2010 biodiversity target: Will the EU reach it?
18 December 2008, Brussels. How are EU Member States doing towards reaching the 2010 biodiversity target? What progress has been made at Community and Member States level? The mid-term report of the Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) is the first real comprehensive assessment of the measures taken at EU level towards the 2010 biodiversity target. It shows that the EU and national governments have made progress in certain sectors. However, in other areas, more efforts are still needed. Additional actions will have to be undertaken if concrete results are to be achieved in biodiversity conservation. The ambitious 2010 target seems too much of a challenge for the EU.
The development of the BAP has in itself been a great achievement. At European level, it is the only tool which engages various stakeholders on the 2010 biodiversity target and integrates biodiversity into new sectors, such as energy and transport. Although it provides a comprehensive roadmap for action, it is far from being implemented effectively. Specifically, more has to be done for marine protected areas as part of the Natura 2000 network and to improve overall cross-sectoral policy integration. Also, new legislation needs to be adopted, such as the Soil Framework Directive.
Nevertheless, there are a few recent actions, which point in the right direction. For instance, the EC has just launched the Communication on Invasive Species. It envisages an EU-wide strategy to control the introduction on invasive species by 2010. Also, more than 750 new sites have been added to the Natura 2000 network. This will guarantee greater protection of wildlife and will contribute to reduce the loss of biodiversity. In addition, last week saw the approval of the energy and climate change package. No doubt this is a step ahead to tackle climate change and thus contribute to biodiversity conservation.
An indication of the impact of climate change on biodiversity is well captured in the recent release of the Climatic Atlas of Butterflies. The report indicates stunning figures on how badly butterflies would react to possible effects caused by climate change, if action is not taken. Sue Collins, European Policy Advisor at Butterfly Conservation Europe, calls on European Governments to do more to halt biodiversity decline. She underlines that “grassland butterflies continue to suffer serious declines across Europe since their habitats are particularly threatened by farming practices. More of the EU CAP funds need to be transferred into rewarding delivery of habitats. This will become even more important as the potent threat of climate change intensifies.”
If compared to efforts at global scale for biodiversity, Europe is not doing enough. Most of the countries that ratified biodiversity-related conventions developed national action plans with regards to biodiversity. Many countries in regions such as Asia and Africa have designed their strategies while in Europe several countries still don’t have such strategies in place.
Sebastian Winkler, Head of the IUCN Countdown 2010 initiative, highlighted that “Countdown 2010 initiative clearly shows that at grassroots level tangible actions have been taken. In less than 3 years more than 750 partners have joined the network by committing to more than 7,000 concrete measures related to the 2010 target. Remarkably, initiatives like Countdown 2010 are the proof that the target triggered action not only at governmental level but in any sector – be it local and regional authorities, civil society or private companies.”
The 2008 BAP report is particularly significant since it is the last real opportunity before 2010 to take stock of actions adopted at EU level for the 2010 biodiversity target. Its outcomes will hopefully result in the last spurt of action before the target expires.
Countdown 2010 will continue to closely follow the implementation of the BAP and in this respect it will organise an event at the European Parliament on 11 February 2009. This gathering will witness the participation of a vast array of stakeholders to debate in more detail the findings of the BAP mid-term report.Picture by Peter Lengyel
[...] in the right direction, Europe still needs to do more. Asian and African countries having developed comprehensive national action plans to uphold biodiversity can serve as the moral boosters for the European [...]