The degradation and loss of biodiversity has significant environmental, economic and social consequences within the EU and at the global level. There are strong ethical and moral arguments in favour of protecting biodiversity in its own right, independently of its instrumental value to humans. In addition, ecosystems provide a number of services that contribute directly and indirectly to human well-being giving us food, fresh water and clean air, shelter and medicine, mitigating natural disasters, pests and diseases and regulating the climate. Biodiversity loss has economic costs that are only now starting to be fully appreciated. It is costly for society as a whole, and particularly for economic actors in sectors that depend directly on ecosystem services. Biodiversity loss also has impacts on biodiversity, since one in six jobs in Europe is directly or indirectly linked to the environment and biodiversity. It also limits the delivery strategy several ecosystem services essential to maintain a healthy population, from the provisioning of food and potable water to clean air and medicine. What is the current state of biodiversity in the EU? Which species are the most endangered? The EU biodiversity baseline pulls together a wealth of information about the current status of biodiversity:. Many ecosystems experienced considerable decline sinceespecially agro-ecosystems, grasslands and wetlands. Large expanses were lost due to land conversion and abandonment. Although the strategy is based on rigorous science, there are still knowledge gaps. These pressures are all either constant or increasing in intensity. The situation is similar at global level. Other underlying causes include the invisibility of biodiversity's economic value, its lack of appreciation as a public good, and insufficient public awareness about the causes and consequences of biodiversity loss and a lack of knowledge about actions that can be taken to prevent these losses. The new strategy is built around a limited number of measurable, ambitious, yet realistic sub-targets that focus on tackling the main drivers of biodiversity loss and pressures exerted on biodiversity. It centres on six mutually supportive and inter-dependent targets which will halt biodiversity loss and the degradation of ecosystem services, restore them in so far as feasible, strategy step up the EU contribution to averting global biodiversity loss. Each target addresses a different aspect of the biodiversity challenge, from reducing major pressures on biodiversity in the EU and closing biodiversity policy gaps, to enhancing the status of Europe's biodiversity and the services provided by it. The targets are accompanied by corresponding sets biodiversity actions needed to reach them. Effective implementation should begin with the full implementation of the EU's existing legislation. In that context, the adequate management of the Natura network and its sufficient financing will be of key importance. The upcoming reforms in the Common Agricultural Policy, the Common Fisheries Policy and the Cohesion policy and the shaping of the Future Financial Perspectives are important opportunities to ensure that they also deliver the necessary support and funding for the strategy. The strategy is also an integral biodiversity of the Europe Strategy. It will contribute to the EU's resource efficiency objectives by ensuring that Europe's natural capital is managed sustainably, as well as to climate change mitigation and adaptation goals by improving the resilience of ecosystems and their services. ByEuropean Union biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides — its natural capital — are protected, valued and appropriately restored for biodiversity's intrinsic value and for their essential contribution to 2020 wellbeing and economic prosperity, and so that catastrophic changes caused by the biodiversity of biodiversity are avoided. Halting the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services in the EU byand restoring them in so far as feasible, while stepping up the EU contribution to averting global biodiversity loss. Target 1 — To fully implement the Birds and Habitats Directives:. To halt the deterioration in the status of all species and habitats covered by EU nature legislation and achieve a significant and measurable improvement in their status so that, bycompared to current assessments: Target 2 — To maintain and enhance ecosystems and their services:. Target 3 — To increase the contribution of agriculture and forestry to maintaining and enhancing biodiversity:. Target 4 — To ensure the sustainable use of fisheries resources:. Achieve Maximum Sustainable Yield MSY by Achieve a population age and size distribution indicative of a healthy stock, through fisheries management with no significant adverse impacts on other stocks, species and ecosystems, in support of achieving Good Environmental Status byas required under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Target 5 — To control invasive alien species IAS:. ByInvasive Alien Species and their pathways are identified and prioritised, priority species controlled or eradicated, and pathways are managed to prevent the introduction and establishment of new IAS. Target 6 — To help avert global biodiversity loss:. Bythe EU has stepped up its contribution to averting global biodiversity loss. F ull quantification of the cumulative impacts of the proposed measures is not possible at this stage. The review of the costs of the measures proposed in the Strategy indicates that funding needs will differ according to the targets and measures proposed. In some cases, more funds will be required to implement measures needed to achieve a given target, in particular for example for the restoration of ecosystems and the global target. In others, the focus will be more on redistributing existing resources and ensuring they are taken up to their full extent agriculture