Protected natural areas

1. Administrative demarcation established for nature conservation. Each administration (European, national, regional) establishes different protection categories, with specific connotations regarding uses and exploitation. These categories include National Parks, Natural Parks, Nature Reserves, Marine Protected Areas, Natural Monuments, Protected Landscapes, Sites of Community Importance, and Special Protection Areas for Birds, among many others. 2. Areas of the national territory, including inland waters and the marine environment, along with the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf, that meet at least one of the following requirements and are declared as such: – Containing representative, unique, fragile, threatened, or ecologically, scientifically, scenically, geologically, or educationally significant natural systems or elements. – Being specifically dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity, geodiversity, and associated natural and cultural resources.