bb868019-c125-44d4-a42e-da2b29439d89 European Environment Agency sdi@eea.europa.eu pointOfContact 2026-09-28T09:18:33.607385Z ISO 19115/19139 1.0 EPSG:3035 Protected Areas 2021 (vector), Europe, 3-yearly, Sep. 2026 2026-02-17 creation 2026-09-24 publication 1.0 copernicus_v_3035_10_k_pa-2021_p_2021_v01_r00 10.2909/bb868019-c125-44d4-a42e-da2b29439d89 doi.org Protected Areas 2021 provides reliable, high-resolution land use and land cover data for 25,011 terrestrial Natura 2000 and Emerald sites for the 2021 reference year in EEA32 countries (EU, EFTA) and the United Kingdom, covering a total of 821,000 km2 of land surface across Europe. European Environment Agency sdi@eea.europa.eu pointOfContact https://sdi.eea.europa.eu/catalogue/api/records/bb868019-c125-44d4-a42e-da2b29439d89/attachments/PA2021_Thum.png Land use Land cover GEMET - INSPIRE themes, version 1.0 2008-06-01 publication geonetwork.thesaurus.external.theme.httpinspireeceuropaeutheme-theme landscape landscape alteration land use land cover GEMET 2021-11-30 publication geonetwork.thesaurus.external.theme.gemet European Spatial scope 2019-05-22 publication geonetwork.thesaurus.external.theme.httpinspireeceuropaeumetadatacodelistSpatialScope-SpatialScope 2013 2.6.1 Land use EEA topics 2026-09-04 publication 2020-09-24 publication geonetwork.thesaurus.external.theme.eea-topics no limitations to public access Access to data is based on a principle of full, open and free access as established by the Copernicus data and information policy Regulation (EU) No 1159/2013 of 12 July 2013. This regulation establishes registration and licensing conditions for GMES/Copernicus users. Free, full and open access to this data set is made on the conditions that: 1. When distributing or communicating Copernicus dedicated data and Copernicus service information to the public, users shall inform the public of the source of that data and information. 2. Users shall make sure not to convey the impression to the public that the user's activities are officially endorsed by the Union. 3. Where that data or information has been adapted or modified, the user shall clearly state this. 4. The data remain the sole property of the European Union. Any information and data produced in the framework of the action shall be the sole property of the European Union. Any communication and publication by the beneficiary shall acknowledge that the data were produced “with funding by the European Union”. vector 10 utf8 -32.37572292 49.48597921 27.02018516 71.18571606 2021-01-01 2021-12-31 flatgeobuf https://land.copernicus.eu/en/products/n2k/protected-areas-2021 WWW:LINK Product Information & Technical Documentation https://land.copernicus.eu/en/products/n2k/protected-areas-2021#download WWW:DOWNLOAD: CLMS Website Download (requires authentication) https://doi.org/10.2909/bb868019-c125-44d4-a42e-da2b29439d89 DOI Digital Object Identifier (DOI) Minimum Mapping Unit ha 0,5 Minimum Mapping Width m 10 Commission Regulation (EU) No 1089/2010 of 23 November 2010 implementing Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards interoperability of spatial data sets and services 2010-12-08 publication See the referenced specification Generation of a Land Cover/Land Use (LC/LU) dataset by applying a semiautomatic workflow based on the use of temporal series of SuperResolved Sentinel-2 imagery, CLMS curated data (mainly N2K18, CZ18, RZ18, CLC+ and HRLs) Deep Learning models, Active Learning, advanced post-processing techniques and manual enhancement through Very High Resolution (VHR) satellite data from 2021 ±1 year. The classification provides 59 distinct thematic classes. The class definitions follow a pre-defined nomenclature based on the Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES) typology of ecosystems (at level 1) and are further harmonised with Corine Land Cover and adapted to the specific characteristics of the different habitats included in N2000 network (levels 2 to 4). The Minimum Mapping Unit (MMU) is 0.5 ha and the Minimum Mapping Width (MMW) is 10 m. Protected Areas 2021 is an evolution of the previous N2K dataset that only addressed 4790 grassland-rich Natura 2000 sites including a 2 km buffer zone with a six-year update cycle from 2006 onwards. Additional information: Typology: 1110 Urban Fabric (predominantly public and private units) 1120 Industrial, commercial and military units 1210 Road networks and associated land 1220 Railways and associated land 1230 Port areas and associated land 1240 Airports and associated land 1310 Mineral extraction sites, dump and construction sites 1320 Land without current use 1400 Green urban, sports and leisure facilities 2110 Arable irrigated and non-irrigated land 2120 Greenhouses 2210 Vineyards, fruit trees and berry plantations 2220 Olive groves 2310 Annual crops associated with permanent crops 2320 Complex cultivation patterns 2330 Land principally occupied by agriculture with significant areas of natural vegetation 2340 Agro-forestry 3110 Natural & semi-natural broadleaved forest 3120 Highly artificial broadleaved plantations 3210 Natural & semi-natural coniferous forest 3220 Highly artificial coniferous plantations 3310 Natural & semi-natural mixed forest 3320 Highly artificial mixed plantations 3400 Transitional woodland and scrub 3500 Lines of trees and scrub 3600 Damaged forest 4100 Managed grassland 4211 Semi-natural grassland with woody plants (C.C.D. ≥30%) 4212 Semi-natural grassland without woody plants (C.C.D. < 30%) 4220 Alpine and sub-alpine natural grassland 5100 Heathland and moorland 5200 Alpine scrub land 5300 Sclerophyllous scrubs 6100 Sparsely vegetated areas 6210 Beaches and dunes 6220 River banks 6311 Bare rocks, outcrops, cliffs 6312 Scree 6320 Burnt areas (except burnt forest) 6331 Glaciers 6332 Perpetual snow 7110 Inland marshes 7121 Exploited peat bogs 7122 Unexploited peat bogs 7210 Salt marshes 7220 Salines 7230 Intertidal flats 8110 Natural & Semi-natural water courses 8120 Highly modified water courses and canals 8130 Seasonally connected water courses (oxbows) 8210 Natural lakes 8220 Reservoirs 8230 Aquaculture ponds 8240 Standing water bodies of extractive industrial sites 8310 Lagoons 8320 Estuaries 8330 Marine inlets and fjords 8410 Open sea 8420 Coastal waters