The «Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats» was adopted in Bern on the 19th of September 1979 and came into force on the 1st of June 1982. The principal aim of the Convention is to ensure, through cooperation between the states, the conservation of the European wild animal and plant species and their natural habitats. The Treaty emphasizes the protection of species that are threatened with extinction, including migratory species, and prohibits all forms of capture, keeping, destruction and commercial exploitation of the species listed in the Appendices.

The objectives of the Convention are :

- the protection of the wild fauna and flora and their natural habitats ;

- the promotion of cooperation between the states, through the coordination of actions of the Contracting Parties by adopting common standards and policies for the sustainable use of our biodiversity ;

- the strict protection of animal and plant species listed in Appendix I (particular conservation measures for plant species whose deliberate picking, collection, cutting or uprooting are prohibited) and in Appendix II (particular conservation measures for animal species for which the following activities are prohibited : all forms of deliberate capture and keeping, and deliberate killing; the deliberate damage to or destruction of breeding or resting sites; the deliberate disturbance of wild fauna, particularly during the period of breeding, rearing and hibernation, insofar as disturbance would be significant in relation to the objectives of this Convention; the deliberate destruction or taking of eggs from the wild or keeping these eggs even if empty; the possession of and internal trade in these animals, alive or dead, including stuffed animals and any readily recognisable part or derivative thereof).

Examples of specially protected species, listed in Appendix I: (up, to the left) Cremnophyton lanfrancoi, characteristic species of the flora of Malta within its natural habitat; detail of it (to the right); (below) Woodwardia radicans (left) and Tetraclinis articulata (right). (©2005 Pietro Pavone)

- the protection of the animal species listed in Appendix III, which have to be subjected to special regulations (temporary or local prohibition of their exploitation, regulation as appropriate for sale, keeping for sale, transport for sale…) in order to keep their populations out of danger;

- the prohibited means and methods of killing, capture and other forms of exploitation are specified in Appendix IV.

The Convention foresees, nevertheless, exemptions for the following purposes:

- for the protection of flora and fauna;

- to prevent serious damage to crops, livestock, forests, fisheries, water and other forms of property;

- in the interests of public health and safety, air safety or other overriding public interests;

- for the purposes of research and education, of repopulation, of reintroduction and for the necessary breeding;

- to permit, under strictly supervised conditions, on a selective basis and to a limited extent, the taking, keeping or other judicious exploitation of certain wild animals and plants in small numbers.

The Contracting Parties of the Convention commit themselves to taking measures for the conservation of wild flora and fauna and to take them into account in their planning and development policies and in their measures against pollution. The Parties furthermore promote education and dissemination of general information on the need to conserve the natural heritage.

A Standing Committee, made up of delegates of the involved Parties, is responsible for following up the provisions of the Convention so that they adapt to the development of wildlife needs. The application and the amendments of the Convention are elaborated through the adoption of Recommendations and Resolutions by the Committee, which meets once per year and coordinates the special activities of the groups of experts and the organisation of numerous seminars.