Habitats Directive

Вперше для відділення Українського степового природного заповідника "Крейдова флора" проведено інвентаризацію з класифікацією та оцінкою біотопів, з використанням сучасних підходів, не так давно впроваджених в Україні. Йдеться про найбільш детальну класифікацію біотопів UkrBiotp, яка стала основою для класифікації біотопів степової зони України і наразі активно розвивається, і національний каталог біотопів, а також співвідношення національних типів/підтипів з типами біотопів інших загальноприйнятих класифікацій, що використовуються у світі, як то EUNIS, перелік оселищ Резолюції 4 Бернської конвенції, та Додаток І Оселищної Директиви ЄС. Оцінка стійкості та созологічної цінності біотопів здійснювалась для деталізації стану рослинності і створення у подальшому плану управління територією заповідника, якого, нажаль, як і порядку організації, досі не розроблено. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For the first time in the "Kreidova flora" department of Ukrainian steppe nature reserve there biotopes inventory was conducted with their classification and assessment. There were used modern approaches recently introduced in Ukraine, such as UkrBiotop classification - the most detailed habitat classification, which is actively developing now, and the national catalog of biotopes. For each type there were selected the most suitable equivalent from other common classifications used in the world, such as EUNIS, Berne Convention Res. 4 and Annex I of the EU Habitat Directive. The assessment of the stability and sozological value of biotopes also were carried out to detail the state of vegetation and create a further management plan for the reserve, which, unfortunately, has not been developed yet.

The presentation of the historical and recent distribution of Myricaria germanica in Austria is based upon an evaluation of historic and current literature, floristic databases and public herbaria complemented by authors’ surveys. The illustration follows the grid of the Austrian floristic mapping. The distribution map underlines historically frequent and widespread occurrences as well as a massive decline of the species in the last 150 years. Nowadays indigenous Myricaria germanica can be described as extinct in the provinces of Vorarlberg, Salzburg, Upper and Lower Austria and Vienna; in Styria and Carinthia indigenous occurrences are limited to a few, largely over-aged single individuals. Notable primary populations exist today only in Tyrol and there focused along the rivers Lech and Isel and their tributaries. Thus Tyrol owns a high responsibility for Myricaria germanica and to ensure a  avourable conservation status of their habitats of community interest.

The Habitat Directive requires Member States to implement surveillance of the conservation status of habitats and species of Community Interest. The aim of this handbook is to outline the methodological instruments for the implementation of a monitoring program of the Italian habitat types, as required by art. 17 of the Habitats Directive, with particular regard to the data collection at site level. The European guidelines (Evans & Arvela, 2011. Assessment and reporting under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive - Explanatory Notes & Guidelines for the period 2007-2012 -Final Draft. European Topic Centre on Biological Diversity, p. 1-123) require the assessments to be carried out by compiling information on specific parameters and at biogeographical scale. Each parameter is considered separately, eventually combining all parameters in an evaluation matrix thus providing the overall assessment. For each habitat type several parameters have to be considered: “Area”, “Range”, “Structure and Functions”, “Future Prospects”. While “Range” and “Future prospects” need to be assessed only at the biogeographical scale, “Area” and “Structure and functions” can be assessed aggregating data collected at the site level; in this handbook, for each habitat of community interest present in Italy, we present monitoring forms for these two parameters. Altogheter, the handbook contains 124 forms, referring to 10 Coastal and Halophytic Habitats; 11 Coastal Sand Dunes and Continental Dunes, 15 Freshwater Habitats, 5 Temperate Heath and Scrub, 11 Sclerophyllous Scrub (matorral), 15 Natural and Semi-natural Grassland Formations, 8 Raised Bogs and Mires and Fens, 10 Rocky Habitats and Caves, 39 Forests. Each monitoring form has been produced with the support of leading national experts and sent to regional authorities for a review. The monitoring forms report the most effective available monitoring techniques for collecting the required parameters and variables, and define operational guidance for data collection.  The monitoring forms describe priority variables (e.g. vegetation-plot based analysis) that need to be collected for complying with the Habitat Directive, and also indicate some optional or habitatspecific variables (e.g. substrate condition, water quality, etc.). The activities and methods suggested in this Manual are aimed at enabling the Regions and Autonomous Provinces to implement monitoring activities based on the collection of harmonized data by means of standardized technical protocols. A standardized basis of information is indeed essential for producing comparable data and generating reliable assessments on the conservation status of each habitat type at national level. Some important elements, such as the Favourable Reference Values and optimal thresholds for some of the parameters, are still under discussion at the European level and therefore will need to be further clarified in the near future

