Capacity development is essential for the effective management of protected areas and for achieving successful biodiversity conservation. European Natura 2000 sites form an extensive network of protected areas and developing the capacity of staff at all levels is a priority that will positively influence the appropriate implementation of conservation actions. In this study we identify the main challenges and potential solutions to developing the skills, knowledge and tools required for effective Natura 2000 site management. Our findings are based on a case study of the European project LIFE e-Natura2000.edu, which focuses on capacity development in practical biodiversity conservation and management through integrated and blended learning experiences (i.e. a combination of face-to-face and virtual teaching). We illustrate the main elements for successfully building capacity within a variety of knowledge and experience backgrounds and operating levels related to the management of Natura 2000 sites. Multifaceted, blended learning approaches are key to tackling the various needs of Natura 2000 managers in terms of skills, knowledge and tools.

The Natura 2000 network, the pillar of biodiversity conservation in Europe, still shows some knowledge gaps after almost 30 years since its implementation. As birds are a taxonomic group that is underrepresented in the literature related to Natura 2000 compared to their importance in the EU Directives, this review investigated the characteristics of the scientific research dedicated to birds in relation to Natura 2000. This review focused on 169 peer-reviewed articles covering a period of 25 years (1995–2019). Most studies were set within single Natura 2000 site or regions within countries, and concerned terrestrial habitats, particularly wetlands. The terrestrial Mediterranean biogeographical region and marine Atlantic region had the greatest number of publications, while Spain, Italy, and France were the countries with the highest number of reviewed articles. The number of publications was correlated to Natura 2000 coverage at both country and biogeographical region level. Bird species were studied mainly at a community or single-species level and most publications studied distribution and occurrence of the bird species of interest, while very few assessed the conservation status of the species. Only a few articles set within Natura 2000 sites addressed the issues of habitat suitability for birds or the effectiveness of conservation efforts. Both Annex I and non-Annex I bird species were examined in the literature, with most species having decreasing population trends at the European scale. Future research on bird conservation and Natura 2000 should focus on marine ecosystems as well as habitats that have received less attention despite their important role in a changing future (alpine and urban types). Moreover, future studies should encompass larger spatial scales and those species for which status and trends are still not thoroughly investigated. Finally, it would be important to enhance research efforts on the conservation status and effectiveness in relation to the network.

This case comment explores the relationship between two intertwined objectives – ensuring security of electricity supply and environmental protection – in the context of the judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union in Inter-Environnement Wallonie ASBL and Bond Beter Leefmilieu Vlaanderen ASBL v. Conseil des ministres. The analysis focuses on the application of the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive and the Habitats Directive to the facts of the case, which concerns the extension by a ten-year period of the operation of two Belgian nuclear power stations (Doel 1 and Doel 2) as part of a national energy policy strategy to ensure the security of Belgium's electricity supply. The case comment also considers the legal and practical implications that arise as a result of employing the ‘security of electricity supply’ exemption to enable derogation from the requirements of the aforementioned Directives in circumstances where a Member State considers the security of its electricity supply to be under threat.

The bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus M.) local population off west Istria in the North-eastern Adriatic has received no prior study of abundance and distribution despite the habitat's relevance for the preservation of this key species in the marine ecosystem. The research area comprises part of the NATURA 2000 network which was predominantly established here for these dolphins. Official data regarding the local population's status in the region are currently marked as deficient. Thus, the aim of the present study was to provide the first population data for the area. Boat-based survey work was carried out from April to September 2012–2015 using a mark–recapture photo-identification method. Prior to this period a random data collection was used to study distribution, since 2001, to cover the area of 927 km2 lying between Umag to lighthouse Albanež in the south. 143 bottlenose dolphins were photo-identified to date with the average group size of 9.27 ± 6.53 animals. Several abundance models were used, from which the Markovian robust model proved the best fit and predicted between 47–142 dolphins along the west Istria coast. A few individuals were also identified in Slovenia, indicating a bigger home range along the 98 km length of the studied area. There is an indication of a regular year round presence of dolphins. The west Istria coast constitutes an important feeding and breeding ground. The region should develop a sustainable plan to manage those human activities negatively impacting the dolphins. Therefore the present study is of relevance for the implementation of management directives for their conservation.

