EC publishes midterm evaluation report about the EU biodiversity strategy to 2020
On the 5th October 2015, the European Commission published the Mid-term review of the EU biodiversity strategy to 2020, assessing the state of implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2011-2020, now that we are mid-way to the deadline.
This European Biodiversity strategy aims to halt biodiversity loss and the degradation of ecosystem services, restore them to the extent possible by 2020, and help avert global biodiversity loss. To accomplish this, six targets have been defined:
- TARGET 1: Fully implement the Birds and Habitats Directives
- TARGET 2: Maintain and restore ecosystems and their services
- TARGET 3: Increase the contribution of agriculture and forestry to biodiversity
- TARGET 4: Ensure the sustainable use of fisheries resources
- TARGET 5: Combat Invasive Alien Species
- TARGET 6: Step-up action to tackle the global biodiversity crisis.
To reach these targets, 20 actions were defined, and their results and state of implementation so far, were now evaluated. The report classifies four targets as showing “Progress but at insufficient rate”, one (target 3) as “No significant progress towards the target” and only one came out with a positive classification: target 5 got a “Currently on track with implementation”. Here you can download a 4 pages leaflet with all the numbers and graphics.
In fact, scientific data clearly shows that biodiversity is endangered, both on Europe and worldwide: the current extinction rates of species are 100 to 1.000 times greater than the natural expected rate, and only 17% of the species and habitats and 11% of the protected ecosystems on the EU are in “good state”. Only a full European cooperation can allow Governments to effectively coordinate their actions to solve this common problem. More on this subject in here (site oficial da União Europeia) (official Biodiversity Information system for Europe).
Nemus, via its key domains of actuation “Environment”, has been developing many diverse projects concerning biodiversity and nature preservation, environmental rehabilitation, and also water and marine and coastal areas. You can know more about some of our most important projects in this area in here.