30 May
2006 - 'Changing our behaviour - biodiversity
loss' is the theme of Green Week 2006, and the
event runs from 30 May to 2 June. The EEA exhibition
team and experts will be on hand ready to answer
questions on biodiversity, alongside some seventy
other exhibitors. This year, the EEA exhibition
stand will take on a more interactive dimension,
offering a quiz and awareness-raising activities.
An online version of the quiz is available on
this web page.
At the conference, EEA Executive
Director, Jacqueline McGlade will speak on the
biodiversity challenge from a global perspective
during conference session 3 on 30 May and session
9 on 31 May. In addition Professor McGlade will
take part in a conference on 31 May arranged by
Friends of Europe discussing effective monitoring,
assessments and research.
The EEA also takes the opportunity
to launch its latest report on biodiversity loss,
'Progress towards halting the loss of biodiversity
by 2010.' on 30 May during Green Week.
Forests are recovering, but
Europe's biodiversity is still under pressure
The condition of forests is improving and some
freshwater species are returning, but Europe still
has a long way to go in safeguarding its plant
and animal species, according to the EEA report
'Progress towards halting the loss of biodiversity
by 2010.' released today.
The report covers Europe's main
ecosystems: farmland, forests, wetlands, mountains,
marine and freshwater. It looks at policies affecting
biodiversity and reviews progress towards the
2010 target of halting the loss of biodiversity
in the EU.
Considerable progress is being
made for forest ecosystems, and, to a lesser extent,
freshwater and wetlands. Water quality in many
of Europe's rivers is improving. As a result,
some species, such as the common otter and the
salmon, are returning to their former habitats
in England, Scotland, Denmark and Latvia, the
report says.
However, farmland habitats,
mountain regions and marine ecosystems are not
doing as well. Farmland biodiversity has declined
seriously in the past decades, and there are few
signs of recovery. Bird numbers, for example,
have plummeted by a third since 1980. The farmland
bird population is a key figure, as birds feed
on insects and plants, and are thus considered
a good barometer for the general state of biodiversity
within farmland eco-systems. The continuing expansion
of intensively-farmed areas at the expense of
natural and semi-natural habitats is particularly
worrying.
The report shows that building
the Natura 2000 network has boosted the designation
of protected areas in the EU. However, land use
changes, eutrophication and acidification, climate
change and biotechnology continue to be of general
concern with regard to Europe's biodiversity.
Read the new report "Progress
towards halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010."
Read about the SEBI2010 process
"Streamlining European 2010 Biodiversity
indicators"
EEA presence at Green Week 2006
EEA Executive director Prof Jacqueline McGlade's
presentation during session 3 of the Green Week
conference
EEA Executive Director Prof
Jacqueline McGlade's presentation during session
9 of the Green Week conference
EEA Programme Manager Jock Martin's
presentation during session 4 of the Green Week
conference
What do you know about Europe's
biodiversity? Try the informal biodiversity quiz
run on the EEA exhibition stand.
Online biodiversity information
resources from the European Environment Agency
The biodiversity section on EEA website:
Nature protection is becoming
better integrated into urban planning, agriculture,
and other policies, but biodiversity across the
EU is still under threat from a wide range of
sources.
Link: http://themes.eea.europa.eu/Environmental_issues/biodiversity
European topic Centre on biological
diversity:
The ETC/BD is a consortium contracted
by the EEA to execute biodiversity tasks identified
in the multiannual work programme. ETCs are designated
by the management board after a competitive expertise/capacity
selection process.
Link: http://biodiversity.eionet.europa.eu/
European nature information
system - EUNIS:
A consolidated database covering
species, habitats and sites of European concern.
Includes information about nationally, community
and internationally designated sites. An essential
common language for implementing biodiversity
policy.
Link: http://eunis.eea.europa.eu/index.jsp
The EEA core set of indicators:
The aim of the EEA Core Set
of Indicators is to provide a manageable and stable
basis for indicator reporting.
Link: http://themes.eea.europa.eu/IMS/CSI
EEA Briefing 'Halting the loss
of biodiversity':
This briefing focuses on the
urgent need for information based on monitoring
and indicators to support the achievement of a
significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity
loss by 2010 and the EU's more ambitious goal
of halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010.
Link: http://reports.eea.europa.eu/briefing_2004_1/en
Online biodiversity information
resources supported by the European Environment
Agency
The European community's biodiversity clearing
house mechanism:
Supporting the convention on
biological diversity. A portal with up-to-date
news, upcoming events and policy developments
at UN and EU level, as well as a comprehensive
introduction to the 'why', 'what' and 'who' of
biodiversity policy.
Link: http://biodiversity-chm.eea.europa.eu/
Online biodiversity information
resources from the European Commission
Communication on Halting the Loss of Biodiversity
On the occasion of International
Biodiversity Day, 22 May, the Commission adopted
a Communication on Halting the Loss of Biodiversity
by 2010 - and Beyond; Sustaining Ecosystem Services
for Human Well-Being. The Communication and related
documents can be accessed through the Commission's
Nature and Biodiversity home page on the EU's
Europa server.
Link: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/biodiversity/
Green Week:
Green Week 2006 will focus the
spotlight on four main components of our endeavour
to halt biodiversity loss: biodiversity as a global
issue, the management of natural resources, space
for nature, and biodiversity and society.
Link: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/greenweek/home.html
Other related EEA outputs
The European environment - State and Outlook 2005:
Parts A and B of this report
contain an up-to-date integrated assessment of
Europe's biodiversity resource.
Link: http://reports.eea.europa.eu/state_of_environment_report_2005_1/en
Prelude:
Prelude - PRospective Envrionmental
analysis of Land Use Development in Europe, explores
what European landscapes may look like 30 years
from now and beyond.
Link: http://scenarios.ewindows.eu.org/reports/fol077184