A special protection area (SPA) is a designation under the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the

(EU) have a duty to safeguard the

habitats In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

migratory birds Bird migration is a seasonal movement of birds between breeding and wintering grounds that occurs twice a year. It is typically from north to south or from south to north. Migration is inherently risky, due to predation and mortality. The ...

and certain particularly threatened birds. Together with

special areas of conservation A special area of conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...

(SACs), the SPAs form a network of protected sites across the EU, called

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, respectiv ...

. Each SPA has an EU code – for example the North Norfolk Coast SPA has the code ''UK9009031''.

In the United Kingdom

As at 21 September 2006, there were 252 classified SPAs and 12 proposed SPAs in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Conservation (Natural Habitats etc.) Regulations 1994 implement the terms of the Directive in Scotland, England and Wales. In

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

, SPAs (and SACs) designated on land or in the

intertidal The intertidal zone or foreshore is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide; in other words, it is the part of the littoral zone within the tidal range. This area can include several types of habitats with various sp ...

area are normally also notified as

Sites of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

(SSSIs), and in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

as Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSIs). For example, the Broadland SPA in eastern England is a conglomeration of some 28 SSSIs. SPAs may extend below low tide into the sea, and for these areas SSSI notification is not possible. In Scotland, some SPAs have been classified without any underpinning designation by SSSI.

In Poland

''Special Protection Areas'' for

Birds Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

are called OSOPs (). As of 2005, there were 72 OSOP Areas designated as such.

In the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, ''Special Protection Areas'' for birds are called ''Vogelrichtlijngebied''.

In Portugal

The Castro Verde SPA extends into six municipalities of Baixo Alentejo Subregion:

Aljustrel Aljustrel (), officially Town of Aljustrel (), is a town and a municipality in the Portuguese district of Beja. The population in 2011 was 9,257, in an area of 458.47 km2. The present mayor is Nelson Domingos Brito, elected by the Socialis ...

, Almodôvar Municipality, Beja Municipality, Castro Verde Municipality,

Mértola Mértola (), officially the Town of Mértola (), is a town and municipality in southeastern Portuguese Alentejo near the Spanish border. In 2011, the population was 7,274, in an area of approximately : it is the sixth-largest municipality in Portu ...

and

Ourique Ourique (), officially the Town of Ourique (), is a List of municipalities of Portugal, city in the District of Beja (Portugal), District of Beja in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 5,389, in an area of 663.31 km2. This town is tradition ...

Municipality, a total area of 79,007 hectares (790 km ²).

In Spain

The Spanish term is ''ZEPA''. There were 658 Spanish sites as at 2021.

In the Czech Republic

The Czech Republic uses the term ''Ptačí oblast'' (PO, bird area) for SPAs. Between 2004 and 2009, 41 bird areas were declared by government directives. They cover 9% of the state area.

References

External links

Council Directive 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979
{{Authority control Protected areas