A list of some interesting beetles in the “Lama Forest” in the Romagna slope of the Casentine Forests, Mt. Falterona and Campigna National Park is provided. Five species are recorded for the first time from the National Park; moreover six species were until now known only in the Tuscany part of the Park. The presence of the alien ladybird Harmonia axiridis (Pallas, 1773) is discussed in detail. Other species are important from the viewpoint of conservation: Rhysodes sulcatus (Fabricius, 1787), Ceruchus chrysomelinus (Hochenwarth, 1785), Platycerus caraboides (Linnaeus, 1758), Gnorimus variabilis (Linnaeus, 1758), Gnorimus nobilis nobilis (Linnaeus, 1758). Treptoplatypus oxyurus (Doufour, 1843) and Mycetina cruciata (Schaller, 1783) are recorded for the first time in Emilia-Romagna Region.

The discovery of some saproxylic beetle species in the park of
the Rocca Medici del Vascello (San Giovanni in Croce, Cremona province, Lombardy) is reported. Two of these species are
listed in the annexes of the Habitats Directive (92/43/CEE):
Lucanus cervus(Linnaeus, 1758) (Annex II) and Cerambyx
cerdo Linnaeus, 1758 (Annexes II & IV). Current knowledge
on the conservation status of these species for the lowlands
of Italy are important to ensure the correct management of
small wooded areas, also in places as parks, gardens and isolated groups of old trees.

The invasive alien species Robinia pseudoacacia may lead to species homogenization in high invaded forest ecosystems. Its invasive
behaviour is poorly known in dry forest habitats and low cover-abundance conditions. We have investigated central-northern Italian Quercus pubescens
forest habitats (code 91AA* - EU Habitat Directive) without and with the presence of R. pseudoacacia and in respect of R. pseudoacacia dominant
communities that are present in the same forest potential areas. Using levels of R. pseudoacacia cover-abundance values (Braun-Blanquet scale)
we classified the vegetation relevés in five groups: from 0 (total absence) to 4 (dominant conditions). Through the calculation of some indices, we
highlighted the relations between groups of relevés and the variation in term of ecological features. A threshold has been identified at low coverage
values of R. pseudoacacia. We detected a significant difference in the lower invaded sites in term of presence of nitrophilous and alien species,
Shannon diversity index and changes in nutrient, moisture, light and reaction Ellenberg indicator values. These results inform about the early alarm
level to set in monitoring Q. pubescens forest habitats in sub-Mediterranean areas.

The importance of taking into account ecosystems, plant communities and habitats for the development of biodiversity conservation strategies is increasingly acknowledged. Recently, the first ever European Red List of Habitats was produced, which provided an evaluation of the extinction risk of EUNIS-based natural and semi-natural habitats in Europe. As assessment unit, it used the habitat intended as a plant community, thus representing a landmark for the role of vegetation science in nature conservation. In the present paper, the results of the European Red List of Habitats are analyzed at the national scale with specific reference to the terrestrial and freshwater habitat types occurring in Italy. More than three-quarters of the assessed European habitat types were recognized for the Italian territory. The distribution of the threat categories reflects approximately the situation at the EU28 level. About 35% of the assessed habitat types are referred to a threat category; no critically endangered habitat is present in Italy. The most frequently used criteria are those related to a reduction in quantity. Some critical issues arising from the analyses are discussed. In particular, the presence of knowledge gaps is pointed out, with remarkable reference to the poor availability of spatial and quantitative data, severely affecting the application of the criteria adopted for the assessment. Descriptions of habitat types from Italy are reported, some of which are representative, emblematic or even exclusive to the Italian territory. The outcomes of the analysis represent the starting point for the future development of a national-scale Red List of Habitats. Results also emphasized how habitat types with a too broad definition pose a limit to a proper evaluation of the regional biogeographic variability, often very high in Italy, with local floristic and phytocoenotic peculiarities which do not find room in the adopted European typology. This is the reason why the development of national subtypes stands as a necessary step for the development of a realistic and effective assessment at the national scale. Keywords Assessment · Biodiversity · Plant community · Risk of extinction · Threat

