The European Natura 2000 Award was launched by the European Commission in order to increase EU citizens' awareness of the Natura 2000 network. The network links different areas protected under the EU Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive. Its aim is the effective protection of habitats and species in areas of special ecological importance. After a successful launch in 2014 and the subsequent award ceremonies in 2015 and 2016, the awards will now be allocated biennially. For the edition in 2018, adelphi again assisted the European Commission in hosting and further developing the award.
Despite being the world’s biggest supranational network of conservation areas, Natura 2000 is only known to few EU citizens. The European Natura 2000 Award thus significantly contributes to raising awareness of the network among the general public. Furthermore, the award highlights exemplary and particularly successful projects contributing to the conservation of nature and species throughout the EU and promotes exchange among all those involved in management and communication for Natura 2000. As in previous years, the 2018 awards will be allocated in five categories: Conservation, Communication, Socio-economic Benefits, Cross-border Cooperation and Networking, and Reconciling Interests / Perception. In 2018, for the third time, there will also be a European public choice award: the European public can vote online to determine the winner of the European Citizens’ Award.
Together with four partners, adelphi managed the Natura 2000 Award Secretariat 2018 on behalf of the European Commission. The Secretariat was responsible for the application and evaluation process; organised the award ceremony, took over PR and organised further events at the local level.
Benchmarking reports for the first three years of the Award
The Benchmarking Reports identify recurrent traits of good practice ("elements of success") for successful nature protection activities and provide recommendations for future award applicants:
European Natura 2000 Award 2014 - Benchmarking Report
