Activities/Thematic Focus

• Fundamental issues relating to Natura 2000 and involvement in updating the EU Habitats directive
• Looking after and verifying the coherence of the Natura 2000 network (initial site proposals, proposing additional sites, network coherence and compensatory arrangements, issues relating to national and Community assessment, etc.)
• Developing resources and methods for the assessment of natural habitats and species covered in Annexes I, II, IV and V of the Habitats Directive (species profiles, interpretation of habitat types, total numbers, etc.)
• Involvement in European habitat classification and compilation of the habitat complexes list
• Ongoing development of conservation-based assessment methods
• Developing strategies and methods for Natura 2000 reporting obligations (national reports under Article 17 (1) of the Habitats Directive and implementation reports under Article 12 of the Birds Directive)
• Designing management plans and formulating development goals for Natura 2000 sites
• National registration archives and databases for Natura 2000 and nature conservation areas