This case comment explores the relationship between two intertwined objectives – ensuring security of electricity supply and environmental protection – in the context of the judgment of the Court of Justice of the EU in the case Inter-Environnement Wallonie and Bond Beter Leefmilieu Vlaanderen ASBL v. Conseil des ministres. The analysis focuses on the application of the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive and the Habitats Directive to the facts of the case, which concerns the extension by a ten-year period of the operation of two Belgian nuclear power stations as part of a national energy policy strategy to ensure the security of Belgium's electricity supply. The case comment also considers the legal and practical implications that arise as a result of employing the ‘security of electricity supply’ exemption to enable derogation from the requirements of the two Directives, in circumstances where a Member State deems the security of its electricity supply to be under threat.

Full-text version available without charge at: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/transnational-environmental-law/article/environmental-protection-meets-security-of-electricity-supply/B30AA0651FB750206D19FA4739F08A8F/share/3fe3b261698c115ead4e1f928d4eb9fc893ece16

Matar lobos no puede ser la principal herramienta de gestión de la especie bajo la cobertura legal que la Unión Europa brinda a la fauna silvestre. Así lo entiende el Tribunal de Justicia de la Unión Europea, que avala la necesidad de un cambio de paradigma a la hora de garantizar el mantenimiento de un estado de conservación favorable del lobo.

Bats have suffered a great declination on its populations worldwide.
The populations of the province of Murcia have not escaped this
trend. To assess the status and distribution of their populations it
was carried out a study in 2008-2010. To avoid biases on the
census were used different methods. We inspected a total of 98
roosts, monitored 60 bat-boxes, surveyed 193 listening points with
ultrasonic detectors and conducted trapping sessions. In all, we
confirmed the presence of 20 species of bats in the province, and
located several important roosts for various species. According to
existing census, we found serious declination in populations,
especially on cave-dwelling bats as well as serious deficiencies in
the technical specifications of the SAC as regards to the presence
of the bat species. We propose a review of the threat categories
according to IUCN criteria for all species of bats of Murcia. A set of
general measures is proposed for to the management and
conservation of bats.

In order to establish a fish-based typology of Italian lakes and identify possible reference and indicator fish species for each lake type, we analysed historical data on fish assemblages of all Italian natural lakes[0.5 km2 from the period prior to the major decline in water quality in the 1950s. General linear regression models showed the ecoregion and lake altitude being the best predictors of fish species richness. The number of species was significantly higher in the Alpine than in the Mediterranean
ecoregion. Among Alpine lakes, the number of fish species increased significantly with lake volume whilst decreased with altitude. In the Mediterranean lakes, none of the selected parameters was significant.
Cluster analysis of fish assemblages (presence/ absence) divided the lakes of the Alpine and Mediterranean ecoregions into four and two types, respectively. Pike (Esox lucius), rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus) and tench (Tinca tinca) were the
main indicator species for the small and mostly shallow lakes in both the Alpine (Type 1) and Mediterranean (Type 6) ecoregions, minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus) for the alpine high altitude lakes
(Type 2) and landlocked shad (Alosa fallax lacustris), European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) and burbot (Lota lota) for the large and very deep alpine lakes (Type 4). The European whitefish was the only indicator species for the deep Mediterranean lakes (Type 5). These species and associated fish assemblages may be useful indicators in future assessments of the ecological status of Italian lakes according to the European Directives (2000/60/EC and 2008/105/
EC).

