The Natura 2000 network is The backbone of the conservation of species and habitats in the European continent. Thanks to this initiative, great carnivores have been recovered in Europe. Thanks to this legal framework and after years and years of decline, the lynx, bears and wolves populate Europe again.
Red Natura 2000 It is a great achievement for conservation that was born in the 90s with the objective of ensure long -term survival of species and types of habitat in Europe. What was intended was to stop the loss of biodiversity And it was one of the greatest global advances, for the conservation of nature.
Galicia and the Natura 2000 Network
The Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Ángeles Vázquez, highlighted in Parliament the work “rigorous, strict and demanding” that the Galician government is developing in the Care of nature, focusing on the actions that are being carried out in the Natura 2000 Network. This protection figure covers 355,000 hectares, 12% of the surface of the community, which places Galicia in the average of the Atlantic regions in terms of surface included in this network.
Vázquez advanced the commitment of the Xunta to have ended before 2027, with an investment of one million euros, the specific management plans, on which it is already working, for each of the areas INCUIDADA IN THE NATURA NET: 59 Special Conservation Zones (ZEC) and 16 Special Protection for Bird (Zepas) areas (Zepas).
In words of the councillor, it is a Action that goes in line with which it marks Europe and attends the agreed at the last meeting of the European Environment, Climate and Food Security Commission held in Madrid last year.
He pointed out, in this regard, that «Galicia never had or opened an infraction procedure in the Relating to the surface that the community has under the Natura Network Protection figure»And he stressed that this was transferred by the Kingdom of Spain to the European Union (EU), establishing that« Galicia fulfilled its objectives with respect to this network through the transformation of the 59 places of community importance (LIC) in special areas Conservation (ZEC) ».
He affected, in this way, that Galicia is currently focused on responding to Directive 92743/CEE working on the elaboration of these Specific management plans for ZEC and Zepas included in Natura Red.
These plans will be included as annexes to the Master Plan and will collect specific conservation objectives and measures At the level of each place marking, therefore, the conservation challenges of each area. Likewise, monitoring systems and an analysis of the precise conservation measures are being carried out for bird species and types of habitats (bogs, bushes, heather, waters, coastal cliffs, marshes or dunes).
The Prug de Galicia
The Minister also recalled that the Galician Government has already approved a guiding plan of use and management (PRUG) for each of the Six natural parks and for the Maritime-Terrestrial National Park of the Atlantic Islands of Galiciaa tool that also have five of the eight natural monuments: Serra de Pena Corneira and Carbon Da Rocha (Ourense), Praia das Cathedrais and Souto da Retorta (in La Mariña Lucense) and the Forest of Catasós, in the Pontevedrés municipality from Lalín.
At the moment the plan corresponding to the coast of Dexo, in Oleiros (A Coruña); and The elaboration will begin soon of the De Souto de Rozabales, in Manzaneda (Ourense), and of the Geological Folding of Campodola-Leixazós in the Serra do Courel, in Queiroga (Lugo).
In relation to Two protected landscapes, that of catwalk penets and lock (A Coruña) It also has its management plan and in the next dates the elaboration of Val del Río Navea will begin, among the municipalities of San Xoán de Río and Pobra de Trives, in Ourense.
Currently, 42% of the Galician territory is protected by some protection figurea percentage that will reach half of the surface of the community when declared to 8th Biosphere Reserve, which will have its central nucleus in the National Park.
The budget of the Department of Environment and Climate Change includes 4.1 million to develop Different Red Natura Improvement performances as actions for the acquisition of land in the EUME and habitat restoration actions in this area (1,450,000 euros); Improvements in Ancares (840,000 euros); in the Budiño Gnds (780,000 euros); in the Course (390,000 euros) or in the Xurés (150,000 euros), among others.
In short, Vázquez highlighted the “determined commitment” of the Xunta for biodiversity with the maximum of conserve natural heritage and guarantee sustainabilitytaking into account economic, social, cultural and regional needs, in line with Europe.