What is the Natura 2000 Network?

It is a network of protected areas of the European Union, created with a view to the conservation of habitats and rare, endangered or vulnerable wild species (fauna and flora). The network resulted from the implementation of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) and Birds Directive (79/409/EEC), thus establishing the bases for the identification, designation and management of sites/areas of interest that will make up the Natura 2000 Network. The intention of these instruments is to reach the goals established by the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, approved by the Earth Summit – Rio de Janeiro 1992.

The Natura 2000 Network is an ecological network of special protected areas that are important to the conservation of certain habitats and species, the Special Protection Areas – SPAs and the Special Areas of Conservation – SACs, in which human activities must be compatible with the preservation of these values, seeking a sustainable management from the ecological, economic and social point of view.

Development of the Natura 2000 Network

Towards the creation of the Natura 2000 Network, the EU member states had to select natural areas within their national territory to form the network. This implementation has been phased in and is still going on, there being at the present time an effort at the European level to identify and designate important areas for the conservation of marine habitats and species, to be integrated into this network. This project falls within this objective.

Natura 2000 Network in Macaronesia

The areas of the Macaronesia Region were the first to be designated as SCIs - Sites of Community Importance, with 23 SCIs and 15 SPAs in the Archipelago of the Azores and 11 SCIs and 3 SPAs in the Archipelago of Madeira, which are listed below. Currently, the efforts are focused on marine areas.

Sites of Community Importance (SCIs) in the Archipelago of Madeira:

Laurisilva of Madeira
Maciço Montanhoso Central da ilha da Madeira
Ponta de S. Lourenço
Ilhéu da Viúva
Achadas da Cruz
Moledos – Madalena do Mar
Ilhas Desertas
Pináculo
Ilhéus do Porto Santo
Pico Branco
Ilhas Selvagens

Special Protection Areas (SPAs)

Ilhas Selvagens
Ilhas Desertas
Laurisilva of Madeira

Therefore, in the furtherance of the environmental policies of the EU and in order to contribute to their implementation, particularly in regard to the commitments to promote the maintenance of biodiversity through conservation and the preservation of natural habitats and their species (Habitats Directive – Natura 2000 Network), the CETACEOS MADEIRA II Project is presented. This project has as one of its main goals the identification of areas that represent critical habitats for the bottlenose dolphin in the Archipelago of Madeira, and the establishment of conservation areas to be integrated in the Natura 2000 Network.