Aug. 30, 2008
Three of the EU's new arrivals from Central and Eastern Europe (Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia) added sites to the Natura 2000 network of protected areas between January and March, and the network could eventually grow to include marine areas of non-EU countries
"This marks another major milestone for nature protection in Europe and is an achievement for WWF, which has been working for several years to support preparations for introducing Natura 2000 to new EU member states," said Andreas Beckmann, Deputy Director for WWF's Danube-Carpathian Programme. "We are extremely pleased by the European Commission's decision to extend the network."
The beech-forested Gory Slonne mountain region is just one of 18 areas that Poland has added to the Natura network. Slovakia is also contributing its fair share of sites, including Beskyd and Mala Fatra, the latter a traditional, 220-square kilometre farming area in the Carpathians. The network will also include a 750-hectare stretch of Slovenia's Julian Alps, a well preserved alpine ecosystem of forest, grassland and limestone.
At present, Natura 2000 network sites comprise approximately 20 percent of land territory in older member states of the European Union. The addition of more protected areas in CEE countries is one important way of resisting mounting pressures to introduce or continue unsustainable development practices. According to WWF, Natura 2000 is also expanding the network in marine areas, and even non-EU countries, including those in the Dinaric Arc and Turkey
Within the Natural 2000 framework and also in accordance with Turkey's ratification of the Bern Treaty, the Turkish government has begun to implement its 'Diamond Network' strategy, which is a scheme to develop precautionary measures to ensure sustainable use of important natural areas.
