Interpreting the habitats of Annex I: past, present and future

Annex I of the EU Habitats directive lists habitats which the member states must protect by the designation and management of protected areas known as Special Areas of Conservation. This list of habitats has grown from 170 in 1992 to 231 in 2007 due to enlargement of the EU from 12 to 27 members. An Interpretation Manual describes the habitats but there is often variation between member states in how they interpret the habitat types, sometimes there is variation between regions in the same country. Several examples of such differences are presented and the efforts to date to ensure similar interpretations are described. Finally some possible future developments are discussed.