Celebrating 20 years of protecting biodiversity in Europe
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The Habitats Directive represents the single most ambitious initiative ever undertaken to conserve Europe’s biodiversity. It was adopted 20 years ago in response to a growing concern, expressed by the majority of Europeans at the time, over the relentless decline and wholesale destruction of natural habitats and wildlife across Europe. Along with the Birds Directive, it sets the standard for nature conservation across all 27 countries of the EU and enables Member States to work together, towards the same objective and within the same legislative framework, to protect our most threatened species and habitats, irrespective of political or administrative borders.