Erfüllung der Ziele im Flächennaturschutz bis zum Jahr 2030

International agreements require a substantial expansion of the protected area network by 2030 to halt biodiversity loss and to safeguard the functioning and services of ecosystems for mankind. Considering current biodiversity strategies and international guidelines, we discuss specific constraints and options in Central European landscape matrices. As time is short, concepts and criteria for the extension of protected areas are urgently needed. The increasing free availability of geo-information, data on species distributions, biogeographic modelling approaches, and remote sensing enable more efficient designs of sus-tainable networks that are more likely to cope with the ongoing and expected environmental changes compared to the current situation. Criteria for decision making processes are suggested. The integration of new subjects of protection, such as the water, nutrient, and carbon cycles, promise higher acceptance in the population when new protected areas are designated.