An Area of Special Conservation Interest (ASCI) is a
protected area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
in Europe or North Africa, part of the
Emerald network established by the countries who have signed the
Berne Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats.
The purpose of the ASCIs is to conserve and protect habitats and species defined in the convention.
Emerald Network
The Emerald Network is an
ecological network of Areas of Special Conservation Interest.
The
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold European Convention on Human Rights, human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. ...
launched the network when it adopted Recommendation No. 16 (1989) of the Standing Committee to the Bern Convention.
The
European Union's
Natura 2000
Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectively ...
network covers the portion of the Emerald network within the EU.
The network also include conservation units in non-community European states such as Andorra, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Norway, Switzerland and Ukraine, and in several African states.
In the United Kingdom,
Special Areas of Conservation and
Special Protection Areas are Areas of Special Conservation Interest.
The African signatories to the Bern Convention include Burkina Faso, Morocco, Tunisia and Senegal.
Criteria
An ASCI should meet one or more of the following criteria as defined at UNEP-WCMC 2014, Biodiversity A-Z website: www.biodversitya-z.org, UNEP-WCMC, Cambridge, UK:
*Contributes substantially to the survival of threatened species, endemic species, or any species listed in Appendices I and II of the Bern convention;
*Supports significant numbers of species in an area of high species diversity or supports important populations of one or more species;
*Contains an important and/or representative sample of endangered habitat types;
*Contains an outstanding example of a particular habitat type or a mosaic of different habitat types;
*Represents an important area for one or more migratory species;
*Otherwise contributes substantially to the achievement of the objectives of the convention.
Notes
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Area of Special Conservation Interest
Biogeography
Environment of Europe
Protected areas of Europe
Protected areas of Africa