Pressures and challenges
The ecological network Natura 2000 It is the heart of biodiversity conservation in Europe, with the primary objective of maintaining and restoring habitats and species to a favorable conservation status, without necessarily excluding human activities. Despite the strong conservation objectives set by the Birds and Habitats Directives, biodiversity in the Natura 2000 network is declining. What are the main pressures and challenges that put protected habitats and species at risk? According to a very recent European study published in Conservation Biology (Zavattoni et al., 2025), conducted among Natura 2000 site managers (on a representative sample of 505 sites), intensive agriculture and climate change have emerged as the main threats to biodiversity in Europe. The use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, the conversion of natural habitats to agricultural land, rising temperatures, and variable rainfall are responsible for significant ecosystem degradation. Other significant threats include air, soil and water pollution, as well as the spread of alien species, which are seriously altering European ecosystems.
Limited impact
Species exploitation, including hunting, is one of the pressures identified by the study. However, compared to agricultural and climate threats, its impact is considered limited and it is not among the main causes of biodiversity loss. This does not mean that species exploitation should not be monitored, but rather that financial resources for management and conservation efforts must focus on the real and most pressing threats. According to the data collected, the various forms of exploitation of biological resources (legal and illegal), other than agriculture and forestry, including hunting, fishing, wild plant collection, and all illegal harvests, including poaching, account for 4,24% of the pressures on Natura 2000 sites. Therefore, the main pressures affecting Natura 2000, including the Italian network, are attributable to agricultural intensification, the abandonment of traditional farming practices, the use of agrochemicals, and climate change.
Biodiversity to be improved
The authors of the study believe that the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has historically facilitated the intensification of agricultural practices and the resulting decline of traditional habitats and associated species. Although the CAP has timidly evolved over time, including agri-environmental measures that provide subsidies for low-intensity practices (for example, encouraging organic farming) to improve biodiversity, ecosystem services, and climate change adaptation, the outcomes of these practices are still insufficient or variable depending on local and landscape factors. It is important to continue monitoring and managing all pressures, but it is clear that primary attention must be paid to agricultural practices and climate change, which have a much more marked impact on biodiversity. Hunting, as is commonly practiced in Natura 2000 sites, may be well compatible with conservation objectives.
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