Europe’s “safety net for nature” has grown further with a major extension of the EU’s Natura 2000 network of specially protected sites. Of the 769 sites covering an area of 95,522 km2 -- an area larger than all of Austria -- officially added by the European Commission in December 2008, most are in Romania and Bulgaria. Romania has added 316 sites covering an area of 17.84% of the country’s landmass, while Bulgaria has added 252 sites, covering almost 30% of the country's total area.

The new sites will help protect species of European importance, including brown bears and wolves, the bulk of whose European populations are found in the two countries. Among the habitats that will receive EU protection will be valuable wetland habitats, including those in the globally important Danube Delta in Romania and sites which include the exceptional Rila Mountain in Bulgaria; grassland areas; and sites which include Europe’s largest remaining stands of natural forest.