and forestry, fisheries targets. The European Commission is in the process of further assessing the funding needs for implementing the new biodiversity strategy. Measures related to the six key targets of the strategy will help maintain 2020 enhance ecosystem services, providing wide-ranging socio-economic benefits to society strategy the strategy sector. Maintained and enhanced increased ecosystem services will provide clean air and water, carbon storage and natural disaster control, reduced soil erosion as well as reduced vulnerability to climate change, with associated socio-economic benefits. For example, the restoration of the Skjern river in Denmark, from a channelled river to a meandering course, leading to the creation of a new lake and delta, is estimated to have had a positive benefit of DDK 67 million to million in net present value. Biodiversity protection has strong innovation benefits. Genetic diversity, for example, is a main strategy of innovation for the medical and cosmetics industries, while the innovation potential of ecosystem restoration and green infrastructure is largely untapped. EU companies will benefit in particular biodiversity protected or 2020 genetic diversity for new cosmetics and medication. So is a significant proportion of the natural cosmetics market value, estimated at USD 7 billion in Nature-based innovation, and action to restore ecosystems and conserve biodiversity, can create new skills, jobs and business opportunities. Maintaining and enhancing ecosystems can also lead to local economic regeneration. In the UK, for instance, the creation of the National Forest increased the number of local jobs by 4. Are there real-world examples that demonstrate the cost of biodiversity loss? The following examples are taken from the TEEB reports, which were partly funded by the European Commission full details available at http: For the total economic value of insect pollination was estimated at Euros billion. Although just covering 1. Some 30 million people in coastal and island communities are totally reliant on reef-based resources as their primary means of food production, income and livelihood. Local authorities in Canberra, Australia, have plantedtrees to regulate microclimate, reduce pollution and thereby improve urban air quality, reduce energy costs for air conditioning biodiversity well as store and sequester carbon. Perrot-Maitre and Davis The previous biodiversity strategy — the Biodiversity Action Plan — failed to halt biodiversity loss, and a fresh approach was therefore required. Accordingly, in Marchthe Heads of State of the European Union European Council adopted an ambitious vision for and a headline target for biodiversity to replace the expiring target, adopted in The EU also signed up to a set of new global biodiversity targets under the auspices of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity CBDat its meeting in October Strategy the EU needs a new strategy that will allow these commitments to be met, building on lessons learned from past efforts to address the problem. Inthe EU set itself the ambitious target of halting biodiversity loss byand in it adopted the Biodiversity Action Plan to speed progress towards that target. As the designation process approaches completion, the emphasis is now on the proper management of the sites, building on cooperation with land managers. These efforts have brought substantial benefits for certain species and habitats, as well as social and economic benefits, as has the implementation of other pieces of environmental legislation. Nevertheless, biodiversity continues to be lost at worrying rates. More needs to be done to address this challenge effectively. Why did the EU fail to reach biodiversity previous biodiversity target? An additional problem is the nature of biodiversity policy itself. Biodiversity is complex and cross-cutting, and the problem biodiversity be tackled by focusing on a single sector. What are the main differences between the new strategy and the Biodiversity Action 2020 BAP? The approach taken in the BAP was very comprehensive and detailed. It included over different actions with no clear prioritisation framework. This made it difficult to implement and monitor, and led to lengthy and burdensome reporting requirements. The new strategy is better prioritised and sets out a limited number of ambitious yet achievable targets and accompanying measures which, when implemented, will deliver significant, scaled-up benefits for biodiversity. These will address the main obstacles that prevented the achievement of the target, including slow implementation of the Birds and Habitats Directives, insufficient integration into sectoral policies, insufficient funding, and specific policy gaps, in particular on invasive alien species and ecosystem services outside protected areas. For the first time, EU biodiversity policy will benefit from a coherent knowledge framework, including a baseline showing the state and trends of Europe's biodiversity see http: This baseline will serve as a benchmark for measuring progress and will help keep the EU on track towards reaching its biodiversity objectives. Thanks to the international study on The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity TEEBfunded by the European Commission and other governments, there is also a better understanding of the economic value of biodiversity and ecosystem services and the need to conserve and restore them. The EU already has nature protection legislation in place, so what more needs to be done in terms of protected areas? But the slow implementation of the Habitats and Birds directives has been identified as a shortcoming in EU 2020 policy. Additional measures are needed to ensure the directives reach their ultimate objective, i. Other challenges that also need to be met include safeguarding the funding required to look after the network and ensure that it works well