Area of Special Conservation Interest

An Area of Special Conservation Interest (ASCI) is a protected area in Europe or North Africa, part of the Emerald network established by the countries who have signed the Berne Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats.

The purpose of the ASCIs is to conserve and protect habitats and species defined in the convention.

The Council of Europe launched the network when it adopted Recommendation No.

[1] The network also include conservation units in non-community European states such as Andorra, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Norway, Switzerland and Ukraine, and in several African states.

[3] The African signatories to the Bern Convention include Burkina Faso, Morocco, Tunisia and Senegal.