Published: 04 Feb 2010
- As a contribution to European debate on
post-2010 vision and targets, the European
Environment Agency (EEA) will enhance its
support to policy makers by providing a
detailed picture of the current state of
biodiversity in Europe, as well as develop
an information system for
sharing knowledge on biodiversity across
Europe.
Europe is facing rapid environmental changes
driven by increasing competition for land
from housing and industrial development,
transport and energy infrastructure, agriculture
and forestry. Marine and terrestrial ecosystems
are affected by overexploitation of natural
resources, pollution, biological invasions
and climate change. European protected areas
are essential for healthy, functioning and
resilient ecosystems, both on land and in
the sea.
Recently stepped up
efforts, including those to increase the
area under protection schemes, have had
some positive impacts but have not managed
to halt the loss of biodiversity in Europe.
A more comprehensive and effective response
is needed.
To this end, the European
Commission has published a Communication
presenting several options for development
of a post-2010 EU vision and target. In
a subsequent conference on protected areas,
the Spanish Presidency of the European Union
has also put forth its priorities for the
post-2010 period. This process of defining
the EU’s new biodiversity strategy will
continue throughout the year and will contribute
to the EU's position for global negotiations
towards the new Strategic Plan of the Convention
on Biological Diversity, expected to be
adopted in October in Japan.
Policy makers now need
a 'baseline' – a starting point for comparisons
representing the current state of biodiversity
– to measure trends in biodiversity, and
consequently the effectiveness of policies.
Building on its work on biodiversity indicators
SEBI 2010, the European Environment Agency
and the European Commission will present
a first outline of the EU biodiversity baseline
in June.
At the same time, the
EEA and European Commission will also propose
a blueprint for the 'Biodiversity Information
System for Europe (BISE)', both an information
technology tool and a network for building
a shared knowledge base for biodiversity
policies and targets across Europe.
