Protected areas, Species and Habitats Directive (Natura2000, SCI, SAC)

The Habitats Directive (Directive 92/43/EEC) was introduced in 1992. It deals with nature types as well as species groups other than birds. The term habitat is widely used and includes geological formations as well as biotopes and plant communities. The species groups in the Directive are mammals, including wolves, certain seals and bat species, amphibians such as bell frogs, fish such as salmon and pebbles, molluscs such as river pear mussels, vascular plants such as guckusko and mosses such as hair cloms. Lichens, mushrooms and algae are not included in the Directive. A total of 170 habitat types are listed in Annex I to the Habitats Directive, of which 88 are located in Sweden. Each Member State shall, on the one hand, propose sites of Community importance for the habitats concerned (Annex 1) and the species mentioned (Annex 2) and, on the other hand, ensure that the necessary measures are taken in the areas to conserve the habitats of the species so that they can survive in viable stocks and that natural habitats are maintained in the long term. For both the habitats and the Birds Directive, the Member State must ensure that Natura 2000 sites are properly managed and monitor the conservation of their natural values so that the state of the habitats and species concerned remains favourable. The different nature types of the Directive are defined in the Interpretation Manual of the European Commission. Based on this, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency has developed the book Swedish Nature Types.