Fact of the day
Protected areas for preserving biodiversity are based on areas proposed by Member States under the EU's Habitats Directive and are expressed as a percentage of the total area of a country. About 13 % of the EU-25’s territory was proposed as a protected area under the habitats Directive in 2007. Figures for the Member States show that protected areas account for a little above 30 % of the total area in Slovenia, while seven Member States reported shares below the threshold of 10 %. The protected sites generally provided an adequate level of cover for the species and habitats listed in the Directive, with an EU-25 average of 84 %; only Poland and Cyprus reported sufficiency ratios under 50 %.