Special Protection Areas (SPAs) are strictly protected sites classified in accordance with Article 4 of the EC Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds (79/409/EEC).
The Directive requires the member states of the European Community to identify and classify the most suitable territories, in size and number, for certain rare or vulnerable species and for regularly occurring migratory species. SPAs are intended to safeguard the habitats of the species for which they are selected and to protect the birds from significant disturbance.