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The European Union is celebrating 20 years of nature protection thanks to the Habitats Directive, and the EU funding instrument for the environment, LIFE. The Habitats Directive is one of the two building blocks of Natura 2000, Europe's network of protected areas. According to Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik, Natura 2000 is the largest coordinated network of protected areas anywhere in the world with over 26,000 sites and covering almost a fifth of our land territory. Moreover, LIFE, the EU fund for the environment, has contributed over €1.2 billion to the management and restoration of over 2000 Natura 2000 sites across the EU. The celebrations started in May 2012 with the launching of a brochure.

Mr Potočnik also highlighted the great success of the LIFE programme. Over the past 20 years it has targeted some 400 species, many of which have now attained favourable conservation status. In particular, the two sections of the fund - LIFE Nature and LIFE Environment Policy and Governance – have co-financed 3,685 projects to the tune of €2.8 billion from the EU budget. Its confidence in, and support for, those initiatives has leveraged a further €3.8 billion for a multitude of schemes to improve the environment and communicate those achievements to a wider audience.

With regard to the Habitats Directive, the Commission stressed that it is the most ambitious initiative ever undertaken to conserve Europe’s biodiversity. EU governments adopted the legislation in 1992 amid increasing concern at growing biodiversity loss. Along with the Birds Directive, it sets the framework for nature conservation throughout the Union, on a truly European scale. The Directive protects over 1000 animal and plant species and over 200 habitat types, including forests, meadows, and wetlands of European conservation concern.