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 over-exploitation
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.
See also -
