File:Ionian Islands, Greece.jpg

English: Natura 2000 is a network of core breeding and resting sites for rare and threatened species, and some rare protected natural habitat types. It stretches across all 27 EU Member States, both on land and at sea. The aim of the network is to ensure the long-term survival of Europe's most valuable and threatened species and habitats. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation (SPC) and Special Protection Areas (SPA) designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, the two EU directives that are related to wildlife and nature conservation. The approach to conservation and sustainable use of the Natura 2000 areas does not exclude human activities from the protected sites because it is centred on people working with nature rather than against it. This image captured by one of the two Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites on 20 September 2020 shows the island of Lefkada, that is one of the seven major Ionian Islands and a group of smaller ionian islands. In this area, two different Natura2000 sites have been designated. One consists of the central and mountainous part of Lefkada and its importance is the consequence on the presence of some important floristic and biogeographical elements. The second site, known as Esoteriko Archipelagos Ioniou (Meganisi, Arkoudi, Atokos, Vromonas), protects the local marine environment including the coasts of smaller islands and islets that are almost all visible in the image. The geomorphology of these islands’ coasts creates various habitats for the marine and land flora and fauna. The pristine waters of the archipelago provide a shelter to important marine predator species on the top of the food chain, as a result the biological richness of the area. The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission, composed by two twin satellites (Sentinel-2A and Sentinel-2B), provides multispectral data in 13 different spectral bands with a maximum spatial resolution of 10 metres. The conservation and protection of biodiversity is a fundamental activity in protected areas, such as the Samaria National Park, in Greece. The use of data from the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites, combined with geodiversity variables, are proving to be fundamental in monitoring the protected areas to ensure the conservation of their biodiversity.