Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora; establishing the Natura 2000 network

What Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora; establishing the Natura 2000 network requires

Council Directive 92/43/EEC, adopted 21 May 1992, establishes a framework for the conservation of natural habitats and wild fauna and flora within the European territory of Member States to which the Treaty applies, aiming to maintain or restore natural habitats and species of Community interest at a favourable conservation status. It defines key terms including conservation, natural habitats, priority natural habitat types (indicated by an asterisk in Annex I), species of Community interest, priority species (indicated by an asterisk in Annex II), conservation status (favourable when natural range is stable or increasing, structure and functions exist for long-term maintenance, and typical species are favourable), site of Community importance, and special area of conservation. The Directive creates the Natura 2000 network, a coherent European ecological network of special areas of conservation, which also includes special protection areas classified under Directive 79/409/EEC. Member States must propose lists of sites based on Annex III criteria within three years of notification; the Commission establishes a draft list of sites of Community importance within six years; Member States then designate these as special areas of conservation within six years. Article 6 requires conservation measures, avoidance of deterioration, appropriate assessment of plans or projects likely to have significant effects, and compensatory measures for imperative reasons of overriding public interest, with stricter rules for priority habitats/species. Articles 12-15 establish strict protection systems for Annex IV species and exploitation rules for Annex V species, with derogations possible under Article 16 (no satisfactory alternative, not detrimental to favourable conservation status). Member States must report every six years on implementation and surveillance (Article 11). Annexes I and II list habitat types and species requiring special area conservation.

Pillar: Water & Environmental Resources · Authority: European Commission (DG ENV) · Version: 1.0.0 · Last updated: 2026-05-25

Primary source: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:31992L0043

SHA-256 integrity: d2e661d19e1e839a1671bbe7b12c02322afa292821dce83279364d3defcbb591

Primary Citations — 7 traced to source

• Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992, Official Journal L 206, 22/07/1992 P. 0007-0050 - Article 1 definitions of conservation, natural habitats, priority natural habitat types, favourable conservation status, species of Community interest, priority species, site, site of Community importance, special area of conservation, and specimen.
• Council Directive 92/43/EEC - Article 3 establishing the Natura 2000 coherent European ecological network of special areas of conservation including special protection areas under Directive 79/409/EEC.

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