Conservation status and trends of species and habitats protected by the EU nature directives 2013–2018
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The EU Birds and Habitats Directives are the cornerstones of the EU’s biodiversity policy. Together, they protect all 460 wild bird species naturally occurring in the EU and a further 1400 other rare, endangered or vulnerable species, as well as 233 characteristic habitat types. The overall objective is to ensure that these species and habitats are restored to, or maintained at, a favourable conservation status across their entire natural range within the EU. This requires more than just halting their further decline or disappearance; measures must also be taken to ensure they recover sufficiently to remain healthy over the long term. This can only be achieved if all EU Member States work together. Every six years, Member States are asked to report back to the European Commission on the conservation status of those EU-protected species and habitats present on their territory. The Commission then pools all the data together, with the help of the European Environment Agency, in order to see how well they are faring across the EU. Published in October 2020, the ‘State of Nature in the European Union’ report presents the results of the 3rd reporting cycle for the period 2013–2018. This brochure summarises its key findings.