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At a glance: EU legislation on nature

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Article Published 30 Sep 2021 Last modified 29 Aug 2023

2 min read

Photo: © Alessandro Zoccarato, REDISCOVER Nature /EEA

EU Member States started coordinating environmental policies in the 1970s and nature was the first area for European action. To this day, the nature directives — the Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive, first adopted in 1979 and 1992, respectively — constitute the cornerstone of the EU’s efforts to protect and preserve biodiversity.