Hi TheJohn,
Although this forum ought to be Dutch, let me try to answer your question anyway.
Natura 2000 and drones is a disaster. The problem is that the various Natura 2000 areas are governed on a provincial level, not on national level. This is the core of the problem: drone rules used to be made on the national level, but Natura 2000 rules were made in a decentralized way. The result is that each area has its own rules regarding drone usage and in most cases it's not very clear who is responsible.
The official route would to check the 'Natura 2000 beheerplan' for the area you want to fly your drone, and contact the relevant governing body (in most cases that would be the province). But what will happen then is unclear.
Either you will:
- not get a response at all
- get a response of someone who does not know how to deal with your request
- have to pay a hefty fee for a permit (mostly to be requested weeks in advance, and probably valid for specific dates only, which is pretty useless in most cases)
- have to submit a very costly 'milieu effect rapportage' (environmental impact assessment) regarding the proposed drone operation AND apply for a permit
So basically, if you want to live by the rules, you will probably not able to fly your drone above a Natura 2000 area. In reality you do have some options: you could for example launch your drone outside the area and then fly over it. Technically you would not be flying 'in' the Natura 2000 area. Still a ranger might send you away or even fine you for disturbing wildlife, but that is very hard to prove.
I struggle with this issue too. I am a fully licensed drone pilot, but Natura 2000 gives me headaches. I try to keep nature in mind when flying and will not fly near Natura 2000 zones in the breeding season, but other than that in most cases I just do want I need to do, launching and landing the drone from outside the area, get my photos or videos and then fly back (keeping the drone in VLOS).
Hopefully things will get better (or at least more clear) with the introduction of drone zones, as part of the European drone regulations. I can imagine that operators in the Specific category might get some kind of blanket approval to fly in Natura 2000 areas as long as it is outside the breeding season and measures are taken to minimise disturbance, but the anti-drone lobby is quite strong in the nature conservation community so I doubt that we will get such a solution.