Natura 2000 is the EU’s network of protected nature areas. Its purpose is to protect important habitats and species that are valuable from a European perspective. Natura 2000 covers 18% of the EU’s land area and 6% of its marine area, making it the largest coordinated network of protected areas in the world.
In LIFE’s a Beech, the focus is on broadleaved forest habitats. The project includes 5,372 hectares already classified as one of these habitat types, and more than 1,267 hectares that may be classified in the future.
Sweden and Belgium together make up only a small part of the total area for these habitats in Europe.
However, the Swedish areas may become important for species moving north due to climate change and the Belgian areas include some of the oldest and most species-rich broadleaf forests in the region.
Some habitat types have nearly half of their European distribution in Sweden, which gives Sweden a major responsibility for their conservation.
Habitat types in the project
Luzulo-Fagetum beech forests (9110)
Beech forests on acidic soils with sparse ground vegetation. Found from the Mediterranean to northern Europe.
This habitat has an unfavourable conservation status in several countries, including Sweden and Belgium.
Around 20% of the LIFE’s a Beech project area is of this type.
Atlantic acidophilous beech forests with Ilex and sometimes also Taxus in the shrublayer (9120)
Beech forests with holly, hazel, and hornbeam on acidic soils. Common along the western side of Europe.
This habitat does not occur in Sweden.
About 48% of the project area is of this type, all in Belgium.
Asperulo-Fagetum beech forests (9130)
Beech forests on nutrient-rich, neutral soils with diverse vegetation. Found in many parts of Europe, but with generally unfavourable conservation status.
About 17% of the project area is 9130 forest.
Sub-Atlantic and medio-European oak or oak-hornbeam forests of the Carpinion betuli. (9160)
Oak-dominated forests on moist to wet soils, often mixed with hornbeam and lime. Widespread in Europe but with unfavourable conservation status.
Around 14% of the project area belongs to this type.
Fennoscandian hemiboreal natural old broad-leaved deciduous forests (Quercus, Tilia, Acer, Fraxinus or Ulmus) rich in epiphytes (9020)
A transition between western taiga and southern broadleaf forest. Common tree species include oak, elm, ash, lime, and maple. These forests often contain a lot of dead wood and have high biodiversity. They occur only in Sweden, Finland, and the Baltic countries.
About 3% of the project area is of this type.