Definition: this indicator represents the share of the Natura 2000 protected land area (under the Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC - Official Journal of the European Union, 22/7/1992 - and/or the Birds Directive 79/409/EEC - Official Journal of the European Union, 25/4/1979) in the total area of the Belgian territory. The Belgian and European data come from the European Environment Agency. The regional data come from the Institut bruxellois de statistique et d'analyse, the Instituut natuur-en bosonderzoek and the Service public de Wallonie.

It should also be noted that the Natura 2000 sites are only a fraction of the protected areas in Belgium. An indicator on the share of the protected sites "through effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and well-connected systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures" (CBD, 2010) was calculated for the first time in Belgium, but the continuous monitoring is not yet organised (FPS Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment, 2017).

Goal: Natura 2000 protected land area must increase.

The Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs adopted by the UN in 2015 include target 15.1: “By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements”

The Federal Long-Term Strategic Vision for Sustainable Development contains objective 37: “The goods and services provided by ecosystems will be restored, valorised and used prudently and sustainably, contributing directly to the maintenance of biodiversity” (Belgian Official Gazette, 08/10/2013).

The Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity states that “by 2020, at least 17 per cent of terrestrial and inland waterways (...) are conserved through effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and well-connected systems of protected areas (CBD, 2010).

The Conference of the Parties of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity of December 2022 has adopted new goals. These will be taken into account in the next evaluation.

International comparison: the share of the Natura 2000 protected land area in Belgium is below the EU27 average. In 2021, only three countries performances are worse than Belgium (Denmark, Latvia and Finland). In that year, Cyprus ranked first with 39.3% and Denmark last with 8.3%.

UN indicator: the selected indicator is related to indicator 15.1.2 - Proportion of important sites for terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity that are covered by protected areas, by ecosystem type. The indicator represents a part of the protected area in Belgium, in the absence of a specific indicator on the protection of important areas for biological diversity.

Sources

• General

  • SDGs, Sustainable Development Goals: United Nations (2015), Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 25 September 2015, document A/RES/70/1.

  • Indicators: United Nations (2017), Work of the Statistical Commission pertaining to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 6 July 2017, document A/RES/71/313.

  • UN Sustainable Development: https://sdgs.un.org/ (consulted on 18/01/2023).

  • UN Sustainable Development Goal indicators website: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/ (consulted on 18/01/2023).

• Specific

  • Belgian Official Gazette: http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi/welcome.pl; research on http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/doc/rech_f.htm (consulted on 24/09/2020).

  • CDB (2010), Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, including Aichi Biodiversity Targets, https://www.cbd.int/sp/ (consulted on 24/09/2020).

  • FPS Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment (2017), Direct communication, 03/10/2017.

  • Official Journal of the European Union: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/oj/direct-access.html?locale=nen (consulted on 24/09/2020).

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