A Special Protection Area (SPA) is a designation under the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...

Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the

(EU) have a duty to safeguard the

habitats In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

migratory birds Bird migration is the regular seasonal movement, often north and south along a flyway, between breeding and wintering grounds. Many species of bird migrate. Migration carries high costs in predation and mortality, including from hunting b ...

and certain particularly threatened birds. Together with Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), the SPAs form a network of protected sites across the EU, called

Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respecti ...

. Each SPA has an EU code – for example the North Norfolk Coast SPA has the code ''UK9009031''.

In the United Kingdom

As at 21 September 2006, there were 252 classified SPAs and 12 proposed SPAs in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Conservation (Natural Habitats etc.) Regulations 1994 implement the terms of the Directive in Scotland, England and Wales. In

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...

, SPAs (and SACs) designated on land or in the

intertidal The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of habitats with various species ...

area are normally also notified as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), and in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...

as Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSIs). For example, the Broadland SPA in eastern England is a conglomeration of some 28 SSSIs. SPAs may extend below

low tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables c ...

into the sea, and for these areas SSSI notification is not possible. In Scotland, some SPAs have been classified without any underpinning designation by SSSI.

In Poland

''Special Protection Areas'' for

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

s in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

are called OSOPs ( pl, Obszar Specjalnej Ochrony Ptaków). As of 2005, there were 72 OSOP Areas designated as such.

In Portugal

The Castro Verde SPA extends into six municipalities of Baixo Alentejo Subregion:

Aljustrel Aljustrel () is a town and a municipality in the Portuguese district of Beja. The population in 2011 was 9,257, in an area of 458.47 km2. The present mayor is Nelson Domingos Brito, elected by the Socialist Party. The municipal holiday is Ju ...

, Almodôvar Municipality,

Beja Municipality Beja () is a city and a municipality in the Alentejo region, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 35,854, in an area of . The city proper had a population of 21,658 in 2001. The municipality is the capital of the Beja District. The present Mayor i ...

, Castro Verde Municipality, Mértola and

Ourique Ourique () is a city in the District of Beja in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 5,389, in an area of 663.31 km2. This town is traditionally considered the site of the famous Battle of Ourique in 1139, which saw the forces of Portugues ...

Municipality, a total area of 79,007 hectares (790 km ²).

In Spain

The Spanish term is ''ZEPA''. There were 658 Spanish sites as at 2021.

In the Czech Republic

The Czech Republic uses the term ''Ptačí oblast'' (PO, bird area) for SPAs. Between 2004 and 2009, 41 bird areas were declared by government directives.Ptačí oblasti – nařízení vlády
/ref> They cover 9% of the state area.

References

External links

{{commons category, Special Protection Areas
Council Directive 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979
Protected areas