New comprehensive research from a pan-European study has unveiled alarming impacts of modern agricultural practices on biodiversity within the Natura 2000 protected areas, the largest conservation network worldwide. Spanning diverse habitats across the European Union (EU), this network was created to safeguard Europe’s most valuable species and ecosystems. However, despite the designation of these areas as protected, biodiversity remains under threat from intensifying agricultural methods, including increased pesticide use, heavy overgrazing, and the removal of essential landscape features such as hedgerows. These factors contribute significantly to habitat degradation, posing complex challenges for conservation efforts.
The investigation, led by a consortium of researchers including doctoral candidate Giorgio Zavattoni from the University of Turku, Finland, entailed an extensive survey of Natura 2000 site managers covering all EU member states. The study assessed management strategies, funding mechanisms, and perceived threats to biodiversity within these protected zones. The data revealed that conservation managers are deeply concerned that modern agricultural intensification severely undermines biodiversity conservation goals, compromising the ecological integrity of these protected landscapes.
Across the European Union, roughly 80% of habitats listed under the EU Habitats Directive are currently classified in an unfavorable conservation state. National reports identify agricultural intensification as the primary driver behind this deterioration. Characterized by escalated applications of inorganic fertilizers, widespread pesticide use, and shifts toward novel crop types like winter species, this intensification has far-reaching ecological consequences. Importantly, the research highlights that protected area designation alone is insufficient to guarantee the preservation of flora and fauna, emphasizing the necessity for active stakeholder engagement and adaptive management practices.
Contrary to the common misconception that agricultural activity is inherently detrimental within conservation areas, the study underscores the critical role of traditional, low-intensity farming methods in maintaining biodiversity. Sustainable practices such as extensive grazing and periodic mowing help uphold habitat heterogeneity and structural complexity, conditions vital for the survival of numerous endangered species. These methods mimic historical land-use regimes that many European ecosystems have coevolved with, thus promoting a dynamic equilibrium conducive to species richness.
Elie Gaget, a co-author affiliated with the Tour du Valat research institute specializing in Mediterranean wetlands, elaborates on the ecological significance of grazed grasslands and marshes — ecosystems among Europe’s richest in biodiversity. Extensive grazing helps maintain open habitats, controls invasive species, and fosters ecological niches critical for a variety of taxa. Despite their ecological importance, these traditional practices are rapidly vanishing in the wake of agricultural modernization and intensification policies, threatening the long-term resilience of protected habitats.
A particularly paradoxical finding relates to the role of the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which plays a dual role in shaping land management within Natura 2000 sites. While CAP funds provide essential financial support for habitat preservation through agri-environmental schemes promoting biodiversity-friendly farming, they simultaneously subsidize intensive agricultural practices that degrade ecosystems. This contradictory funding framework creates an inherent conflict, complicating the implementation of coherent conservation strategies across protected landscapes.
Professor Jon Brommer of the University of Turku highlights this contradiction, stressing the confusion arising from public funds being allocated to both conservation-oriented low-intensity farming and ecological-impacting intensive agriculture simultaneously. He emphasizes that Natura 2000’s unique aim to integrate human activity and biodiversity protection demands careful policy calibration to avoid undermining conservation objectives through inconsistent financial incentives.
The study’s findings cast an urgent spotlight on the need to revamp agricultural regulations within protected areas to align with the European Union’s ambitious biodiversity targets. Recent policy developments under the European Green Deal initially incorporated strong measures to support biodiversity-friendly agriculture but faced rollbacks after spring 2024. This regulatory backpedaling threatens to diminish conservation gains, underscoring the critical importance of maintaining and enhancing environmental safeguards within agricultural frameworks.
Achieving effective biodiversity conservation in Natura 2000 areas requires fostering traditional agricultural practices that are ecologically sustainable. Low-intensity agriculture, often characterized by extensive grazing and reduced chemical inputs, supports both biodiversity preservation and cultural landscape maintenance. The synergy between human land use and nature conservation embedded in such practices must be central to future management approaches to halt further loss of biodiversity in European protected zones.
Moreover, stakeholder collaboration is essential to reconcile biodiversity objectives with the economic realities faced by farmers managing protected lands. Empowering local communities, incentivizing sustainable farming, and integrating scientific insights into adaptive management will strengthen conservation efforts. The study demonstrates that isolated protection measures without active management and engagement do little to curb the adverse ecological impacts of modern agricultural intensification.
Ultimately, this investigation provides a comprehensive, data-driven perspective on the nuanced relationship between agriculture and biodiversity within Europe’s most important protected areas. It reveals that safeguarding biodiversity necessitates more than legal boundaries; it requires a scientifically informed, policy-integrated approach that balances economic land uses with ecological resilience. As Europe strives to meet its biodiversity commitments, redefining agricultural policies and intensifying support for nature-friendly farming will be imperative to secure the future of Natura 2000 habitats and their invaluable species.
Subject of Research:
Not applicable
Article Title:
Threats and management of Natura 2000 protected areas in relation to current agricultural practices
News Publication Date:
3-Nov-2025
Web References:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cobi.70172
References:
Giorgio Zavattoni, Elie Gaget, Ineta Kačergytė, Tomas Pärt, Thomas Sattler, Tyler Hallman, Diego Pavón-Jordán & Jon E. Brommer. Threats and management of Natura 2000 protected areas in relation to current agricultural practices. Conservation Biology. 2025. DOI: 10.1111/cobi.70172
Image Credits:
Cattle grazing in a protected area in Camargue © J.Jalbert-TourduValat
Keywords:
Natura 2000, biodiversity conservation, agricultural intensification, sustainable grazing, European Union, protected areas, habitat degradation, Common Agricultural Policy, low-intensity farming, ecological management, European Green Deal, species preservation