The Water Framework Directive or WFD constitutes a major step forward in the protection of the aquatic environment and associated habitats, since it legislates for the characterization of surface water bodies across defined ecoregions and the development of ecological monitoring systems based upon elements of the aquatic biota. The Macaronesian archipelagos include the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands. The peripheral situation of the Macaronesian islands has set them apart from many European initiatives concerning the implementation of the WFD, which is biased towards better known continental systems. As a result, they have been included in the same ecoregion as the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands for management purposes. However, because of their oceanic situation and volcanic origin, the freshwater systems of the Macaronesian islands differ strongly from continental systems in watershed morphology and the composition of the biotic assemblages, which merits separate identification rather than inclusion within the larger Iberic-Macaronesian ecoregion and special attention concerning regional implementation of programmes of measures under the Directive.

2 Our work aims at calibrating and standardizing the single pass protocol of electrofishing to assess and monitor larval lamprey populations, mainly for European populations of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus). The method is considered cost-effective and appropriate for use both on the scale of management decisions (from river or watershed to a regional or national scale) and as a routine assessment tool as required by the European Union Habitats Directive. Additionally, the larval surveys may be reconciled with routine electrofishing surveys for fish species, to further reduce costs. In our case, the escapement of larvae from the sampling area when using electrofishing corresponded to 18% of larvae and 17% of larval biomass. The general effectiveness of the protocol to determine the density and biomass of age-1 and older larvae in the prospected area was 68% and 70%, respectively. Finally, reference categories for density and biomass of larval populations of P. marinus in NW of the...

The process of secondary succession is one of the most significant threats to non-forest (natural and semi-natural open) Natura 2000 habitats in Poland; shrub and tree encroachment taking place on abandoned, low productive agricultural areas, historically used as pastures or meadows, leads to changes to the composition of species and biodiversity loss, and results in landscape transformations. There is a perceived need to create a methodology for the monitoring of vegetation succession by airborne remote sensing, both from quantitative (area, volume) and qualitative (plant species) perspectives. This is likely to become a very important issue for the effective protection of natural and semi-natural habitats and to advance conservation planning. A key variable to be established when implementing a qualitative approach is the remote sensing data acquisition date, which determines the developmental stage of trees and shrubs forming the succession process. It is essential to choose the ...

INTRODUZIONE La riduzione e lo shift degli areali di distribuzione, osservati per moltissime specie negli ultimi decenni, sono verosimilmente imputabili in gran parte al cambiamento climatico in atto (Parmesan 2006). Le farfalle rappresentano uno tra i migliori indicatori del cambiamento climatico: hanno, infatti, un ciclo vitale breve ed esigenze ecologiche relativamente ristrette. Obiettivo del presente lavoro è stata la realizzazione di modelli predittivi delle modificazioni future dell'areale potenziale in sei specie di Ropaloceri (tutte le specie, presenti in Italia centrale, inserite negli allegati II e IV della Direttiva 92/43/CEE: Maculinea arion, Melanargia arge, Euphydryas provincialis, Parnassius apollo, P. mnemosyne, Zerynthia cassandra). Si è inoltre valutata la capacità di tutela delle specie in esame da parte delle aree protette presenti in Italia centrale.

In the current decade, the main goals for biodiversity conservation and environmental protection at the level of the European Union are set in the EU Biodiversity Strategy to
2020: halting biodiversity loss and restoring ecosystem services. A key requirement for the implementation of the Strategy in terms of targeting measures and funds, and monitoring trends, is the construction of a biodiversity knowledge base, including spatially explicit information on biodiversity distribution and ecosystems condition. The work
presented in this report is based on the analysis of two primary datasets on biodiversity and habitat status. The first one is the Habitats assessment carried out by EU Members
States under Art.17 of the Habitats and Birds Directive. Information reported by Member States is analysed to derive the links between pressures and conservation status, showing
that agriculture-related habitats have, on average, a worse conservation status when compared to other habitats. Consequently, threats and pressures having most influenced
the status of the agricultural-related habitats can be identified. The second one is the global dataset on species threat status elaborated by The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Spatially explicit representations of species distribution, status and richness across the EU 28 are provided, and most importantly the identification of wide geographic variables linked to ecological theory is presented, that explain to a large extent the continental trend in species richness. Finally, an example is presented of how the two exploited datasets can be jointly used by cross-tabulating data on habitats assessments and species threat status in a spatially explicit way at 10 km resolution, aiming at identifying hotspots were policy intervention is needed.

