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 (EU).
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Main statistical findings
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Habitats
Protected areas for preserving biodiversity are based on areas proposed by Member States under the EU's Habitats Directive and are expressed as a percentage of the total area of a country. About 13 % of the EU-25’s territory comprised protected areas in 2007, although some individual Member States had a much higher share. For example, Slovenia's protected areas for biodivesity accounted for a little above 30 % of Slovenian territory (Graph 1).
Birds
There was a negative trend in the past 25 years for common bird species (see Graph 2), seen in particular for common farmland birds which have become more threatened during this period. Part of the relatively steep decline in numbers of common farmland bird species may be explained by changes in land use and agricultural practices which affect birds’ capacity for nesting or feeding. After a couple of years of limited upturn, the population of farmland species fell relatively sharply again in 2006. In contrast, the index for forest birds showed some improvement compared to its relative low value recorded in 2000, although there was a contraction between 2004 and 2005.
Data sources and availability
Habitats
Annual data are available on protected areas under the Habitats Directive and are presented as a percentage of total country area. The indicator on protected areas is based on territories proposed by countries to be designated for the protection of natural and semi-natural habitats, wild fauna and flora, according to 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 annexes I and II of the Habitats Directive.
Birds
Birds are considered good proxies for biodiversity and the integrity of ecosystems as they tend to be at, or near, the top of their food chain, have large ranges, and can migrate, and thus they reflect changes in ecosystems rather rapidly. These indicators focus on the population trends among relatively large groups of abundant European species associated with different habitats. They 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 a base year of 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 18 Member States, derived from annually operated national breeding bird surveys obtained through the Pan-European common bird monitoring scheme (PECBMS). Three different indices are presented:
- farmland (36 species);
- forest (29 species);
- 'all common birds’ (135 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 aggregate index regroups 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 items that make life possible and drive economic development (food, energy, wood, raw materials, clean air and water). Many aspects of our natural environment are predominantly public goods (in other words, there are no markets or prices), 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 of, among others, agricultural, regional, urban, energy and transport policy. Many of these issues were touched upon by a meeting of the G8 environment ministers held in Potsdam in March 2007, which launched an extensive study on the economic significance of the global loss of biological diversity.
The global scale of the biodiversity issue has led to international action, the framework for which is the United Nations (UN) 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 concrete 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 sectors. It also contains indicators to monitor progress and a timetable for evaluations, whereby the European Commission has undertaken to provide annual reporting.
Its biodiversity strategy is essentially based on the implementation of two 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'.
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
Database
- Biodiversity, see:
- Protected areas for biodiversity: habitats directive
- Protection of natural resources – common bird index
- Fish catches from stocks outside of safe biological limits
Other information
- Communication from the European Commission COM (2006)-216 final (Halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010 — And beyond)
- Council Directive 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979 ('birds Directive')
- Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 ('habitats Directive')