Knowledge Base

A key objective of the Communication on Halting the Loss of Biodiversity to 2010 and Beyond (COM(2006)216 final) is to substantially strengthen the knowledge base for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, in the EU and globally. This implies the development of an information system to support the biodiversity policy cycle in the EU. This integrated and streamlined information system would facilitate rational and comprehensive assessments for nature and biodiversity in Europe, i.e. mid-term evaluation report of progress towards the 2010 targets (to end 2008), full evaluation report of extent to which EU has met its 2010 targets (to end 2010) and full evaluation report of extent to which EU has met all post-2010 targets (to end 2013), and in parallel the EEA reporting cycle, throughout State of Environment reports.

This is with a view to providing a solid factual platform for assessing:

evaluating whether, and to what extent, we have met the 2010 commitmentse
valuating whether we have met all the targets in the EU Action Plan to 2010 and Beyond
evaluating the efficacy of our current policy and legislation – in particular the Birds and Habitats Directives - in relation to these targets
evaluating the adequacy of integration of biodiversity and ecosystem services into policies and budgets especially CAP and Cohesion policies
making recommendations with regard to future development of these and other policies both with a view to their mid-term reviews (2009-2010) and the next EU financial perspective (2014-2020)

More generally, this information system will contribute as the nature & biodiversity-related building block of the wider Shared Environmental Information System for Europe (SEIS). For more information, see the Commission Communication towards a Shared Environmental Information System for Europe (SEIS) adopted in January 2008.