Set up under the Bern Convention but also open to ‘observer countries’ to this Convention, the Emerald Network – envisaged as early as 1989 – was given practical form in 1996 by the Standing Committee to the Bern Convention with a view to supplementing the Natura 2000 Network, on a similar basis, in non-Community countries, based on the highest possible methodological synergy. As well as helping to identify and conserve core areas of the Pan-European Ecological Network, the Emerald Network, which is in the process of being developed, also facilitates the establishment of national networks of protected areas. As the European Union is also a Contracting Party to the Bern Convention, Natura 2000 is considered to be the EU contribution to the Emerald Network.

For Bern Convention Contracting Parties which are European Union Member States, the Emerald Network sites consist of the Natura 2000 sites. Before joining the European Union, twelve countries have implemented Emerald pilot projects as preparatory work to setting up the Natura 2000 network. The other countries engaged in the constitution of the Emerald Network are : in Western Europe, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland; in Central and Eastern Europe, Moldova, the Federation of Russia and Ukraine; in South-Eastern and East Europe, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, Serbia, Turkey, and in the South Caucasus, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.

An Emerald Network development programme was implemented in 2005/2006, in South-Eastern Europe, as a continuation of the initial pilot projects implemented by the Council of Europe. This CARDS/Emerald programme concerns the following countries: Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, “the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” and Serbia. Its overall objective was to identify 80 % of the sites in these countries. The programme benefited from a financial contribution of the European Environmental Agency and represented an important tool contributing to preparing the countries concerned for the future work on Natura 2000 and for advance compliance with the Habitats and Birds Directives. In 2011, Phase II of the Emerald Network constitution process was initiated for the 6 countries, consisting of the assessment of the sufficiency of the proposed Emerald sites for the long term survival of threatened species, on a species by species and habitat by habitat basis.

A Joint Programme with the European Union has been launched in 2009, for a period of three years, in order to substantially develop the Emerald Network in the seven following countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and the European part of the Russian Federation. The objective of this Joint Programme is to identify at the end of 2011 all potential sites of the Emerald Network in the three countries of South-Caucasus and in Moldova. The objective set for Belarus and the Federation of Russian amounts 50 % of the potential sites and in Ukraine, 80 % of the potential sites.

The development of the Emerald Network in Africa has started with the implementation of pilot projects in Burkina Faso, Senegal and Morocco (ongoing). The Emerald Network could also be launched in Tunisia, at the request of the national authorities.

Recommendation on the status of candidate Emerald sites and guidelines on the criteria for their nomination

Information Form for Species or Habitats

Revised Annex I of Resolution 4 (1996) of the Bern Convention on endangered natural habitat types using EUNIS habitat classification

Revised Annex I of Resolution 6 (1998) of the Bern Convention on species requiring specific habitat conservation measures 

Correspondence table between the old and new version of Annex I of Resolution 4 (1996) of the Bern Convention on endangered natural habitat types

Emerald Network software look-up tables (version 2011)

Pilot projects

Other documents