International Designations 'Natura 2000' at the National Digital Archive of
Datasets
'PROTECTING OUR BIODIVERSITY AND OUR PLANET'


"Despite the improved conservation policies introduced in the Member States,
the EU's precious 'biodiversity' - essential for supporting life on this
planet - continues to be under serious threat. Poor planning, wasteful
land-use and intensive farming methods have resulted over the years in the
destruction of many natural habitats such as wetlands, which many wild
species depend upon for their survival."
[Source: EU Environment Directorate - Mission Statement [06/08/2004],
(http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/nature/mission_statement/index_en.htm
), consulted on 12 November 2004].

SYNOPSIS:
A new dataset of potential significance for a number of policy areas and
research disciplines has recently become available via the National
Archives' National Digital Archive of Datasets (NDAD). The dataset contains
details of 'Natura 2000' in the United Kingdom which is a network of
ecological sites that are recognised by the European Union as
internationally important for habitat and species conservation.  There are
11 datasets in total spanning the period c.1982 - c.2003.  The datasets, as
created by the UK Joint Nature Conservation Committee, specifically contain
UK data for Candidate Special Areas of Conservation (under EU Habitats
Directive 1992) and Classified Special Protection Areas (under EU Birds
Directive 1979).

Under the 1992 Habitats Directive, each Member State is required to identify
sites of European importance and to put in place a special management plan
to protect them, combining long-term preservation with economic and social
activities, as part of a sustainable development strategy. These sites,
together with those of the Birds Directive, make up the Natura 2000 network
- the cornerstone of EU nature protection policy.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE DATASET:

The main objectives outlined below clearly illustrate how the EU is
endeavouring to utilise the information captured within Natura 2000
datasets.  Implicit within these aims, is a potential value and usage that
researchers may also seek to draw from the datasets:

*       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 habitats and species listed under the relevant EU
Directives.
*
*       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.

CONTENT:

The datasets comprise core information about the selection of Special Areas
of Conservation and Special Protection Areas in the UK.  The key tables
correspond to the major paragraphs of the EU Standard Data collection form:

*       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

RESEARCH VALUE:

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. 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.

Across the European Union, biodiversity is in considerable danger.
Consequently, the EU has introduced new, stronger legal and financial
instruments for safeguarding the natural environment. The following alarming
statistics powerfully demonstrate some of the reasons behind why initiatives
such as Natura 2000 are vital to united efforts aimed at maintaining the
extraordinary diversity of sites and species present within the EU:

*       In Europe, 42% of our native mammals 15% of birds, 45% of
butterflies, 30% of amphibians, 45% of reptiles and 52% of freshwater fish
are threatened.
*
*       Birds such as the slender-billed curlew are now so rare that they
risk extinction, while even numbers of common species such as skylark and
garden warbler have fallen dramatically.
*
*       In north and western Europe, some 60% of wetlands have been lost.
*
*       Two-thirds of trees in the EU are under stress, while forest fires
in the south continue to pose a problem.

[Source: EU Environment Directorate - Mission Statement [06/08/2004],
(http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/nature/mission_statement/index_en.htm
), consulted on 12 November 2004].

CONCLUSION:

The Natura 2000 network to-date comprises more than 18 000 sites, covering
over 17% of EU territory, and is due to be completed in 2004. The European
Commission is co-ordinating a number of activities in 2004 as part of
underlying efforts to meet the 2010 targets regarding biodiversity loss in
the EU and globally.

Thanks to initiatives such as NATURA 2000, decisions on crucial issues such
as transport, energy and agriculture can no longer be taken without regard
for their impact on wildlife and the countryside.
______________________________________________________________________
The NATURA 2000 data is fully open to registered NDAD users. NDAD users can
download the data in a format suitable for loading in modern software
packages.


For further information on these and other datasets held by NDAD, see NDAD's
website http://ndad.ulcc.ac.uk/
or email [log in to unmask]
*With apologies for cross-posting*


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