in practice, guaranteeing that the network works equally well in all Member States, and addressing the issue of fragmentation. How will the strategy ensure full implementation of Birds and Habitats Directives? The strategy sets a deadline of for completing the establishment phase of the Natura network. Although the Habitats Directive is not time-bound, completion of the network is essential to ensure adequate protection of species and habitats of EU conservation concern and therefore to meeting the EU headline target. Measures under other targets will also contribute to the Natura network: Does the strategy include plans to further expand the Natura 2020 of protected areas? Targeted conservation actions have been shown to be effective. The Birds Directive, for example, has brought significant improvements by protecting many of Europe's most threatened birds from further decline, and the Habitats Directive health check has confirmed that conservation action has led some emblematic species such as the wolf, Eurasian lynx, beaver and otter to re-colonize parts of their traditional range. However, further progress is needed regarding the designation of marine areas and the proper management of Natura sites, for which development of management plans have proved to be an effective tool. Why does the strategy emphasise the need to work beyond protected areas? Ecosystems outside protected areas provide essential services that need to be protected and restored. Halting biodiversity loss also requires key pressures on biodiversity to be addressed in parallel, and the EU contribution to averting global biodiversity loss also needs to be considered. The EU headline target for biodiversity calls for restoring biodiversity and ecosystem services in so far as feasible. Ecosystem r estoration is likely to be cost-beneficial, in particular given the climate change mitigation and adaptation benefits of many ecosystems. The strategy proposes that a strategic framework be developed by Member States, assisted by the Commission, to set priorities for ecosystem restoration at EU, national and sub-national strategy by This framework will be underpinned by knowledge generated by efforts to map and assess the state of ecosystems and their services in the EU, which is the aim of another action under Target 2. The EU is one of the most highly fragmented regions in the world. Fragmentation affects the connectivity and health 2020 ecosystems and their ability to provide services. Green Infrastructure can be used to help overcome these challenges by re-establishing connections between natural areas that have been fragmented by infrastructure development, agriculture or urban sprawl, for example, creating ecological corridors to link up protected areas and using nature-based approaches that deliver multiple benefits like addressing climate change and restoring marshlands to protect against flooding. Green Infrastructure increases the resilience of ecosystems and helps ensure the sustainable provision of ecosystem goods and services, while maintaining habitats for species. Why do we need a specific target for agriculture and forests? The CAP Health Check identified biodiversity loss as a new challenge for EU agriculture policy, and in a recent Communication the Commission underscored the need to green the CAP in the context of the current reform. Additionally, one of the main reasons for failing to meet the biodiversity target was the inadequate integration of biodiversity concerns into other sectoral policies. By addressing agriculture, forestry, and fisheries within a prioritised framework, the strategy articulates a cooperative approach as these policies undergo reforms. The actions included under Target 3 are aimed at increasing the positive contribution of agriculture and forestry to maintaining and enhancing biodiversity. Forest-related actions will incentivise forest holders to adopt management plans which integrate pro-biodiversity measures, and foster innovative mechanisms to finance the maintenance and restoration of ecosystem services provided by multifunctional forests. E ngaging and incentivizing farmers and forest holders for the delivery of the biodiversity objectives will allow them to pool forces with non-governmental organisations and will highlight the public contribution of semi-subsistence farmers, small family farmers and organic farmers, which are often a crucial basis for the social fabric of many regions. This will make extensive and low input rural areas more dynamic and more attractive to young farmers, slowing depopulation in rural 2020 and land abandonment. The average size of fish has also been steadily declining over the last 20 years. Global fisheries are also overexploited, and the cumulative economic loss to the global economy over the last three decades is estimated to be in the order of USD 2 trillion. Unsustainable fishing practices also have negative impacts on other non-targeted marine species, habitats and ecosystems. The actions included under Target 4 are aimed at improving the management of fished stocks so as to ensure Maximum Sustainable Yield in all areas where EU fishing fleets operate, and eliminating adverse impacts of fishing activities on the broader marine environment, including by taking action to progressively eliminate discard practices and by-catch of unwanted species and providing financial incentives for fishermen to engage in activities that support implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, which requires the achievement of good environmental status GES of marine waters by Ensuring strategy sustainable use of fish resources is a clear prerequisite for the viability of the fisheries sector, and will prevent the collapse of stocks. Improving sustainability would also allow the development of larger fish stocks, leading to the possibility of more fishing at lower cost and with a higher unit value. What are invasive alien species IAS and why are they a problem? Alien species are plants, animals, fungi and micro-organisms that have become established in an area outside their natural range. Not all alien species are harmful, but some spread rapidly and compete against native species, or spread diseases and thus become invasive alien species IAS. They are a major cause of biodiversity loss in the EU and throughout the world, causing significant damage to the environment, human health and the economy. Examples include the American bullfrog, which out-competes native frog species, musk rats that damage infrastructure, and allergy-causing ragweed. The EU already has legislation to address certain challenges posed by IAS, such as the use of alien and locally absent species in aquaculture. However, there is currently no comprehensive approach to IAS at EU level. What more is the Commission proposing to do to address the challenge posed by IAS? As part of the biodiversity strategy, the EU aims to strengthen the EU Plant and Animal Health regimes and is proposing to develop a dedicated legislative instrument to fill remaining policy gaps, such as prevention e. Why should the EU do more to tackle global biodiversity loss and how does the strategy propose to achieve this? The EU derives benefits from global biodiversity, as some of its services, such as climate mitigation and the provision of genetic resources for new cosmetics and medication, are global in nature. It also bears a degree of responsibility for global biodiversity loss. All Parties to the CBD, including the EU, are required to deliver on the objectives of the Convention and developed country Parties are obliged to support developing country Parties in fulfilling their commitments under the Convention. The strategy includes actions aimed at reducing indirect drivers of biodiversity loss e. Will the six targets be sufficient to meet the targets? The six targets set out in the strategy are essential, but will not be sufficient on their own to enable the EU to reach either its headline target, or the 20 global targets agreed in Nagoya. The full implementation of existing EU environmental legislation in biodiversity such as waste, chemicals, air, and water is also required. Meeting the EU and global targets requires a mix of EU, national and sub-national action. As Parties to the CBD in their own right, Biodiversity States are strategy to update or revise their national biodiversity strategies, as appropriate, in line with the targets adopted in Nagoya. Why does the strategy not include targets for climate change or pollution? The EU already has extensive policy and legislation in place to tackle climate change and the main sources of pollution. As such, they do not presently constitute major policy gaps. However, the review of the strategy planned for will take stock of progress in implementing not only the strategy itself but will also assess the contribution of other policies and measures that contribute towards biodiversity goals. The strategy may be adjusted, as necessary, to ensure that any identified gaps are filled. The Commission has drawn on extensive scientific data and information to support the development of biodiversity policy. Key reports include those carried out to assess progress in implementing the BAP, the Biodiversity Environment Agency's report on "Assessing biodiversity in Europe — the report", the United Nations Environment Progamme's Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity TEEB and the 3 rd edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook. Several sudies and reports were also commissioned specifically for this purpose, and the results of European research projects carried out under the EU research framework programmes were also drawn on. The full list of studies, reports and projects are biodiversity in the annex of the Impact Assessment accompanying the Communication. 2020 does the strategy not include specific target for cohesion policy? Although there is no dedicated target related to cohesion policy, the Strategy includes many actions to further integrate biodiversity protection concerns in that policy. Avoiding biodiversity damage from infrastructure development is a priority. Another priority is to maximise potential contribution of cohesion policy to biodiversity — e. Through multi-beneficial biodiversity related projects and the implementation of a 'no net loss' approach, cohesion policy can make a key contribution to enhancing connectivity and restoring ecosystems with important economic and social benefits. What is the relation between the EU biodiversity strategy and other EU strategies? The EU biodiversity strategy and its proper implementation is key to building a sustainable Europe, and by translating the resource efficiency flagship into action it contributes to the sustainable growth objective of the Europe Strategy. The strategy proposes actions strategy the EU has most value-added and leverage. However, it is clear that without parallel action at Member State level, it will not be sufficient to deliver the target of halting biodiversity loss. Success in delivering the headline target will depend on a mixture of EU and national, regional or local measures, in line with the principle of subsidiarity. Actions may need to vary across Member States and from regions. The lack of a clear baseline against which to measure progress was a key shortcoming of EU biodiversity policy to date. The strategy is underpinned by a baseline which captures the state of biodiversity in the EU in Together with a set of existing indicators, which will be updated to reflect the new targets, the baseline will serve as an important reference for measuring and monitoring progress. Achieving the targets will require that they are adequately reflected in the relevant EU policies, including agriculture and rural development, fisheries, regional policy, and climate change. Since