European Environment Agency Annual Eionet NRC Biodiversity Meeting, 28 September 2009 Gordon...

European Environment AgencyAnnual Eionet NRC Biodiversity Meeting, 28 September 2009

Gordon McInnes, European Environment AgencyAnne Teller, DG Environment

Post 2010 Vision for Biodiversity


Progress towards EU 2010 Target

• Major progress in establishing Natura 2000 network• Legal protection of the Birds and Habitats Directives has stopped the destruction of many unique natural areas • EU funding has played a critical role in protecting some of our most endangered species and habitats. • SEBI 2010 assessment shows significant improvements in some pressures (e.g. water quality) • Sustainable agricultural practices increasingly widespread. • New initiatives to tackle illegal logging, to combat global deforestation & promote sustainable consumption & production.


Will EU meet the 2010 Target?

• 2008 assessment of EU BAP revealed EU unlikely to achieve target• Confirmed in 2009 in SEBI2010 assessment report• 2009 conservation status assessment showed that only 17% of habitats and species of EU conservation interest under Habitats Directive have satisfactory conservation status.• Biodiversity and ecosystems services in the EU continue to be under significant pressure from

– habitat loss and degradation, – the spread of invasive species – persistent pollution, – over-exploitation of certain biological resources– and the growing impacts of climate change.


Lessons learned: Why the 2010 Target will not be reached

• slow implementation of existing legal and policy provisions • slow or inefficient integration of biodiversity and ecosystem services into other policies • remaining legal and policy gaps (e.g. IAS and soils)• important gaps in knowledge and monitoring • insufficient funding • general problem of perception of the biodiversity challenge


Habitats of European interest — conservation status by biogeographical region

The conservation status of the species and habitats remains unsatisfactory with 40–85 % of habitats and 40–70 % of species of European interest remaining in an unfavourable conservation status.


Source: SeaWiFS

Climate change

Pollution

Over-exploitation

Habitat destruction

Invasives


TEEB - Climate Issues UpdateCoral Reef Emergency

The imminent demise of tropical coral reefs is predicted to be an extinction event of proportions never before witnessed by humankind. The loss of this critical ecological infrastructure will damage the productivity of global fisheries and the chances of stock survival. It could thus lead to future food crises. It will impoverish over 500 million people who depend on coral reefs for their livelihoodsAgainst this background TEEB urges global political leaders and their climate negotiators to recognize and address the risks of irreversible loss of most of the world’s tropical coral reefs by:

• providing explicitly for coral reefs in measures for coherent climate change adaptation solutions for coastal areas when establishing climate adaptation strategies and agreeing adaptation funds;• work towards agreeing on more ambitious CO2 reduction, that will improve the chances of survival and recovery of coral reefs.


Developing the post 2010 vision for Biodiversity

• Global, Bonn, March - Declaration• EU, Athens, April – The Message from Athens• G8, Syracuse, April– The Syracuse Charter• EU, Stromstad, September – Chair’s conclusions• PEBLDS, Liege, September – Chair’s conclusions

All emphasise:• linking biodiversity, ecosystem services, climate change and sustainable development/poverty reduction• valuation of ecosystem services, in particular TEEB• measuring progress, including use of indicators• improving the knowledge base, including support for IPBES


The Message from Athens – Eight key priorities

1. A vision of why biodiversity matters2. A better understanding of where we are and

what we need to do3. A fully functioning network of protected areas4. Biodiversity outside protected areas5. Biodiversity and climate change6. Protecting global biodiversity7. Integrating biodiversity into other policy areas8. Funding


The Message from Athens –Biodiversity and climate change

We cannot halt biodiversity loss without addressing climate change. It is equally impossible to tackle climate change without addressing biodiversity loss. Climate change policy needs to be fully complementary with biodiversity policy and these two policy areas must be developed in an integrated manner.


