Increasing awareness for EU Nature Conservation Policy

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Christiane Röttger

Senior Manager Biodiversity

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Surveys show that a large majority of people in the EU see biodiversity conservation as very important to their lives and livelihoods. At the same time, there is a lack of concrete, easily accessible and understandable information about species, habitats and protected areas. Many people also do not know what action they themselves can take.

Making EU data on nature accessible

The EU Member States already report a large amount of data on the state of nature to the European Commission. This is part of their requirement under the EU Directives on the protection of birds, flora, fauna and habitats. By implementing the EU Directives, Member States commit not only to conservation measures, but also to reporting on the status, trends and threats to protected species and sites. This results in extensive amounts of data.

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The European Environment Agency (EUA) and the European Commission have already undertaken efforts to compile this data into a searchable format in the European Environment Information and Observation Network (Eionet) and the Biodiversity Information System for Europe (BISE). However, the sheer quantity of information and the use of technical terms mean that it is not easily accessible to a non-expert audience.

Filtering out important information and making it accessible

The aim of the project was to raise awareness of the EU nature directives and the Natura 2000 network. For this purpose, existing EU data was processed by experts in the fields of biodiversity, communication and education. Websites for the general public have been created, a user-friendly Natura 2000 map was developed and tools and products for teachers have been provided to inspire young people about nature.

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The European Nature Protection Toolkit

The European Nature Protection Toolkit is a resource and tool for anyone working with young people ages 13 to 16 and aims to inspire them to learn about Europe’s diverse environments and conservation. The four thematic modules contain a variety of activities, resources, materials and ideas for working with children and young people in schools and other educational institutions. The focus lies on our relationship with nature and exploring wild animals, plants and habitats on our doorstep, as well as exploring the legal framework for nature conservation in the EU – with the Natura 2000 network at its heart and the opportunities for getting involved. The toolkit is available in all EU languages.

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The European Nature Protection Toolkit

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Access the toolkit

Fields of Action

Biodiversity