Pla d'Espais d'Interès Natural
Pla d'Espais d'Interès Natural ( PEIN ) arelarge-scale protected areas designatedby the Generalitat , i.e. the government of Catalonia , for nature and landscape protection . They are comparable to the landscape protection areas in Germany, i.e. a protected landscape in the sense of the IUCN categories .
The instrument of the Pla d'Espais d'Interès Natural (literally translated “plan for areas of interesting nature”) was established by Decree 328/1992 of December 1992.
There are restrictions on the areas classified as PEIN
- Development of undeveloped land
- Transport and sports infrastructure
- the raw materials industry (Law 12/1981 also applies here)
- certain measures are only permitted after an environmental impact assessment .
In 2005 there were 144 designated PEIN areas with a total area of 648,065 hectares. Natura 2000 was implemented in Catalonia in September 2006 . As a result, the number of PEINs increased significantly, as the bird sanctuaries in Catalonia were implemented as PEINs.
In addition to the above-mentioned restrictions, which apply to the entire area, further restrictions may apply to sub-areas. The following categories exist ( Espais naturals de protecció especial , ENPE for short ):
| ENPE | Category of the UICN |
|---|---|
| Reserva natural integral (RNI) | Ia ( Strict Nature Reserve / Wilderness Area ) |
| Parc nacional (PNC) | II ( national park ) |
| Paratge natural d'interès nacional (PNIN) | III ( natural monument ) |
| Reserva natural parcial (RNP) | IV ( biotope / species protection area with management) |
| Parc natural (PNT) | V ( Protected Landscape / Protected Marine Area ) |
| Reserva natural de fauna salvatge (RNFS) | V (Protected Marine Area) |