The European Council agreed on an ambitious biodiversity target for 2020 as well as a long term vision for 2050. The goal is to halt of biodiversity loss and the degradation of ecosystem services in the EU by 2020, and to restore them "in so far as feasible". The EU currently seeks ways to determine the best course of action to achieve the new biodiversity target.

The Commission proceeds with developing a post-2010 biodiversity strategy, to be presented by the end of the year. The target is ambitious but realistic. While setting the new objectives, a more practical approach is promoted as lessons learned from the failure on 2010 biodiversity agenda. In addition, the effectiveness of the existing environmental policy has been looked upon. As the implementation relies on people, simplification would be required to help to understand and to accept the rules. Vast additional bureaucracy and costs do not bring any improvement on European natural heritage in practice. Accommodating sufficient conservation with economic land use should be the way forward.  

State and trends of European biodiversity

The Commission will establish an EU 2010 biodiversity baseline, against which the changes should be measured. This would provide validated facts & figures on the state and trends of biodiversity and ecosystem components, including forest. The conservation status of species and habitats depends on land cover changes and agro-ecosystems. The biodiversity baseline would set a basis for monitoring progress and achievements from 2011 to 2020. The work is to be published during the Brussels Green Week in June.

Crucial steps in the Natura 2000 network

The Natura 2000 network is the key tool for implementing the EU environmental policy. Once the site designation has been fully completed, the current critical period is making Natura 2000 fully operational. The participation of people with a direct connection to Natura 2000, such as the forest owners, has to be secured in this process and the financial support for this needs to be formulated. Thus the Commission’s work towards a new financing framework for the Natura 2000 network is fundamental.

The current 'integration approach' does not respond adequately to the on the ground needs. It offers possibilities for co-financing the network from the overall 2007-2013 EU budget. The main sources are the Rural Development, the Cohesion and Structural Funds and LIFE+. The inclusion of funding for the Natura 2000 in those, however, has been less than modest.

Is a new dedicated Natura 2000 instrument needed?

Setting priorities for the future financing of Natura 2000 has become urgent, as new financial perspectives on those and the EU Budget 2014-2020 are currently being discussed. A new Communication on Financing Natura 2000 is foreseen for the first half of 2011. This will update the estimates on costs and benefits of the Natura 2000 network. The figure amounts to around €6.1 billion a year for EU-25 Natura 2000. Categorized activities and the creation of the Natura 2000 dedicated funds should be considered here.

The European forest owners appreciate and understand the need of nature conservation, as they base their livelihood on health and diverse ecosystems. The partnership approach and involvement of people on the ground is the only way to move forward with protection of Europe’s nature heritage. We are hopeful that policy makers will take this into consideration and use these opportunities for making changes.