Climate change and biodiversity

Climate change impacts on biodiversity:

•Changes in the timing of biological events (egg-laying, hatching, blossoms, growing season, etc)•Changes in species distribution•Changes in animal and plant structure and behaviour•Increased frequency and intensity of pests and diseases•Decreased survival rates of various species•Ecosystem degradation•Coral reef bleaching•Fluctuations in fish and marine bird populations•Extinctions

Biodiversity impacts on climate change mitigation and adaptation:

• Carbon sequestration/storage in forests, other vegetation, soil, wetlands and oceans• Biomass as alternatives to fossil fuels• Vegetation eg mangroves and forests, to reduce impacts from storms and floods•Vegetation impacts on albedo - dark surfaces absorb more solar radiation than light ones eg evergreen forests more than deciduous forests•Terrestrial vegetation and marine systems emit aerosols which reduce the solar radiation reaching the Earth’s surface•Increasing biodiversity to enhance resilience to change


KEY PRIORITIES FOR THE POST 2010 PERIOD

I. THE METRICS - KNOWLEDGE • 2010 target was in itself more of a vision than a target.

• Assessing trends post 2010 and establishing a reliable baseline are prerequisites for credibility and delivery of EU biodiversity policy. • Considerable effort is required to fill knowledge gaps, invest in monitoring & provide accurate information and better indicators. • Strengthening independent scientific advice to global policy making by establishment of Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).


KEY PRIORITIES FOR THE POST 2010 PERIODII. THE ECONOMICS – ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

• The current biodiversity target has failed to adequately recognise the dimension of ecosystem services. • TEEB (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity) is aimed at sharpening awareness of the value of biodiversity and ecosystem services and facilitating the development of cost-effective policy responses. • The fact that the loss of ecosystem services is not detected by our current economic incentive system is a core problem to address.


The link between biodiversity and the output of ecosystem services (from TEEB Report)

Biophysical structure or

process(e.g. woodland habitat or net

primary productivity )

Service(e.g. flood

protection, or harvestable products)

Service(e.g. flood

protection, or harvestable products)

Function(e.g. slow

passage of water, or biomass)

Function(e.g. slow

passage of water, or biomass) Benefit

(e.g. willingness to pay for woodland

protection or for more woodland, or harvestable

products)

Benefit(e.g. willingness

to pay for woodland

protection or for more woodland, or harvestable

products)

Σ Pressures

Limit pressures via policy action? Maintenance,

restoration

Courtesy Roy Haines-Young

Economic and social values (sometimes

market values).

Maintenance and restoration

costs


KEY PRIORITIES FOR THE POST 2010 PERIODIII. CLIMATE CHANGE & BIODIVERSITY

• Biodiversity will be profoundly affected by climate change

• Strong and resilient ecosystems are our life insurance in the face of climate change

• EU climate policies need to protect biodiversity

• EU biodiversity policies should be designed to maximise their contribution to climate mitigation and adaptation (e.g. REDD)

• Climate change and biodiversity are irrevocably intertwined - not taken into account

in the current target.


KEY PRIORITIES FOR THE POST 2010 PERIOD

IV. GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE -• Effective management structures for the Natura 2000 network should be put in place and adequate funding made available.

• Protected areas are a crucial element of any effective biodiversity policy but need to be integrated into the broader environment.

• Enhancing and restoring connectivity between sites and with the wider environment – through so called "green infrastructure" - is crucial.

• Biodiversity policy should evolve towards conserving the resilience and vitality of entire ecosystems.


Possible options for post-2010 Target

• No specific target• Halt (or reduce rate of) loss of biodiversity by 2020• Overall goal or target of halting biodiversity loss with SMART sectoral sub-targets• Overall goal or target of enhancing biodiversity, ecosystem services and human well-being with SMART sectoral sub-targets


Next steps at EU level

• Commission to issue Communication on options for post 2010 EU biodiversity vision and targets. • Contribute to debate on new global vision and targets to be agreed at CBD COP10. • Commission to publish 2010 BAP final assessment.• Follow up with fully-fledged strategy by end 2010 for biodiversity and ecosystem services to be put in place in 2011-12. • Aim to give practical effect to the new vision and target by ambitious and measurable sub-targets supported by indicators that are robust, understandable and policy relevant.


Thank you for your attention!


Geographical coverage


Alien species in European marine/estuarine waters 1900-2008

Alien species in marine/estuarine waters continuing to increase while trends level off for terrestrial and freshwater


Marine Trophic Index percentage change between 1950 and 2004

Pollution levels in the marine environment are relatively constant but the state of marine fauna is worrying due to unsustainable fishing practices.


Status of the fish stocks in fishing regions of Europe in 2006

European Environment Agency Annual Eionet NRC Biodiversity Meeting, 28 September 2009 Gordon...

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