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European regional seas and sub regions (sensu MSFD) |
EU part of sea (km2) |
Area covered by Natura 2000 (km2) |
Total no of Natura 2000 sites |
% of EU waters covered by Natura 2000 |
% of 0-1 NM zone covered by Natura 2000 |
% of 1-12 NM zone covered by Natura 2000 |
% of 12 NM to END zone covered by Natura 2000 |
Baltic Sea |
368720 |
56039 |
856 |
15.2 |
32 |
16 |
9 |
North East Atlantic Ocean (NEAO) |
4082719 |
290172 |
1082 |
7.1 |
54 |
28 |
4 |
Celtic Seas |
930900 |
70127 |
443 |
7.5 |
51 |
24 |
3 |
Greater North Sea, incl. the Kattegat and the English Channel |
491305 |
114122 |
381 |
23.2 |
60 |
34 |
19 |
Bay of Biscay and the Iberian Coast |
803350 |
78685 |
201 |
9.8 |
60 |
34 |
7 |
Macaronesia |
1857164 |
27238 |
69 |
1.5 |
31 |
19 |
1 |
Mediterranean |
1274892 |
62941 |
1169 |
4.9 |
31 |
11 |
1 |
Western Mediterranean Sea |
659989 |
44926 |
524 |
6.8 |
53 |
20 |
1 |
Ionian Sea and the Central Mediterranean Sea |
240068 |
6667 |
155 |
2.8 |
29 |
6 |
1 |
Adriatic Sea |
120069 |
6531 |
361 |
5.4 |
37 |
5 |
0 |
Aegean-Levantine Sea |
190382 |
4818 |
137 |
2.5 |
14 |
2 |
0 |
Black Sea |
64384 |
9156 |
44 |
14.2 |
84 |
51 |
6 |
Total |
5790715 |
418308 |
3149(1) |
7.2 |
40 |
19 |
4 |
(1) The total number of site polygons is lower than the sum of sites at regional/subregional level, because some sites span across different regions or subregions.
NM = nautical miles
The methodology and the procedure used for selecting the marine Natura 2000 sites from the 2016 tabular and spatial data are those illustrated in the EEA report 'Spatial analysis of marine protected area networks in Europe's seas' (2015).
Natura 2000 sites located outside the MSFD marine regions and subregions are not considered.
The table was produced by European Topic Centre on Inland, Coastal and Marine Waters, ETC/ICM.
For references, please go to https://eea.europa.eu./themes/biodiversity/natura-2000/natura-2000-coverage-in-european-seas or scan the QR code.
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