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Policy background
The protection of the variety of life on Earth is, alongside Climate Change, an environmental priority.
The Convention on Biological Diversity was adopted in 1992. Since then, several international agreements have recognised the loss of biodiversity as a threat and the urgent need to take action.
Since 2001 and the European Union commitment, the recognition of biodiversity loss has become a strong political issue both at global, national and regional levels.
The March 2009 Environment Council decided that an EU vision and targets for biodiversity policy beyond 2010 – when the current EU and international biodiversity targets set in 2002 will 'expire' – within the EU shall be established by mid-2010 under the Spanish Presidency.
The Environment Council of 15 March 2010 agreed the new vision and target as follows:
- AGREES on a long-term vision that by 2050 European Union biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides - its natural capital - are protected, valued and appropriately restored for biodiversity's intrinsic value and for their essential contribution to human wellbeing and economic prosperity, and so that catastrophic changes caused by the loss of biodiversity are avoided
- For this vision to be achieved AGREES further on a headline target of halting the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services in the EU by 2020, and restoring them in so far as feasible, while stepping up the EU contribution to averting global biodiversity loss
In November 2010, the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which took place in Nagoya, Japan, adopted a new long-term vision for biodiversity and a strategic plan that will guide future implementation of the CBD.
The Environment Council Conclusions call on the Commission to develop an EU post-2010 Biodiversity Strategy as soon as possible after that Conference of the Parties.
On 26 March 2010 the European Council in its Conclusions stresses an urgent need to reverse continuing trends of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation. It committed to the long term biodiversity 2050 vision and the 2020 target set out in the Environment Council's conclusions of 15 March 2010.
The Commission is now called upon to draw up a new biodiversity strategy to deliver on the target. This strategy will set out a number of sub-targets focusing on reducing the most significant pressures on biodiversity.
In order to adopt an ambitious international biodiversity target it will be crucial to actively reach out to other important partners and engage them in discussions. Part of this discussion involves the role of businesses in the process.