The setting up of the European network of protected areas (Natura 2000) is nearing completion. Alpine rivers with nearnaturalmorphology and dynamics have become rare and are highly endangered. Myricaria germanica, an endangeredindicator species of Alpine rivers, reflects riverine landscape diversity. The study is based upon an evaluation of literatureas well as upon new data. The analysis of the actual distribution of habitat 3230 Alpine rivers and their ligneous vegetationwith M. germanica identifies the river Isel and its tributaries Schwarzach, Kalserbach and Tauernbach as an importantaddition to the Natura 2000 network.

Fish and piscivorous bird eggs collected in 2003 from Lake Maggiore (Italy), were analysed for PCB and DDT contamination. Lake Maggiore has been severely polluted by DDT through production of the pesticide within its catchment. Although agricultural application of DDT was banned in Italy in the 1978, industrial production continued until 1996, with enough contamination of water and soil for serious bioaccumulation in the lake biota. PCB and DDT concentrations in a whitefish (Coregonus macrophthalmus Nusslin 1882) were seen to be dependent on season and fish age, but not on sex. The average increase of the lipid-normalised concentration of DDTs and PCBs was two-fold across season and also across age, resulting in an overall increase of four fold. The seasonal variation was related to the eco-physiological cycle of the fish and to the contamination dynamic of the lake, while the effect of the fish age was explained on the base of biomagnification-related mechanisms. A fugacity model was applied to predict the age-dependent bioaccumulation potential of PCBs, whose concentrations were rather stable in recent years in the lake. Predicted values for compounds with negligible biotransformation were in good agreement with experimental data (calculated vs. experimental mean difference of 14%), and a relationship between the increase of experimental age-dependent concentration and K ow was observed. The good correspondence between the predicted and the measured values for most PCB congeners confirmed the general inability of fishes to biotransform these compounds. On the contrary, the importance of biotransformation processes was recognised in birds; eggs of a fish eating bird (Podiceps cristatus) from the same area selectively bioaccumulated p,p′-DDE. For PCBs, congener 149 appears to be completely metabolized by the bird species, and congeners 95, 101, 132, 151 and 174 were reduced as well. The role of the meta–para free position on at least one phenyl ring of PCB congeners in biotransformation processes was confirmed.

Fish and piscivorous bird eggs collected in 2003 from Lake Maggiore (Italy), were analysed for PCB and DDT contamination. Lake Maggiore has been severely polluted by DDT through production of the pesticide within its catchment. Although agricultural application of DDT was banned in Italy in the 1978, industrial production continued until 1996, with enough contamination of water and soil for serious bioaccumulation in the lake biota. PCB and DDT concentrations in a whitefish (Coregonus macrophthalmus Nusslin 1882) were seen to be dependent on season and fish age, but not on sex. The average
increase of the lipid-normalised concentration of DDTs and PCBs was two-fold across season and also across age, resulting in an overall increase of four fold. The seasonal variation was related to the ecophysiological cycle of the fish and to the contamination
dynamic of the lake, while the effect of the fish age was explained on the base of biomagnificationrelated mechanisms. A fugacity model was applied to predict the age-dependent bioaccumulation potential of PCBs, whose concentrations were rather stable in recent years in the lake. Predicted values for compounds with negligible biotransformation were in good agreement with experimental data (calculated vs. experimental mean difference of 14%), and a relationship between the increase of experimental agedependent concentration and Kow was observed. The good correspondence between the predicted and the measured values for most PCB congeners confirmed
the general inability of fishes to biotransform these compounds. On the contrary, the importance of biotransformation processes was recognised in birds; eggs of a fish eating bird (Podiceps cristatus) from the same area selectively bioaccumulated p,p′-DDE.
For PCBs, congener 149 appears to be completely metabolized by the bird species, and congeners 95, 101, 132, 151 and 174 were reduced as well. The role of the meta–para free position on at least one phenyl ring of PCB congeners in biotransformation processes was confirmed.

