Natura 2000 coverage in Europe's seas

Page Last modified 30 Nov 2022

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Topics: Biodiversity — Ecosystems

Natura 2000 data refers to information reported by Member States by the end of 2021. Europe's seas are defined by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) marine regions (in bold below) and subregions.

The table indicates the total number of sites, the surface area and the percentage cover of Natura 2000 sites in the European marine regions, sub-regions and the relative distance belts from the coast.

EU surface area, percentage cover of Natura 2000 areas in European marine regions / sub-regions and percentage cover in nearshore (0-1 NM), territorial (1-12 NM) and offshore waters (12-END^[1]).

European regional seas and sub regions (sensu MSFD)	EU part of sea (km²)	Area covered by N2K (km²)	Total N2K sites (no)	EU waters covered by N2K (%)	Nearshore zone covered by N2K (%)	Territorial zone covered by N2K (%)	Offshore waters zone covered by N2K (%)
Baltic Sea	368,717	57,105	958	15.5	32	17	9
North East Atlantic Ocean	3,381,022	266,537	840	7.9	57	32	6
Celtic Seas	494,302	37,942	287	7.7	54	12	6
Greater North Sea, incl. the Kattegat and the English Channel	226,230	62,449	286	27.6	64	41	19
Bay of Biscay and the Iberian Coast	803,327	132,737	206	16.5	61	38	14
Macaronesia	1,857,163	33,409	73	1.8	31	29	1
Mediterranean Sea	1,224,279	118,705	1235	9.7	46	19	4
Western Mediterranean Sea	659,585	67,761	541	10.3	56	25	5
Ionian Sea and the Central Mediterranean Sea	254,475	19,825	173	7.8	55	27	1
Adriatic Sea	119,837	9,364	346	7.8	40	11	0
Aegean-Levantine Sea	190,382	21,755	188	11.4	36	11	6
Black Sea	64,340	9,191	44	14.3	85	51	6
Total	5,038,357	451,538	3,075^[2]	9.0	44	23	5

[1] The outer limit is defined by the 200NM boundary from the coast (possibly coinciding with formally recognized EEZ or EPZ boundaries) or by the presence of a boundary defined by an agreed treaty or by the median line. The limit corresponds to the boundary of the maritime area submitted by EU Members States under MSFD Articles 8, 9 and 10.
[2] The total number of sites is lower than the sum of sites at regional/sub-regional level, because some sites span across different regions or sub-regions.

NM = nautical miles; END = equidistance or 200 nautical miles.

The methodology and the procedure used for selecting the marine Natura 2000 sites from the 2018 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 200 NM in the North East Atlantic Ocean are not considered.

For the definition of Europe's seas, see the data set.

The table was produced by European Topic Centre on Inland, Coastal and Marine Waters, ETC/ICM. For full details, please see the report Spatial analysis of marine protected area networks in Europe's seas.

European regional seas and sub regions (sensu MSFD)

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01 Dec 2021 - Natura 2000 coverage in Europe's seas

11 Nov 2019 - Natura 2000 coverage in Europe's seas

14 Nov 2018 - Natura 2000 coverage in Europe's seas

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