How does the European framework protect species and habitats across the continent?
Over 40 years ago, the Council of Europe adopted the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (1979), or Bern Convention, the first international treaty to protect both species and habitats, and to promote coordinated action on nature conservation.
Today, the Convention brings together 49 countries, including all the European Union (EU) member states and Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries.
Under the Convention, biodiversity-rich areas are designated as Areas of Special Conservation Interest (ASCIs) and integrated into the Emerald Network, which protects vulnerable species and habitats, and extends European nature conservation standards beyond the EU.
To fulfil its commitments, the EU adopted the Habitats Directive in 1992, and subsequently set up the Natura 2000 network of over 27,000 protected nature sites, covering nearly one-fifth of the continent’s land area. Natura 2000 sites encompass a range of habitat types, such as forests, grasslands and wetlands, as well as coastal and marine environments.
Within the EU, the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive provide the legal basis for the designation and management of Natura 2000 sites, which represent the EU’s implementation of the Bern Convention objectives and its formal contribution to the pan-European Emerald Network.
How does the EU support Eastern Partnership countries in expanding the Emerald Network?
The EU has supported EaP countries in expanding this network through a combination of financial, technical, and policy support, both historically and through ongoing programmes.
From 2009 to 2011, the EU partnered with the Council of Europe in a Joint Programme that laid the foundation for Emerald Network expansion in the EaP countries. The programme focused on assessing biodiversity, identifying species and habitats of conservation interest, and selecting potential areas for Emerald Network designation. A follow-up Phase II Joint Programme from 2012 to 2016 continued these efforts, helping countries move from site identification toward formal Emerald Network designation and implementation.
Building on the results of this work, the EU now supports the EaP countries, mainly through the EU4Environment programme, to safeguard biodiversity by helping them to manage existing Emerald Network sites and prepare proposals for new sites to join the network. Additional support is available to Moldova and Ukraine as EU candidate countries through the LIFE Programme. Additionally, the APENA project within the EU’s ‘Support to Ukraine in the approximation of the EU environmental acquis’ has developed one management plan for an Emerald Network site, the Pyriatynskyi National Nature Park. The EU also supports regional collaboration and the exchange of data with its member states.
Specifically, EU4Environment helps the countries through:
- Guidance and recommendations for official adoption of Emerald sites.
- Development of management plans for Emerald sites to ensure mutual benefits of nature and the local communities.
- Alignment of national policies with EU standards to ensure a smooth transition from the Emerald Network to Natura 2000, particularly in the EU candidate countries.
- Revision and optimisation of the Emerald database to update and correct data.
- Capacity building for the management of the Emerald Network and implementation of appropriate conservation measures.
- Improvement of scientific knowledge to collect and process data, assess conservation status, and inform conservation strategies.
Spotlight on Armenia
As part of the Caucasus biodiversity hotspot, Armenia hosts an impressive variety of ecosystems, ranging from semi-deserts to forests, lakes, wetlands, and alpine meadows. This diversity has given rise to varied habitats and exceptionally rich biodiversity, characterised by many endemic species.
Armenia ratified the Bern Convention in 2008. Currently, the country has 23 candidate sites that have been officially nominated and are under evaluation by the Bern Convention Standing Committee, covering 36.4% of the country’s land area, and preserving 151 species of animals and plants and 64 habitat types.
Notable examples include Lake Sevan, the largest high-altitude lake in the Caucasus region, protected by the Lake Sevan National Park, a proposed Emerald site, and home to the critically endangered Sevan trout, an endemic fish species to the lake.
Another notable site is the Khosrov Forest State Reserve, one of the oldest protected areas in the world, which protects juniper and oak forests and the genetic fund of rare animals and plants, including the Caucasian leopard, the biggest cat species in Europe, which has returned to the reserve after a decade of extinction from the site.
EU4Environment is working to strengthen Armenia’s Emerald Network. This support includes enhancing the capacity of national authorities to improve the policy framework, revising and optimising the Emerald Network database, developing guidelines for management plans and pilot management plans, and raising public awareness of the value and benefits of biodiversity conservation.
EU4Environment reports on the Emerald Network in Armenia
Online course on the Emerald Network
Spotlight on Georgia
Georgia hosts a wide variety of ecosystems, including forests, which cover 44.5% of the country’s territory, as well as freshwater systems, wetlands, marine and coastal habitats, high mountains, semi-deserts, and steppes.
Georgia ratified the Bern Convention in 2009. Currently, 66 sites in Georgia are fully recognised as part of the Emerald Network, covering 18.5% of the country’s land area, and preserving 215 species of animals and plants and 61 habitats.
Approximately 30% of Georgia’s forests are included in the Emerald Network. The Ajameti site protects the endemic and relict Imeretian oak and Caucasian elm – both on Georgia’s Red List. Other notable species, such as Nordmann fir, Oriental spruce, pistachio, and various juniper species, are found in multiple Emerald sites. Additional protected areas include the Tusheti, Arkhoti, and Kazbegi Emerald sites, where hikers can still encounter the East Caucasian tur, a rare mountain goat, which is an endemic to the Greater Caucasus Mountains.
In Georgia, EU4Environment contributed to strengthening the Emerald Network by developing guidelines for management plans with a focus on forest habitats, providing recommendations for conservation measures, raising public awareness about the value and benefits of nature and biodiversity conservation, and building capacity of national stakeholders.
