Natura 2000 Forest Areas in Greece: a National Implementation Review

The protection of natural habitats and species has always been an important field for legislative and political action at an EU level. The first regulatory step in this direction came in the form of Directive 79/409 on the conservation on wild birds (“Birds Directive”) which was later complemented by Directive 92/43 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (“Habitats Directive”). Both Directives are significant tools for the conservation of nature and biodiversity in the EU as they are legally binding for the Member States.

Greece is a country known for its rich biodiversity. From early on in its existence the country has awarded constitutional protection to its natural and cultural environment and in particular to its forest ecosystems. This article presents particularities of the Hellenic legal framework protecting forests and forest areas and the EU legislation which ensures the conservation of their biodiversity. The Habitats Directive (HD) and the Birds Directive (BD) established the Natura 2000 Network including a significant percentage of forest areas. In this article, the harmonisation of the HD and the BD with Hellenic Lawis approached critically, focusing onweaknesses in its implementation. Furthermore, the implementation of Art. 6 HD especially for forest areas is analysed through the lens of national case law and regulatory interventions of the administration. Finally, the authors propose the introduction of certain provisions for to improve implementation processes.

Autoren*innen Prof. Dr. Efpraxia-Aithra Maria, Dr. Athanasios Papathanasopoulos and Maria Maniadaki
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Publikation
EurUp 01 / 2020 (Februar 2020)
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