Since the collapse of Central and Eastern Europe's communist regimes in the early 1990s, the ensuing environmental, social and economic changes have permitted development of new forms of multi-level governance. However, a coherent participatory approach to environmental conservation is yet to emerge. This review examines the changing approaches in environmental conservation and protected area governance in Romania during the country's pre-communist, communist, transition and current European Union eras. Three case examples are examined in depth to assess how changing environmental governance is playing out in practice in Natura 2000 sites, in a national park, and on privately owned (unprotected) forest land. Similar to other countries in Central and Eastern Europe, Romania's environmental governance practices still face substantial challenges in consolidating an inclusive and integrated approach to environmental governance and conservation. A lack of historical involvement of communities in decision making, reluctance within government to drive forward more inclusive environmental governance approaches, and a lack of non-governmental organizations focusing on environmental conservation, have resulted in slow progress towards more inclusive environmental governance. Civil society and solutions for institutionalizing participation across all levels of governance are needed to reorient environmental governance towards a more inclusive and multi-stakeholder approach that better links economic, social and environmental objectives.

The ecological network of Natura 2000, an European Union (EU) initiative to halt biodiversity loss across Europe, has dominated biodiversity governance in the new EU member states in recent years, as implementation was a condition of accession. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have generally assisted Natura 2000 implementation. In two Central and Eastern European countries (Poland and Hungary), NGOs became involved in different ways; this paper seeks to analyse and explain these national differences by researching the theoretical background of policy networks and advocacy coalitions in both countries. In Hungary, NGOs worked closely with governmental authorities and contributed significantly to site selection. In Poland, NGOs initially opposed government plans, but later moved toward close cooperation with public institutions; this resulted in a significant expansion in the area and number of designated Natura 2000 sites. In both countries, NGO influence increased during the Natura 2000 process owing to the establishment of multi-level policy networks with the European Commission and public institutions, based on resource dependencies and shared beliefs. In post-socialist countries, the progression from government-monopolized biodiversity conservation implies a growing importance and contribution of NGOs, and their ability to use resources appropriately in the new governance contexts.

Old-growth forests around the world are vanishing rapidly and have been lost almost completely from the European temperate forest region. Poor management practices, often triggered by socioeconomic and institutional change, are the main causes of loss. Recent trends in old-growth forest cover in Romania, where some of the last remaining tracts of these forests within Europe are located, are revealed by satellite image analysis. Forest cover declined by 1.3 % from 2000 to 2010. Romania's protected area network has been expanded substantially since the country's accession to the European Union in 2007, and most of the remaining old-growth forests now are located within protected areas. Surprisingly though, 72% of the old-growth forest disturbances are found within protected areas, highlighting the threats still facing these forests. It appears that logging in old-growth forests is, at least in part, related to institutional reforms, insufficient protection and ownership changes since the collapse of communism in 1989. The majority of harvesting activities in old-growth forest areas are in accordance with the law. Without improvements to their governance, the future of Romania's old-growth forests and the important ecosystem services they provide remains uncertain.

Accession of the Central and Eastern European countries to the European Union involved considerable institutional changes in the field of environmental governance that undermined existing policy practices. Such changes in biodiversity governance are examined through two case studies from Poland concerning road development schemes in ecologically sensitive areas. Documentary material and semi-structured interviews are analysed and interpreted in light of the policy arrangement approach and historical institutionalism. After the EU accession there was a rapid shift from a government-monopolized arrangement towards a multi-level governance arrangement with regard to conflicts between infrastructure and natural areas. Previously, the government controlled practically all aspects of environmental policymaking, despite potential routes for greater involvement of non-state actors. Only the formal rules of Natura 2000 and environmental impact assessment, guarded by a coalition of powerful supranational bodies, non-governmental organizations and scientists, changed the pattern of governmental policy-making. New policy arrangements have increased capacity and legitimacy in the implementation of the European Union rules.

Many mires of high conservation value occur in Bulgaria. These mires acted as refugia during the dry phases of ice ages and therefore contain a high number of rare and disjunct species. The mires harbour specific ecotypes and genotypes of plants and animals, and thus provide an opportunity to test biogeographical hypotheses, and they also contain important information about the history of European mires. In this study we ranked all known mire and spring complexes in Bulgaria according to the occurrence of rare and threatened plant and mollusc species. This analysis shows a conspicuous concentration of rare species at several sites, and no correspondence between the importance of individual mires for biodiversity and their legal protection. Of the 10 mire complexes of highest priority only one is effectively protected. The remaining unprotected mires have either been destroyed or are threatened by ongoing development. Having joined the European Union, Bulgaria has built a Natura 2000 network that could provide an opportunity for mire conservation. However, destruction of mire habitats proceeds faster than the approval of Natura 2000 sites. There is thus a possibility that unique Bulgarian mires will be lost before the Natura 2000 system begins to perform its role. Only effective and timely protection of the mire remnants, together with appropriate management, will ensure the future of these unique habitats.