EU4Environment reports on the Emerald Network in Georgia
Online course on the Emerald Network
Spotlight on Moldova
The Republic of Moldova hosts more than 1,800 species of vascular plants, including around 200 species of medicinal plants and nearly 700 species of wild flora used as fodder for wild and domestic animals. The fauna includes over 15,000 animal species, comprising 75 species of mammals, 281 species of birds, 14 species of reptiles, 14 species of amphibians, 90 species of fish, and a vast diversity of invertebrates, dominated by insects.
Moldova ratified the Bern Convention in 1994. Currently, the country has 61 sites that are fully recognised under the Emerald Network, preserving 163 species of animals and plants and 27 habitats of European importance.
Key protected sites include Beleu Lake, located at the heart of the Lacurile Prutului de Jos Emerald site. This relict wetland of the Danube River delta, formed some 5,000-6,000 years ago, harbours a mosaic of extraordinary ecosystems. Also protected are the Prut Reefs (‘Toltrele Prutului’) in La Castel Landscape Reserve, a unique chain of porous limestone formations composed of fossilised corals, molluscs, shells, calcareous algae, and other marine organisms.
As part of its path to EU integration, Moldova is prioritising nature conservation and sustainable management of ecosystems. Since gaining EU candidate status in 2022, the country has committed to aligning its core values, legislation, and institutional framework with EU standards, including those related to environmental protection, natural resource management, and biodiversity conservation. Progress in the designation of Emerald Network sites is an important step in this process, paving the way for integration into the Natura 2000 network.
EU4Environment supports Moldova in this process, with actions focused on strengthening the capacity of authorities to improve the national policy framework, developing guidelines for the effective management of Emerald sites, conducting habitat and species studies to inform conservation measures, and raising public awareness of the value and benefits of nature and biodiversity conservation.
EU4Environment reports on the Emerald Network in Moldova
Online course on the Emerald Network
Spotlight on Ukraine
Although Ukraine occupies less than 6% of Europe’s land area, it harbours 35% of the continent’s biodiversity, comprising more than 70,000 species, many of which are rare or endemic. Located at the crossroads of various biogeographic regions, the country is considered as a biodiversity hotspot, due to its significance for migratory species and its geographic diversity.
Ukraine ratified the Bern Convention in 1999, and currently has 377 sites officially recognised as part of the Emerald Network. Together, these sites preserve 300 species of animals and plants and 118 habitats of European conservation importance. Additionally, 161 proposed sites are under consideration to receive an official candidate status.
The Emerald Network in Ukraine protects a variety of critical habitats such as forests, grasslands, wetlands, and aquatic ecosystems. All of them are essential for the conservation of rare and endangered species. One prominent example is the Dnieper Ecological Corridor, which encompasses a diverse range of ecosystems, such as forests, meadows, steppes, and wetlands. This corridor alone supports more than half of Ukraine’s fauna and flora, with 11 Emerald sites within its boundaries.
As an EU candidate country, Ukraine has committed to aligning its core values, regulatory framework, and institutions with those of the EU, including in the areas of environmental protection and biodiversity conservation. EU4Environment supports this process by evaluating the impacts of human and military activities on protected sites, developing recommendations for pilot management plans, strengthening capacity building for local government authorities, businesses, and communities, and raising public awareness about the value and benefits of nature and biodiversity conservation.
EU support for nature conservation in the region has gone beyond policies and institutions. As part of the EU/UNDP EU4EMBLAS programme, artificial reefs were installed in August 2023 in the Tyligul Lyman protected area to help restore biodiversity. In summer due to high temperatures, organic matter in the lagoon gets decomposed, creating “dead zones” on the seabed and shores. To improve conditions, special hemispherical reef balls provided by the Reef Ball Foundation were placed in the water to support marine life and natural filtering species. After one year, the reef balls were covered with shellfish and algae, and goby fish had already moved in, showing early signs of ecosystem recovery.
In 2020–2021, the EU/UNDP EMBLAS programme has funded a pilot project “Arrangement and Cleaning of Recreational Areas of the National Park Beloberezhya Sviatoslava” on the Kinburn Peninsula, translating the EU’s commitment to nature conservation into concrete action. It helped set up waste sorting facilities, install eco-friendly sanitation systems, remove household waste, and organize eco-events that involved nearly 500 people and reached over 1,200 visitors to the park. The Kinburn Peninsula has since been directly affected by Russia’s war of aggression and is currently under occupation. As a result, the positive impacts of this support have been largely destroyed.
Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine since February 2022 has significantly disrupted the country’s nature conservation efforts and affected the implementation and management of the Emerald Network. Currently, 160 of the adopted Emerald Network sites and 30% of all protected areas have been affected by fires, shelling, heavy machinery, and toxic pollution, with documented cases of habitat destruction. In response, EU4Environment support includes devising strategies to restore damaged sites through ecosystem restoration and remediation actions.
Emerald sites in Ukraine currently cover 11.4% of the country’s land area, a proportion the country plans to increase to 20% in line with EU ambitions, where Natura 2000 sites span over 18.6% of the land area. Ultimately, upon accession to the EU, Ukraine’s Emerald sites will become Natura 2000 sites.
EU4Environment reports on the Emerald Network in Ukraine
Online course on the Emerald Network
Flyer on the Emerald Network in Ukraine (English, Ukrainian)
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