Natura assessment
Natura assessment
A Natura assessment is used to evaluate the potential impact of projects planned on Natura sites or in their vicinity.
Natura assessment
The Natura 2000 network protects valuable natural sites in Europe and contributes to the preservation of biodiversity. A Natura assessment is an environmental assessment procedure that is carried out when a project or plan may affect a protected area included in the Natura 2000 network. The aim is to ensure that projects do not significantly reduce natural values in these areas.
What does a Natura assessment involve?
01
Pre-assessment stage
First, it is determined whether the planned project or action, alone or combined with other projects or plans, could have an impact on habitat types or species in a Natura 2000 area. If significant impacts to the Natura 2000 site can be ruled out, the assessment ends here.
02
Carrying out a Natura assessment
If the possibility of significant impacts can’t be ruled out, an actual Natura assessment will be performed. The assessment describes the activities in all phases of the project and their locations, outlines the areas affected by the activities and investigates the direct and indirect environmental changes caused to the area. It also inspects potential impacts on conservation criteria and describes their significance.
03
Impact assessment
The next step is to assess, one conservation criterion at a time, if the impacts would undermine or hinder the conservation objectives of the Natura 2000 site. To this end, the magnitude of the impacts and the sensitivity of the object are assessed. The significance of the impacts is described on a scale of no significant impact – significant impact.
04
Planning potential mitigation measures
If the project could have a significant impact on the conservation criteria of a Natura 2000 site, it is investigated whether the impacts could be avoided or mitigated by, for example, changing the activities and thus the areas affected.
05
Decision-making
Based on the assessment, an authority will decide on the acceptability of the project. If the project is considered to have significant adverse effects on the conservation criteria of a Natura 2000 site that can’t be avoided or sufficiently mitigated, the authority may prohibit the implementation of the project, unless it is an exceptional project of public interest. Even then, compensatory measures are mandatory.
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Tuomas Väyrynen
Tuomas’s areas of expertise include a variety of nature surveys, assessments of ecological and environmental impacts, as well as Natura assessments.
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Suvi Saarnio
Suvin areas of expertise include fieldwork, nature surveys, and Natura assessments.
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Ari Järvinen
Ari’s areas of expertise include nature‑impact assessments and biodiversity surveys. He has extensive experience in identifying and mapping various insect orders, and he has also prepared numerous specialised studies on the occurrence of directive species.