Natura 2000 Special Protection Areas (SPAs): European Bird Conservation Zones

The Natura 2000 network comprises two types of regulatory areas: Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and Special Conservation Areas (SACs). SPAs are designated based on the Inventory of Important Bird Conservation Areas (ICOAs) as defined by European Directive 79/409/EEC of 25 April 1979 on the conservation of wild birds. This dataset is provided as a Web Map Service (WMS) by the Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières and was last updated on May 11, 2022.

Use Cases

• Map and analyze the spatial distribution of protected bird habitats based on the Natura 2000 network.
• Assess national conservation policy implementation based on the designation of SPAs as a national decision.
• Integrate protected area boundaries into environmental impact assessments based on the regulatory area definitions.
• Study the application of the Birds Directive (79/409/EEC) based on the ICOA inventory criteria.

Strengths

• Based on a defined European regulatory framework (Directive 79/409/EEC).
• Part of the established Natura 2000 network of protected areas.
• Provided by a national geological and mining research organization (BRGM).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Last updated 2022-05-11 00:00:00; freshness should be verified.
• Row count and spatial scale are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

BUREAU DE RECHERCHES GÉOLOGIQUES ET MINIÈRES

Freshness

Last updated 2022-05-11 00:00:00.

Geography

European Union (implied by Natura 2000 network)