ABSTRACT
The protection of biodiversity led to adoption of various pieces of legislation in the Member States. However, 20 years after its adoption, the Habitats Directive remains the cornerstone of EU national legislation as regards biodiversity. When judges have to decide cases, the directive and its transposition are, most of the time, the only effective tool that can be deployed to oppose development. But it is not only effective in the context of Natura 2000 areas; the directive is also successfully activated in the context of the protection of species.
