WISE WFD Protected Areas under the Water Framework Directive - PUBLIC VERSION - version 2025.11

The data set contains the location of areas which have been designated as requiring special protection of their surface water and groundwater, or for the conservation of habitats and species directly depending on water, including economically significant aquatic species (e.g. shellfish).

According to the Article 6 of the Water Framework Directive (WFD, Directive 2000/60/EC), Member States shall ensure the establishment of a register of all areas lying within each River Basin District which have been designated as requiring special protection under specific Community legislation for the protection of their surface water and groundwater, or for the conservation of habitats and species directly depending on water, including the protection of Natura 2000 sites and economically significant aquatic species (e.g. shellfish).

According to Annex IV of the Water Framework Directive, the register shall include the following types of protected areas:
(i) areas designated for the abstraction of water intended for human consumption under WFD Article 7;
(ii) areas designated for the protection of economically significant aquatic species;
(iii) bodies of water designated as recreational waters, including areas designated as bathing waters under the Bathing Water Directive (BWD, Directive 76/160/EEC);
(iv) nutrient-sensitive areas, including areas designated as vulnerable zones under the Nitrates Directive (Directive 91/676/EEC) and areas designated as sensitive areas under Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD, Directive 91/271/EEC); and

The register shall also include "(v) areas designated for the protection of habitats or species where the maintenance or improvement of the status of water is an important factor in their protection, including relevant Natura 2000 sites designated under the Habitats Directive (Directive 92/43/EEC) and Birds Directive (Directive 79/409/EEC)."

The Natura 2000 protected sites are not included in the current data set.

This metadata refers to the public version (6.1) of this data set, which excludes areas that are no longer designated as well as drinking water protection areas if file access has been restricted by the data providers.