The State of Wildlife Heritage within Natura 2000 Regional Sites in Campania (Italy) and Norte (Portugal)

The main instrument for biodiversity conservation in the EU is the Natura 2000 network (Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC and Birds Directive 2009/147/EC). This vast ecological network, established across the entire EU since 1995 with the proposal for the Sites of Community Importance and the Special Protection Areas, has developed to the present day with the recognition of the areas containing significant biodiversity (animals, plants, and ecosystems) as Special Areas of Conservation. The official Natura 2000 datasets and the standard data modules for all SACs/SCIs in the regions of Campania (RC), Italy, and Tras-os-Montes e Alto Douro (TAD), Portugal, were compared. Natura 2000 sites cover 19% of the Italian and 13% of the Portuguese territory. 76% (RC) and 61% (TAD) of Natura 2000 areas are SACs/SCIs, while 10% (RC) and 36% (TAD) are SPAs. 14% (RC) and 3% (TAD) are areas that include both conditions. Animal biodiversity is made up of 248 species (205 birds) in the Italian region and 121 (85 birds) in the Portuguese region. In 2024, Campania has equipped itself with management plans, while the Tras-os-Montes e Alto Douro Region has not yet prepared them.