This report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) notes that the EU target of designating 10% of seas as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is yet to be achieved, and that habitats further out at sea are particularly under-represented in Europe's protected areas.
In total, there are over 105,000 nationally designated protected sites in EEA member and cooperating countries.
22 October 2012: The European Environment Agency (EEA) has released a report titled “Protected Areas in Europe – an Overview,” reviewing the status of national parks, nature reserves, biosphere reserves and other protected areas in Europe. According to the report, there are over 105,000 nationally designated protected sites in EEA member and cooperating countries.
The 136-page report underscores the diversity of Europe’s protected areas, which include 11 distinct biogeographic regions, such as the Arctic polar deserts and the boreal forests in the north, arid or dense mattoral shrubland in the south, vast tracts of steppe in Eastern Europe, and extensive heathlands in the West. The report also notes that the EU target of designating 10% of seas as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is yet to be achieved, and that habitats further out at sea are particularly under-represented in Europe’s protected areas.
The report includes chapters on: the policy and historical context of protected areas; visions of value of protected areas; the environmental context of protected areas in Europe; diverse multipurpose and multi-scale protected areas; the Natura 2000 and Emerald networks; complementarity between national designations and Natura 2000; MPAs; and protected areas assessments. [EEA Press Release] [Publication: Protected Areas in Europe: An Overview]