Assessing the role of Natura 2000 at maintaining dynamic landscapes in Europe over the last two decades: implications for conservation

Abstract

The Natura 2000 network aims to promote the long-term persistence of both biodiversity and traditional uses. European landscapes have undergone large transformations in the past decades, mainly associated with the abandonment of less productive lands, mostly in mountains, and concentration of intensive agriculture in the most productive areas. These changes could pose important management challenges and offer new opportunities to the achievement of the network’s goals. Here, we evaluate the change in land cover within Natura 2000 in the last two decades, explore the role of different drivers in observed changes and assess the impacts of these changes in the structure of landscape. We found that within Natura 2000, landscape has been highly dynamic in the last two decades with more than 20% of the area under protection undergoing land cover changes. However, this change was smaller within than outside Natura 2000. The most systematic transitions involved both, succession processes towards naturalization (e.g. transitional woodland—TRW—to forest—FOR) and anthropization (e.g. mosaic—MOS—to arable—ARA—and pastures—PAS). Changes across land cover categories had also significant effects on the landscape configuration towards a higher homogenization, mainly driven by the increase of patch size and clumpiness of FOR and ARA, while a higher fragmentation of TRW and open areas (OPEN). Given these changes, two different strategies would be needed to enhance the role of Natura 2000, (i) tighter control to ensure anthropization, mainly intensive agriculture, does not compromise conservation goals within protected areas (PAs) and (ii) tackle more effectively the ecological and socio-economic effects of abandonment in less productive areas to halt loss of key habitats. On the other hand, changes in composition and structure of landscape open new conservation opportunities derived from enhanced connectivity, at least within PAs.