Selection (http://www.jncc.gov.uk/page-1460), p.15 [pdf] consulted on 18 October 2004.

12. Ibid., p15.

13. Joint Nature Conservation Committee web site, The identification of the UK's SPA network (http://www.jncc.gov.uk/UKSPA/v1s2.htm) consulted on 18 October 2004