Archive:Biodiversity statistics
- Data from September 2009, most recent data: Further Eurostat information, Main tables and Database.
Biodiversity - a contraction of biological diversity - encompasses the number, variety and variability of living organisms, including mankind. A reduction or 'loss' of biodiversity threatens, not only to undermine the natural environment, but also our economic and social goals. The importance of preserving biodiversity, and the possible consequences of not doing so, has made it an international issue.
Preventing the loss of biodiversity is important for mankind as we depend on the natural richness of our planet for the food, energy, raw materials, clean air and clean water that make life possible and which drive our economies and societies.
This article presents some of the main indicators of biodiversity, such as the number of protected areas and bird populations, and examines the trends of these indicators within the European Union.
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Main statistical findings
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Habitats
Areas protected for the preservation of biodiversity are proposed by the Member States under the EU's Habitats Directive. They are indicated as a percentage of the total area of the country. About 18 % of the EU-27’s territory was proposed for protection under the Habitats Directive in 2009. Figures for the Member States show that protected areas range between 30 % of the total area of Slovenia to 10% in other countries, while seven Member States protect areas smaller than the threshold of 10 % of their national territories. The protected sites generally adequately cover the species and habitats listed in the Directive, with an EU-25 average of 84 % of sufficiently covered species and habitats in 2008; only Poland and Cyprus reported less than 50 % sufficiency.
Birds
Since 1990 there has been a general downward trend in the abundance of both common farmland and forest species, as measured by the Common Bird Indices for 20 EU countries. Part of the relatively steep decline (-25 % between 1990 and 2006) in numbers of common farmland birds may be attributed to changes in land use and agricultural practices. Recently, these indices have stabilised, with both the farmland and the forest bird index fluctuating around 80 % of the 1990 base year value, while the index of all common species stands at around 90 % of its 1990 level.
Data sources and availability
Habitats
Annual data are available on areas protected under the Habitats Directive. The data are presented as the percentage of compliance with the obligation to protect habitats and species that are typical for the wider biogeographical regions of the EU. The indicator is based on the extent of the area proposed by countries for the protection of natural and semi-natural habitats, wild fauna and flora according to annexes I and II of the Habitats Directive. The index of sufficiency measures the extent to which sites of Community importance proposed by the Member States adequately cover the species and habitats listed in those annexes, in proportion to the share of the biogeographical region that falls within the territory of the country.
Birds
Birds are considered good proxies for measuring the diversity and integrity of ecosystems as they tend to be near the top of the food chain, have large ranges and the ability to migrate. They are thus responsive to changes in their habitats and ecosystems. The bird indicators measure population trends of specialists for certain habitats (farmland; forests) or generalists (the other 71 species included in the indicator of all common bird species besides the farmland and forest species).
The indicators are designed to capture the overall, average changes in population levels of common birds to reflect the health and functioning of the ecosystems they inhabit. The population index of common birds is an aggregated index (with base year 1990 or the first year the Member State entered the scheme) of population trend estimates of a selected group of common bird species. Indices are calculated for each species independently and then combined to create a multi-species EU indicator by averaging the indices with an equal weight using a geometric average. Indices rather than bird abundance are averaged in order to give each species an equal weight in the resulting indicator. The EU index is based on trend data from 20 Member States, derived from annually operated national breeding bird surveys collated by the Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme (PECBMS).
Three different indices are presented:
- farmland (36 species);
- forest (29 species);
- 'all common birds’ (136 species).
For the first two categories, the bird species have a high dependence on the habitats in the nesting season and for feeding during most of the year. The aggregated index comprises farmland and forest species together with other common species.
Context
We depend on natural resources and the variety of species found on the planet for tangible goods that make life possible and drive economic development (food, energy, wood, raw materials, clean air and water). Many aspects of our natural environment are public goods (i.e. they have no market or price); as such, the loss of biodiversity can often go undetected by economic systems. However, the natural environment also provides a range of intangibles, such as aesthetic pleasure derived from viewing landscapes and wildlife, or recreational opportunities. In order to protect this legacy for future generations, policies need to be developed in a range of areas to ensure that biodiversity is protected through the sustainable development i.a. of agriculture, rural and urban landscapes, energy provision and transport. Many of these issues were touched upon by the G8 environment ministers in Potsdam in March 2007, where the extensive study "The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity" (TEEB) was commissioned.
The global scale of the biodiversity issue has led to international action under the United Nations Convention on biological diversity (CBD), ratified by the EU in 1993. At the United Nations world summit on sustainable development in Johannesburg in 2002, governments committed to significantly reduce the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010. A number of measures and a programme of funding to help achieve this goal were agreed at a UN Conference in Bonn in May 2008.
In 1998, the EU adopted its own 'biodiversity strategy'. Four action plans covering the conservation of natural resources, agriculture, fisheries, and economic and development cooperation were subsequently agreed as part of this strategy in 2001. The European Commission released a Communication on stopping the decline of endangered species and habitats by 2010; this underlined the importance of biodiversity protection as a pre-requisite for sustainable development and set out an action plan. The biodiversity action plan addresses the challenge of integrating biodiversity concerns into other policy areas. It also contains indicators to monitor progress and a timetable for evaluations, whereby the European Commission has undertaken to report annually. Although the goal of halting biodiversity loss by 2010 was not reached, a new target was adopted in March 2010: to halt the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services in the EU by 2020, restore them insofar as feasible, while stepping up the EU contribution to averting global biodiversity loss.
Biodiversity strategy is based on the implementation of two landmark Directives, the ('Habitats Directive' 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992) and the ('Birds Directive' 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979). Implementation of these Directives has involved the establishment of a coherent European ecological network of sites under the title 'Natura 2000'. The EU wants to expand Natura 2000, which currently counts around 26 000 sites (and an area of almost 880 000 km²) where plant and animal species and their habitats are protected.
Most of the work in this area has so far focused on the establishment of the Natura 2000 network which may be seen as the first pillar of action, relating to the conservation of natural habitats in general. However, the legislation also foresees actions in relation to the establishment of a second pillar through strict protection regimes for certain animal species (for example, the Arctic fox and the Iberian lynx, both under serious threat of extinction).
Nature and biodiversity is one of four priorities in the EU’s sixth environment action programme (2002-2012), together with climate change, resource and waste management, and health in relation to the environment.
Further Eurostat information
Publications
- Energy, transport and environment indicators pocketbook
- Building agro environmental indicators – Focussing on the European area frame survey LUCAS
Main tables
- Environment (t_env), see:
- Biodiversity (t_env_biodiv)
Database
- Environment (env), see:
- Biodiversity (env_biodiv)
- Protected Areas for biodiversity: Habitats Directive (env_bio1)
- Protection of natural resources - Common bird index (env_bio2)
- Fish catches from stocks outside of 'safe biological limits' (env_biofish1)
Other information
- Communication COM (2006)-216 final 'Halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010 - and beyond - Sustaining ecosystem services for human well-being'
- Directive 79/409/EEC ('Birds Directive') of 2 April 1979 on the conservation of wild birds
- Directive 92/43/EEC ('Habitats Directive') on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora
Source data for tables, figures and maps on this page (MS Excel)
External links
- EBCC - European Bird Census Council
- European Commission - Environment - Biodiversity & Nature
- Convention on Biological Diversity (UNEP - United Nations Environment Programme)