Field investigation carried out by the Sicilian botanists in the last 20 years enabled them to identify eight habitat types of high biogeographic and conservation interest, neglected by the Directive 92/43, which deserve ad hoc conservation measures. For each of these habitats, a syntaxonomic interpretation of the corresponding plant communities, their main ecological, physiognomic and syndynamic traits and a list of diagnostic species are provided. Their classification into the macrotypes listed in the Annex I of the Directive 92/43 and the respective correspondence in EUNIS habitat classification are proposed. The habitats here described integrate those already proposed by the Italian Botanical Society, with the hope of an adequate recognition at national at supranational level.

New housing development can result in impacts on nearby protected nature conservation sites, even if development is outside the site boundary. High levels of housing may be associated with adverse impacts on ecological features in protected sites from increased recreation pressure. However, few studies have investigated the spatial link between housing and visitor numbers. An understanding of the impact of housing on visitor use, especially the distances at which housing relates to recreation levels and the importance of other factors (e.g. parking provision) is essential to inform the assessment of new housing and is relevant to strategic planning of development within the UK. We use a long-term visitor dataset (2003–8) to disentangle the housing–visitor association at foot-only and parking locations on important nature conservation sites. We conclude with negative binomial regressions that model the effect of housing on visitor numbers, while controlling for habitat, parking provi...

New housing development can result in impacts on nearby protected nature conservation sites, even if development is outside the site boundary. High levels of housing may be associated with adverse impacts on ecological features in protected sites from increased recreation pressure. However, few studies have investigated the spatial link between housing and visitor numbers. An understanding of the impact of housing on visitor use, especially the distances at which housing relates to recreation levels and the importance of other factors (e.g. parking provision) is essential to inform the assessment of new housing and is relevant to strategic planning of development within the UK. We use a long-term visitor dataset (2003-8) to disentangle the housing-visitor association at foot-only and parking locations on important nature conservation sites. We conclude with negative binomial regressions that model the effect of housing on visitor numbers, while controlling for habitat, parking provision and season. Our results demonstrate that more housing consistently means more visitors to protected sites, across most habitats. This is particularly the case for on-foot visitors that originate from housing within 1.5 km, highlighting that additional housing development in proximity to protected sites is likely to significantly increase recreation pressure. For visitor numbers at parking locations, levels of housing within 15 km of protected sites were also a significant predictor, but depended on habitat type. These results demonstrate that housing allocations closer to protected sites are likely to have a greater impact in terms of visitor numbers and may help underpin future assessments of strategic plans.

Rendiconti Lincei has dedicated a Special Issue to present a number of case studies highlighting the role played by the European Vegetation Survey Working Group established by Sandro Pignatti and his colleagues in support to the implementation of the Habitats Directive. Studies include theoretical analyses as well as researches conducted at different spatial and temporal scales focused on the assessment and monitoring of the conservation status of habitats and target plant species, identification of new habitats and subtypes, and their diagnostic species.

Riassunto. La presenza e la distribuzione delle specie ittiche di interesse comunitario elencate nelle Direttiva 92/43 CEE e presenti nelle acque interne del Veneto è stata valutata al fine di verificare se l'attuale rete di SIC regionali copra in modo adeguato gli areali di ...

The first ever European Red List of Habitats reviews the current status of all natural and semi-natural terrestrial, freshwater and marine habitats and highlights the pressures they face. Using a modified version of the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems categories and criteria, it covers the EU28, plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and the Balkan countries and their neighbouring seas. Over 230 terrestrial and freshwater habitats were assessed. The European Red List of Habitats provides an entirely new and all embracing tool to review commitments for environmental protection and restoration within the EU2020 Biodiversity Strategy. In addition to the assessment of threat, a unique set of information underlies the Red List for every habitat: from a full description to distribution maps, images, links to other classification systems, details of occurrence and trends in each country and lists of threats with information on restoration potential. All of this is publicly available in PDF and data...

