‘Top10Vector – Land cover and Vegetation’ is the vector dataset of the land use categories of undeveloped land areas in Belgium. This dataset comprises 3 feature types, namely isolated [LC_isolatedvegetation] and linear [LC_linearvegetation] vegetation and land cover zones [LC_landcoverzone]. This dataset can be downloaded via the links in ‘Access’ at the bottom of this page.

Natura 2000 (N2K) is a network of core breeding and resting sites for rare and threatened species, as well as for some rare natural habitat types which are protected in their own right. It stretches across all 28 EU countries, 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 that are listed under the Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive. This dataset contains the sites in Belgium.

Riparian zones represent transitional areas occurring between land and freshwater ecosystems, characterised by distinctive hydrology, soil and biotic conditions and strongly influenced by the stream water. They provide a wide range of riparian functions (e.g. chemical filtration, flood control, bank stabilization, aquatic life and riparian wildlife support, etc.) and ecosystem services. The Riparian Zones products will support the objectives of several European legal acts and policy initiatives, such as the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020, the Habitats and Birds Directives and the Water Framework Directive. Two complementary product groups provide detailed information on the state and characteristics of riparian zones across Belgium: 1. Land Cover / Land Use (LCLU) 2. Green Linear Elements (GLE)

The Copernicus Urban Atlas (UA) provides European, comparable and detailed land use and land cover maps for the main Functional Urban Areas (FUAs). The Urban Atlas Street Tree Layer (UA-STL) is a separate layer of the Urban Atlas 2012. It includes contiguous rows or patches of trees covering 500 m² or more with a minimum width of 10 m within the urban mask of the Urban Atlas 2012. Gaps between tree patches or within a larger patch that are less than 10m wide are included in the Street Tree Layer. There is no thematic content other than the presence or absence of trees. The UA-STL is a new product and no accuracy threshold was provided as part of the Urban Atlas specifications. The UA STL product validated currently covers just over 7% of the total UA2012 area.

'Top10Vector – Particular Zones' is the vector dataset covering areas within Belgium that are designated for a specific purpose. This dataset contains just one feature type [ZO_particularzone]. The dataset can be downloaded via the links in 'Access' at the bottom of this page.

The Royal Decree of 20 March 2026 establishing the marine spatial plan for the period 2026 to 2034 in the Belgian marine areas defines 1 radar tower: Oostdyck radar tower (Art. 25§3). It replaces the 2020 Marine Spatial Plan. Please refer to the Belgian official gazette ("Moniteur belgeBelgisch Staatsblad") for official reference information.

The Royal Decree of 22 May 2019 establishing a marine spatial plan defines 5 commercial and industrial zones: Zone A for commercial and industrial activities (Art. 23§1), Zone B for commercial and industrial activities (Art. 23§1), Zone C for commercial and industrial activities (Art. 23§1), Zone D for commercial and industrial activities (Art. 23§1), Zone E for commercial and industrial activities (Art. 23§1). Please refer to the Belgian official gazette (\"Moniteur belge/Belgisch Staatsblad\") for official reference information.

The Royal Decree of 20 March 2026 establishing the marine spatial plan for the period 2026 to 2034 in the Belgian marine areas defines 13 nature conservation areas: Seabed integrity zone: Zone 1, upper (Art. 10§1.1°), Seabed integrity zone: Zone 2, middle (Art. 10§1.2°), Seabed integrity zone: Zone 3, lower (Art. 10§1.3°), Ramsar area (Art. 11), Special Area of Conservation "Vlaamse Banken" (Art. 8§1), Special Area of Conservation "Vlakte van de Raan" (Art. 8§3), Special Protection Area for Birds: SPA 1 (Art. 8§5.1°), Special Protection Area for Birds: SPA 2 (Art. 8§5.2°), Special Protection Area for Birds: SPA 3 (Art. 8§5.3°), Marine reserve: Zone 1, upper (Art. 9§1.1°), Marine reserve: Zone 2a, middle (Art. 9§1.2°), Marine reserve: Zone 2b, middle (Art. 9§2), Marine reserve: Zone 3, lower (Art. 9§3). It replaces the 2020 Marine Spatial Plan. Please refer to the Belgian official gazette ("Moniteur belgeBelgisch Staatsblad") for official reference information.

The Royal Decree of 22 May 2019 establishing a marine spatial plan defines 1 coastal protection experiments zone: Zone for coastal protection experiments (Art. 16§2). It replaces the 2014 Marine Spatial Plan, which is included for completeness. The Royal Decree of 20 March 2014 establishing a marine spatial plan defines in its Art. 12. §1 one zone for coastal protection experiments. This zone is made available digitally in the resource described by this metadata document. Please refer to the Belgian official gazette (\"Moniteur belge/Belgisch Staatsblad\") for official reference information.

The product is made of 6 "high resolution layers" covering all the Belgian territory as part of a European-wide coverage. The 6 layers concern 6 distinct themes: Imperviousness, Tree cover density, Forest type, Permanent grasslands, Wetlands and Permanent waterbodies. The 6 layers were produced by an automatic classification based on satellite images and collateral data and achieved by private companies (EEA service providers), and they were verified and enhanced by Belgium. At the Belgian level, verification and enhancements were made by AGIV for the northern part and SPW for the southern part. The NGI coordinated the project.