Press Release: Environment: Good news for butterflies, bats and bears

Europe's flora and fauna are now better protected than at any time since the European Community was set up. Three recent expansions have added 18 784 square kilometres to Natura 2000, Europe's network of protected natural areas, which now covers almost 20% of the continent's landmass and 100 000 km2 of its seas. The additional areas are in Austria, Cyprus, Finland, France, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. Natura 2000 plays a major role in Europe's battle to halt biodiversity loss by 2010.

• Primary Source

European Commission: MEMO/08/190: Details on specific additions to the Natura 2000 network in January and March 2008, broken down by country http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/08/190&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

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