Riparian zones across the European Union face continued threats from agriculture and urbanization, although pressures are lower within protected Natura 2000 sites

Pontikis, Michaelangelo

BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION

2026

318

Mammides, C

Riparian zones lie at the interface between terrestrial and freshwater systems, forming unique habitats that support high biodiversity and key ecosystem services. Despite their importance, riparian ecosystems are among the most degraded, facing intense human pressures, particularly from land-cover change. To support conservation efforts, we quantified agricultural expansion and urbanization in riparian zones across the European Union (EU) and evaluated the effectiveness of the Natura 2000 (N2K) network in mitigating these pressures. To strengthen inference, we used matching, an impact evaluation technique controlling for confounding factors, helping isolate the effect of protection status. We found that 76.51% of the EU's riparian zones lie outside N2K sites. Combined, agriculture and urban areas account for 42.66% of the riparian zones outside the network and 16.85% inside, with agriculture being the dominant pressure. While riparian zones within N2K sites are 5.01 times less likely to be affected by urbanization than those outside, agriculture is more widespread, being only 2.61 times less likely inside the network. Moreover, agriculture has in recent years increased more within N2K sites than outside. Although these findings highlight the role of N2K sites in protecting riparian zones, they also reveal limitations calling for improved management. As the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 seeks to expand protected land to 30% of EU territory, riparian zones of high conservation importance should be prioritized. Because many will remain outside the network, where pressures are greater, Member States should leverage complementary policies, such as the Nature Restoration Law, to safeguard important riparian ecosystems.