Evaluation of the objectives and measures of the EU biodiversity strategy

Contact

Katrina Marsden

Senior Manager Biodiversity

Project-related Links

EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030

Text

More and more animal, plant and fungal species are threatened or already extinct, including in Europe. The European Commission wants to put a stop to this. adelphi is analysing the Commission’s goals and measures and creating a scientifically sound foundation for discussion.

The loss of biodiversity is the silent catastrophe of our time. Many species and habitats are already irretrievably extinct, and the loss continues apace. As a result, we are not only losing our bond with nature, but also a part of our identity. The EU recognises the urgency of these issues. In May 2020, the European Commission published a new biodiversity strategy for 2030, which is part of the European Green Deal. The goals of the biodiversity strategy are clear and ambitious – and represent a critical step for protecting biodiversity in Europe.

The new biodiversity strategy also makes clear the EU’s ambitions for international negotiations on nature conservation, above all for the post-2020 framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

Text

Goals of the EU biodiversity strategy

Establish protected spaces on 30 percent of EU land and marine area – one-third of these under strict protection, including all remaining old-growth forests in the EU
Restore destroyed and damaged ecosystems, including through the application of a new EU restoration law
Reverse pollinator decline, restore free-flowing rivers, reduce pesticide use
Help the EU become a global leader in protecting and restoring nature
Enable profound change in the economy and society

Text

Whether the strategy achieves its goals depends primarily on the cooperation of the EU member states. To this end, the 27 countries are negotiating a common position on the strategy in the EU Council. These so-called council conclusions are coordinated by the EU Council Presidency. In terms of nature conservation, the goal is to reach conclusions that are as positive and ambitious as possible.

In the second half of 2020, Germany took over the six-month presidency of the Council and the challenge of balancing a wide range of interests fell to the Federal Environment Ministry. The different positions of the member states reflect the wide range of proposals and demands from science, politics and society.

Text

The Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) has therefore commissioned adelphi to analyse these proposals and the strategy itself based on scientific criteria. According to experts for nature conservation, which ideas are target-oriented? What potential conflicts could arise during implementation? How ambitious is the strategy with regard to existing and future European and international obligations?

adelphi reviewed the proposals, placed them in the context of current research on biodiversity and nature conservation, and provided the German government – and the EU – with scientifically sound information.

Image

Quote (without marks)

The EU’s ambitious nature conservation targets are a big step forward. But to achieve them, they need to be included in national and regional biodiversity strategies, where they must be backed up with concrete action.

Quotable

Katrina Marsden

Quotable description

Project lead

Text

It is also the task of the respective EU Presidency to organise the meeting of the EU directors of nature conservation. adelphi prepared the content of the network meeting and examined the main topics in greater detail (protected areas, ecosystem restoration, agriculture, forests and governance).

To this end, the adelphi team prepared information on the current state of science in order to create a fact-based foundation for discussion at the meeting. In addition, the team provided a summary of current political discussion on these topics, the positions of the EU countries and the future of the debate.

Image

Moor mit roten Torfmoosarten aus der Vogelperspektive

Text

Paradigm shift

Global and European focus on ecosystem restoration

One of the most fundamental innovations of the strategy was the announcement of a new legislative proposal for the restoration of ecosystems in the EU. The last EU law of this kind, the Habitats Directive, came into force in 1992 – clearly, legally binding obligations for all EU countries are a rare occurrence and represent a major step forward. Due to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, the issue is also in focus at the global level.

However, EU member states differ not only in the diversity and conservation status of their species and habitats, but also in terms of land-use patterns, living conditions and culture. All these socio-economic aspects must be considered when designing a new law for the entire EU. At the same time, the monitoring of the implementation process must be uniform.

In light of this, adelphi organised Europe-wide workshops on ecosystem restoration following the meeting. We invited a wide circle of experts to take part in the discussion. The main focus was on what needs to be considered when formulating concrete restoration targets into law and how progress can be monitored. As a result of its involvement, adelphi is promoting and providing support for ongoing discourse on the protection of European biodiversity.

Fields of Action

Biodiversity