Better management of protected natural areas and biodiversity

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. This law amends Law 42/2007 on Natural Heritage and Biodiversity to improve the management of protected areas, especially those in the Natura 2000 network, and to better incorporate European and international biodiversity rules into Spanish law.
2. New principles are added: avoiding net loss of biodiversity and preventing problems caused by climate change, which also becomes a duty of public administrations.
3. It clarifies who manages the marine environment: as a general rule, the General State Administration handles the marine sphere and the autonomous communities the land sphere, except where there is ecological continuity with a protected land area.
4. It creates a State strategy for green infrastructure and ecological connectivity and restoration, prepared by the State and the autonomous communities, to connect and restore land and marine ecosystems.
5. Works needed to conserve or restore protected areas or threatened species may be declared of general interest to the State, after a report from the affected autonomous communities.
6. Information on the boundaries of protected areas, the Natura 2000 network, public utility woodlands and livestock trails will be included in the Property Registry, with purely informative effects, to give legal certainty to real estate transactions.
7. Rules on species are strengthened: prior authorization to import non-native species, safeguards for reintroducing extinct species, recovery plans for threatened marine species, and strategies against invasive alien species.
8. The penalty regime is updated: new offenses are added, such as using genetic resources without complying with the Nagoya Protocol, and fines range from €100 to €2,000,000 depending on severity.

Who it affects

• Owners of land in or near protected areas: Environmental information about those areas will appear in the Property Registry, and the Cadastre will have access to it.
• Companies and individuals using genetic resources or wild species: They will need administrative authorizations and can be fined if they fail to meet the new obligations.
• Public administrations (State and autonomous communities): Powers over the marine environment are more precisely divided, and they take on new conservation duties.
• Municipalities and local communities in Natura 2000 areas: Administrations will give priority to economic activities compatible with conservation that create local jobs and well-being.

Words worth knowing

Red Natura 2000 (Natura 2000 network)

European network of protected areas made up of sites of Community importance, special areas of conservation and special protection areas for birds.

Especie alóctona (non-native species)

A species that does not belong in a place, that is, one from outside its natural distribution area.

Especie exótica invasora (invasive alien species)

A species introduced outside its natural environment that threatens local biodiversity.

Protocolo de Nagoya (Nagoya Protocol)

International agreement regulating access to genetic resources and the fair sharing of benefits from their use.

Interés general (general interest)

A declaration that allows certain works to be treated as a priority for the whole State, with advantages in their approval process.

It summarizes the law as published in the BOE. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries