More action is needed to save Europe's biodiversity.
Date: 2009-04-16
Institutions: Directorate-General for Environment
Subjects: biodiversity, environmental policy, environmental protection, protection of animal life, protection of plant life

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More action
is needed to save
Europe’s biodiversity

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The EU and its Member States need to urgently take much fi rmer 
action to have any chance of coming close to the objective 
of halting the loss of biodiversity in 2010. This is the key 
message from the EU’s Biodiversity Action Plan mid-
term report, issued in December 2008. This has pro-
vided the most ambitious assessment so far of the 
state  of  biodiversity  in  the  EU  –  a  comprehensive 
‘health check’ of Europe’s natural environment.

Despite some encouraging news, especially on 
the  development  of  the  Natura  2000  net-
work,  the  report  fi nds  that  many  species 
are still under threat, and biodiversity and 
ecosystems are not getting the attention 
they need across other policy areas. The mid-
term report sets out the priorities for action. 

In 2006, the European Commission’s Biodiversity 
Action  Plan  identifi ed  ten  priority  objectives 
associated  with  the  2010  target,  and  some 
150  concrete  steps  for  reaching  them.  The 
mid-term report is part of the commitment 
to monitor progress at regular intervals.

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Mid-term report fi ndings on status and trends
• EU and biodiversity
Some  50%  of  spe-
cies  and  up  to  80% 
of 
habitats  pro-
tected  in  the  EU  are 
threatened  or  vul-
nerable.  Over  40% 
of  European  bird 
in  the 
species  are 
same  predicament. 
These  ﬁ gures  reﬂ ect 
the  decline  that  has 
been taking place for decades. 

But the news is not all bad. The decline of farmland birds is 
stabilising, and populations of some large mammals are re-
covering. The EU’s Birds and Habitats Directives have played a 
major role in arresting decline, and the Natura 2000 network 
has grown to cover more than 25,000 conservation sites. 
• EU and global biodiversity 
In 2002, at the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development 
in Johannesburg, governments around the world promised 
to signiﬁ cantly reduce biodiversity loss by 2010. 

Yet progress has been poor, and globally, biodiversity loss is 
reaching  a  crisis  point.  Expanding  demand  for  agricultural 
land for food, crops and animal grazing has put more pres-
sure  on  natural  habitats.  Forests,  wetlands  and  coral  reefs 
are under threat. Tropical forests are disappearing at a rate 
of some 13 million hectares per year. And rising demand for 
food and biofuels has added new challenges. If we continue 
as  we  are  doing,  we  will  lose  a  further  11%  of  the  natural 
world by 2050.

The mid-term report sets a series of 
challenges and priorities
•  EU  policies  and  laws  provide  a  strong  foundation  for 
progress, but they must be eff ectively implemented. And 
there are some gaps yet to be ﬁ lled: for example, to pro-
tect soils and to combat ‘invasive species’ which compete 
with native European ﬂ ora and fauna. The Commission has 
presented options towards an EU Strategy to tackle these 
invasive species. 
•  The EC Treaty (Article 6) says environmental protection 
must be “integrated” into all EU policies and activities. 
But this is not happening as it should. Conservation must 
be higher on the agenda 
in 
in  policy  areas  such  as 
ag
agriculture,  transport, 
re
regional development 
a
and many more.

“This continuing loss of biodiversity is 
critical. We have set an ambitious tar-
get for 2010, we know what needs to be 
done and we have the tools to achieve 
this.  I  therefore  call  on  all  Member 
States to redouble their eﬀ orts to sus-
tain the variety of life, and the health 
of  the  ecosystems  that  underpin  our 
prosperity and well-being.” 
European Environment Commissioner 
Stavros Dimas.

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•  Natura 2000 needs to be extended and fi nalised, with 
its oﬀ shore marine network put fully in place. The next step 
is to ensure the sites are restored and eﬀ ectively managed, 
with standards and objectives for conservation.
•  Many ﬁ sh stocks are still short of safe biological limits. This 
means overall fi shing has to be reduced to sustainable 
levels  within  the  framework  of  the  Common  Fisheries 
Policy (CFP).
•  The EU and Member States need to build stronger part-
nerships  with  businesses,  especially  in  sectors  such 
as  tourism  and  agriculture.  Communication  campaigns 
should raise public awareness of biodiversity.

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•  Member States need to be able to measure the impact 
of Structural Fund spending on biodiversity, with mon-
itoring to ensure that resources are being used eﬀ ectively 
to protect nature.  
•  At  the  global  level,  well-designed  policies  to  preserve 
rainforests, which are home to half of all land-based spe-
cies,  must  be  implemented.  The  EU  has  called  on  the 
international community to cut deforestation by 50% by 
2020 and to phase it out by 2030. Europe can also help by 
tying development aid and trade policies more closely to 
the conservation of biodiversity.
•  Making biodiversity conservation a priority will also help 
in  the  ﬁ ght  against  climate  change,  and  policy-makers 
should be more aware of the connection. There needs to 
be  wider  recognition  of  the  critical  role  ecosystems 
play  in  strengthening  resilience  to  environmental  stress. 
The Commission has presented a white paper on adapt-
ing to climate change.
•  Expanding  the  knowledge  base:  policy-makers  need 
more solid, science-based information in order to make 
the  right  decisions  at  all  levels,  from  global  to  local.  For 
example,  what  impact  does  Europeans’  consumption  of 
commodities, such as meat and soybeans, have on global 
biodiversity loss? What 
is  the  relationship  be-
tween 
biodiversity 
and  poverty,  especial-
ly in developing coun-
tries?  How  do  we  put 
a  ﬁ nancial  value  on 
biodiversity?  The  on-
going  study  The  eco-
nomics  of  ecosystems 
and biodiversity  (TEEB) 
estimates  the  poten-
tial annual cost of bio-
diversity loss to be 7% 
of global GDP. 

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What is at stake from now until 2010?

Biodiversity is vital to sustaining human life and economic 
and social development. Financial crises are cyclical, but the 
extinction of living things is forever, and it must be stopped. 
The EU may be currently oﬀ -target to halt biodiversity loss 
by 2010, but it is not too late to put this right provided that 
we all make a signiﬁ cant additional eﬀ ort to tackle the chal-
lenges and implement the priorities.

Common birds in Europe, population index 
(1980 = 100)

120

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80

60

40

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   Common forest species (29)
   All common species (135)
   Common farmland species (36)

Data source: EBCC/RSPB/BirdLife/Statistics Netherlands
This indicator is one of the 26 SEBI Biodiversity indicators:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/knowledge/eu2010_indicators/
index_en.htm

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More information: 
European Commission EU Biodiversity Action Plan Report 2008 
portal and country profi les
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/biodiversity/comm2006/
bap_2008.htm

European Environment Agency
http://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/europe-is-losing-
biodiversity-2013-even-in-protected-areas

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