implementation will also be carried out at national and sub-national level, it will be important to ensure coordination between the various levels. For this purpose, the Commission will work with Member States to develop a common implementation framework involving all actors, sectors and institutions concerned and clearly setting out the roles and responsibilities of each in delivering the strategy. EU institutions, Member States, civil society and the public at large have all been consulted at various stages of development of the strategy and, more generally, on the EU's post biodiversity policy, including the vision and headline target. As part of the consultation process, the Commission organised meetings with stakeholders and ran a public Internet consultation, which collected responses. The European Council, European Parliament, Economic and Social Committee and Committee of the Regions all made their positions on the EU biodiversity policy known during the course of For industry and consumers, biodiversity loss represents economic opportunities foregone, such as collapsing fish stocks or agricultural yields. This will lead to more sustainable choices by consumers and producers. Industry and consumers need to find ways to use nature's assets sustainably, which also includes resource 2020. In summary, businesses need to better integrate biodiversity and ecosystem services into their management and risk assessment strategies, for example through: Research and innovation in the medical and cosmetic industry e. Biodiversity related measures in agriculture e. Strategy forest management e. Achieving Maximum Sustainable Yield in fisheries i. Tackling water and atmospheric pollution e. Industry needs to play its role as partner with other stakeholders to find ways to improve performance on biodiversity e. EU Business and Biodiversity B B Platform, European Research and Innovation partnerships. Citizens can help by bringing regard for biodiversity into their decision making. Looking for local products to minimise the negative impacts of long-distance transport, reducing CO 2 emissions and mitigating climate change. What is the Commission doing to boost public awareness of biodiversity loss? The European Commission launched a campaign to highlight awareness of biodiversity loss which won several awards, including a "European Excellence Award. It stresses the interconnected nature of biodiversity and centres round the idea of loss, with striking visuals. Thousands of people have participated in live events and taken part in hands-on activities related to biodiversity. Implementation should begin as soon as possible. The strategy will be reviewed in and adjustments made, if needed, so the EU remains on track. The Commission will follow up different proposals and initiatives listed in the Strategy, including a separate strategy on Green Infrastructure, and legislative proposals on Invasive Alien Species and on access and benefit sharing in Accessibility tools Go to content Service tools Index Sitemap About this 2020 New on EUROPA FAQ Legal notice Contact Search Language selector Current language: Navigation path European Commission Press releases database Press Release details. Back to the search results. Why strategy biodiversity loss matter? The EU biodiversity baseline pulls together a wealth of information about the current status of biodiversity: What is causing biodiversity loss in the EU? What is proposed in the strategy? What is the EU Biodiversity vision? What is the EU EU Biodiversity target? What are the six targets? Target 1 — To fully implement the Strategy and Habitats Directives: Target 4 — To ensure the sustainable use of fisheries resources: Achieve a population age and size distribution indicative of a healthy stock, through fisheries management with no significant adverse impacts on other stocks, species and ecosystems, in support of achieving Good Environmental Status byas required under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive Target 5 — To control invasive alien species IAS: Target 6 — To help avert global 2020 loss: What will it cost to implement the strategy? What socio-economic benefits will the strategy bring? Why does the EU need a new biodiversity strategy? What has the EU done to date to safeguard biodiversity? The failure was due to a combination of different factors, including: Are protected areas, such as Naturaeffective? Which ecosystems and services should be restored? What is Green Infrastructure and why is it needed? How does the strategy propose to tackle these challenges? Why do we need a specific target for fisheries? What does the strategy propose for fisheries? What instruments are already available in the EU to tackle IAS? What is the scientific basis for action? What is the role of the Member States? How will progress be measured? How will implementation be ensured? Have stakeholders been consulted 2020 the strategy? What can businesses do? EU Business and Biodiversity B B Platform, European Research and Innovation partnerships ; What can citizens do? Buying environmentally certified products e. What are the next steps?
Ecosystem services: Conference on the "EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 - implementation", 27 May
Ecosystem services: Conference on the "EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 - implementation", 27 May
It is a workforce that comes to work in the morning motivated primarily by the chance to do something worthwhile, savoring the chance to make decisions on its own, take risks, and try new things, and puts mission above all else.
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It is a workforce that comes to work in the morning motivated primarily by the chance to do something worthwhile, savoring the chance to make decisions on its own, take risks, and try new things, and puts mission above all else.
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