Europe's network of protected natural areas Natura 2000 has been expanded by nearly 27,000 km2 covering now almost 18% of the EU's landmass and more than 130,000 km2 of its seas. The main countries involved in this latest expansion are the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Spain and Poland. Natura 2000 now represents the centrepiece of Europe's battle to halt biodiversity loss and safeguard ecosystem services.

Natura 2000 is a vast network of nature conservation areas set up to ensure the survival of Europe's most valuable and endangered species and habitats. The network consists of around 26,000 sites, with the latest addition of 739 new sites covering nearly 27,000 square kilometres. More than half of the area added is made up of marine sites (more than 17,500 km²), mainly in France, Denmark and Spain.

This latest Natura 2000 update concerns fifteen Member States and covers six bio-geographical regions: the Alpine, Atlantic, Boreal, Continental, Mediterranean and Pannonian regions. They include 459 new sites in Poland representing a total area of 8,900 km2 including several major freshwater lakes and river systems with their associated floodplains and natural forests. The Czech Republic has added 229 sites. These include key areas of natural beech forests and wildlife rich meadows home to a wealth of fauna and flora.

Among the new marine sites included for the Atlantic region is a 680 km² stretch of the Loire estuary which harbours important cold water reefs and sandbanks. The area is a nursery for juvenile fish and a vital stopping over area for long distance migrants such as the Atlantic salmon Salmo salar and the Allis shad Alosa alosa. Denmark has also added some large marine sites including the Sydlige Nordsø which has been designated for the conservation of the harbour porpoise Phocoena phocoena. Spain's new contribution to the marine network is El Cachucho, an extensive offshore bank and seamount located in the Cantabrian Sea off the coast of Northern Spain. The area harbours an exceptional diversity of marine life including several newly discovered giant sponges.

The expansion will also increase protection for a range of valuable terrestrial habitats, from mountainous beech forests and flower rich meadows in the Czech Republic to vast lakes and wetlands in Poland. These habitats provide a vital refuge for many of Europe's rarest and most endangered species such as the otter Lutra lutra, the European pond turtle Emys orbicularis, and the scarce large blue butterfly Maculinea teleius.

As well as additional sites, the updated lists also include minor modifications to existing sites, such as adaptations of site areas. This can result in no overall change in the number of sites but in changes to total area covered by the network.

The philosophy behind the network is that man must work together with nature. Activities such as farming, tourism, forestry and leisure pursuits can still be carried out inside the network as long as they are sustainable and in harmony with the natural environment. Alongside LIFE+, Natura 2000 is one of the key financial instruments in the field of environment, for whose future funding the Commission has recently launched a public consultation. The range of protected areas is vast, from flower-rich meadows to cave systems and lagoons. The nine bio-geographical regions of the network reflect the wide variety of the EU's biodiversity.