Natura 2000 Awards: recognising excellence in nature protection across Europe

On the occasion of the 30^th anniversary of the creation of the Natura 2000 network, Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius announced yesterday evening the winners of the 2022 edition of the Natura 2000 Awards. The six winners include projects from Austria, Bulgaria, Greece, Portugal, Spain and a cross-border project from Germany, Austria, Luxembourg and Switzerland. 

Announcing the winners at a ceremony in Brussels, Commissioner Sinkevičius said: 

“Protecting and restoring the EU's natural heritage and biodiversity is crucial to mitigate and adapt to climate change while preserving life on Earth for generations to come. For the last 30 years, thousands of conservation professionals, volunteers and stakeholders have worked to protect and restore nature, preserving the benefits it brings. These people have made the network the success it is today.  In competitions, the trophy always goes to one, but we should all feel winners today because, when nature is protected, the benefits are there for all of us.” 

The Natura 2000 Awards recognise conservation success stories across the EU and raise awareness about one of Europe's outstanding achievements: the Natura 2000 network of protected areas. The following categories are featuring in the Awards: conservation on land (winner this year is Greece), communication (Bulgaria), socio-economic benefits (Cantabria, Spain), citizens' vote (Austria), cross-border cooperation, and this year one more category was added: marine conservation (Portugal). The good management of the Natura 2000 network is at the core of the ambitious protection and restoration targets of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 which aims to put biodiversity on a path to recovery by 2030, with benefits for people, climate and the planet. 

More information is in the news item.