The commission’s paper, “Halting the loss of bioversity by 2010 – and beyond; sustaining ecosystem services for human well-being” addresses EU institutions and member states for the first time, specifying the roles of both in relation to the action plan. But it does not include legislation.
The paper says only 1-3% of western Europe’s forests can be classed as undisturbed by humans, while an area of tropical rainforest larger than the EU has been lost since the 1970s, largely for timber, crops and cattle ranching.
Four policy areas are identified – biodiveristy in the EU; the EU and global biodiversity; biodiversity and climate change; and the knowledge base.
Priority objectives include addressing the most important habitats and species, actions in the wider countryside and marine environment, making regional development more compatible with nature, reducing impacts of invasive species and lessening the negative impacts of international trade.
The European Commission has also launched a debate on a longer-term vision of biodiversity.