1. Developing protocols for threatened invertebrates is often chal-lenging, because they are not only rare but also elusive. This is the case withthe stag beetle (Lucanus cervus), a protected and flagship species for the saprox-ylic beetle fauna in Europe.2. We applied a standard transect walk at a European scale (8 countries, 29transects) to test its practicability and reliability as survey design.3. A total of 533 sightings were recorded throughout the sampling period,but detection probability changed as the season progressed. Considering theobserved activity pattern, occupancy models showed that a short period of threeconsecutive weeks, between the middle of June and the first week of July,resulted in a high probability of detection (P> 0.7). As time of the peak ofactivity varies from year to year and between sites, we propose to extend thesampling period to five weekly surveys.4. Detailed information on the transect characteristics and the optimal timefor surveying were analy...

The methodological foundations of the recently published Manual for Annex I Habitats monitoring in Italy, edited by the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) with the scientific support of the Italian Society for Vegetation Science (SISV), are here presented, discussed and related to the most consolidated and acknowledged scientific advances in the field of Vegetation science. The proposed methodologies aim at offering simple, yet effective, protocols and procedures towards a harmonized data collection, by way of standardized and shared technical tools, resulting in comparable evaluations of the conservation status of Annex I Habitats. The methodological framework was developed by experts including a large team of members of the SISV. Big efforts were deployed to provide indicators and parameters for biodiversity monitoring able to catch its complexity, yet simple enough to be easily measured. Diagnosis and syntaxonomical correspondences of Habitat type...

Annex I of the EU Habitats Directive lists the habitats which must be protected by the designation and management of protected areas in the European Union. These habitats are therefore a key indicator of biodiversity and although organised into nine groups, there is no way to identify them other than by gaining familiarity with the list. It is therefore necessary for observers who do not have sufficient experience to have a system to guide them into an appropriate class when in the field. A key has therefore been produced based on defined ...

Extensiv bewirtschaftete Berg-Mähwiesen sind wichtige Lebensräume für viele Tier- und Pflanzenarten in den Kulturlandschaften der Bergregionen Europas. Ob diese wertvollen Lebensräume in einem ihrer Kernverbreitungsgebiete, in den Alpen Österreichs, ausreichend im europäischen Schutzgebietsnetzwerk Natura 2000 repräsentiert sind, steht aktuell in Diskussion.

he European Union has made extensive biodiversity conservation efforts with the Habitats and Birds Directives and with the establishment of the Natura 2000 network of protected areas, one of the largest networks of conservation areas worldwide. We performed a gap analysis of the entire Natura 2000 system plus national protected areas and all terrestrial vertebrates (freshwater fish excluded). We also evaluated the level of connectivity of both systems, providing therefore a first estimate of the functionality of the Natura 2000 system as an effective network of protected areas. Together national protected areas and the Natura 2000 network covered more than one-third of the European Union. National protected areas did not offer protection to 13 total gap species (i.e., species not covered by any protected area) or to almost 300 partial gap species (i.e., species whose representation target is not met). Together the Natura 2000 network and national protected areas left 1 total gap species and 121 partial gap species unprotected. The terrestrial vertebrates listed in the Habitats and Birds Directives were relatively well covered (especially birds), and overall connectivity was improved considerably by Natura 2000 sites that act as stepping stones between national protected areas. Overall, we found that the Natura 2000 network represents at continental level an important network of protected areas that acts as a good complement to existing national protected areas. However, a number of problems remain that are mainly linked to the criteria used to list the species in the Habitats and Birds Directives. The European Commission initiated in 2014 a process aimed at assessing the importance of the Birds and Habitats Directives for biodiversity conservation. Our results contribute to this assessment and suggest the system is largely effective for terrestrial vertebrates but would benefit from further updating of the species lists and field management.