ABSTRACT
This book analyses the Habitats Directive; one of the most prominent piece of EU environmental legislation of the past decades. Seen by some as the cornerstone of Europe’s nature conservation policy, among other measures the Directive established the so-called "Natura 2000" ecological network, which covers more than 18% of the surface of the EU. However, despite the fact the Directive was adopted over twenty years ago only 17% of the protected habitats and species in Europe are being adequately protected while 10-60 % of animal species remain under threat.
In light of the limited success and the contested nature of the Habitats Directive so far this book examines the successes and failures of the Habitats Directive from a legal and political angle. The book brings together international experts to consider the application, implementation and future of the Habitats Directive in order to assess whether the Habitats Directive is resilient enough to tackle biodiversity loss in the twenty- first century. Particular emphasis is put on the legal regime attached to the Natura 2000 network and its possible impact on land development and the relationship between the Habitats Directive and other topics including liability for ecological damage and transboundary nature conservation.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part I|20 pages
Back to the roots
chapter I 1|12 pages
Global objectives and scope of the Habitats Directive
chapter 2|7 pages
The added value of the Habitats Directive
part II|90 pages
Natura 2000
chapter 5|22 pages
Instruments for active site management under Natura 2000
chapter 6|8 pages
Appropriate impact assessment
chapter |18 pages
Compensatory measures under Article 6(4) of the Habitats Directive
part III|58 pages
Species protection
chapter 9|13 pages
The impact of species protection on land-use planning via the environmental assessment
chapter 10|18 pages
Trading in wildlife under the Habitats and Birds Directives
part IV|83 pages
Transversal issues
chapter 11|34 pages
The threshold for liability for ecological damage in the EU
chapter 14|17 pages
Transboundary nature conservation
part V|110 pages
Science policy and nature conservation: best friends for ever?
chapter 19|12 pages
How to cope with the unknown
chapter 20|25 pages
Under fire from all directions
part VI|60 pages
Nature conservation at sea
chapter 22|18 pages
Marine species protection and management in the European Union
part VII|33 pages
The integration of nature conservation in other policy areas
part VIII|30 pages
New approaches to nature conservation