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Many amazing birds, animals and insects across Europe benefit from laws that protect them and the places that they live – but staggeringly, these laws are now under threat.

The Birds and Habitats Directives protect special places across Europe from damaging activities and make sure they are managed for wildlife. They are regarded by many as the foundation of nature conservation in Europe.

Laws protecting nature under threat

These important laws are currently under threat because the European Commission (EC) is reviewing them as part of a drive to reduce environmental regulation

Luckily the EC is consulting the public about this so everyone who cares about nature has the chance to have a say.   So far over 300,000 people have taken action to tell the EC to keep strong legal protection for nature in place.

Please join them in helping to protect our amazing European wildlife.

Take action to defend nature

 

A snapshot of Europe’s wonderful wildlife

Lesser horseshoe bat

Lesser horseshoe bat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did you know that the lesser horseshoe bat is one of the smallest British bats – about the size of a plum?  At rest it hangs with the wings completely wrapped around its body.

The lesser horseshoe bat is rare in the British Isles and is confined to Wales, western England and western Ireland.

The Bat Conservation Trust say that the Habitats Directive helps to protect the lesser horseshoe bat’s roosting and feeding sites. The directives offer protection to a total of 53 threatened bat species across Europe.

Flamingo

Flamingo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did you know that young flamingos are born grey and white and do not turn pink for 2 years?  The pink colour of flamingos comes from the shrimps and algae that they eat.

The Doñana National Park in Spain is an important feeding site for the greater flamingo.  The park is also home to the rare Imperial eagle (pictured top right).  In recent years the wetlands of the Doñana have been threatened by proposals for damaging activities including dredging for a shipping channel and gas exploration.

Luckily for the flamingos, eagles and all the wildlife dependent on this special place, the proposals have so far been rejected.

WWF Spain campaigns to defend the wetlands and told me that “the Habitats Directive is crucial in our fight to protect Doñana -and indeed in almost every nature protection campaign in Spain”.

Large mason bee

Large Mason Bee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did you know that the large mason bee is Britain’s rarest solitary bee and is now only found at two sites in North Wales – Porth Ceiriad and Porth Neigwl on the Llŷn Peninsula – which are ideal nesting places for these rare bees.

It’s good news for the large mason bee that these sea cliffs have recently gained additional protection under the Habitats Directive.

A recent report on bees threatened with extinction in Europe found that many rare and scarce bee species are now only found within sites protected by the Habitats Directive.

We need to ensure many more places can support rare bees like the large mason bee.  But for that to happen we first need to protect the special placeswhere they currently live.

Brown bear

Brown Bear

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did you know that, despite their size, brown bears can run extremely fast – up to 30 miles per hour?

In 1992 the brown bear was listed as a strictly protected species under the Habitats Directive, and thanks to this is showing signs of recovery in many areas – there are around 7,000 bears in the Carpathian Mountains in central and eastern Europe.

But the brown bear continues to face many challenges from habitat loss to hunting.

Weakening laws that protect them would undo years of effort to help their recovery.

This is just a snap shot of the wide range of amazing birds, animals and insects that are protected by the Birds and Habitats Directives.

You can help them by joining over 280,000 people who have already told the EC how crucial these laws are.

Take action to defend nature

 

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