Published : Sep 19,
2012 Last modified : Sep 19, 2012 11:34
AM - The continuing loss of biodiversity
– made up of genes, species and ecosystems
– is a matter of growing concern in Europe.
Yet measuring the extent of the loss and
the threat it poses is a huge challenge.
In recent years the Streamlining European
Biodiversity Indicators (SEBI) process coordinated
by the European Environment Agency (EEA)
has developed a set of indicators to measure
progress against targets to halt biodiversity
loss. The EEA has now reviewed the successful
process which created the indicators in
a new report.
The report, 'Streamlining
European biodiversity indicators 2020: Building
a future on lessons learnt from the SEBI
2010 process' summarises achievements to
date and is intended to help form the next
stage of improving indicators for new biodiversity
targets for 2020.
The SEBI process started
in 2005 as a partnership with a pan-European
dimension. Almost 150 experts helped to
build a set of 26 indicators which show
among other things genetic diversity of
domesticated animals, trends in species
populations and the extent of selected ecosystems
and habitats, including protected areas.
Other indicators look at threats to biodiversity
and sustainable use of natural resources,
funding to protect biodiversity and public
awareness of biodiversity issues.
The success of the SEBI
initiative was largely due to the comprehensive
way it brought together existing data and
expertise from across Europe, developing
a rigorous process for identifying indicators
which are most relevant for policy. Moreover,
the process inspired development of national
biodiversity indicator sets in several European
countries and other regions of the world.
The report argues that
the SEBI process is an excellent template
for further improvements to biodiversity
indicators, allowing us to gain a more detailed
and complex understanding of how nature
is affected by our heavy footprint. It is
only with enhanced information that we can
properly direct policy and raise awareness,
in order to halt the loss of biodiversity
and restore the ecosystems that sustain
us.
+ More
Capture the invisible
for the EEA photo story competition
Published : Sep 18,
2012 Last modified : Oct 09, 2012 02:58
PM - The air we breathe may not be the most
photogenic subject, but depicting an odourless,
colourless gas is the challenge set out
by ImaginAIR, a new competition created
by the European Environment Agency (EEA)
which invites participants to tell a story
about Europe's air in three pictures.
The competition is open to all citizens
of European Union Member States and several
other countries which cooperate with the
EEA. Participants must submit three pictures
and a short text which tell a story about
air, choosing one of four themes: air and
health; air and technology; air and nature;
and air and cities.
Submissions open on
24 September, and the deadline is 14 October.
Competition organisers will select a shortlist
of photo stories, which will be open to
a public vote before winners are announced
on 15 November.
A €500 prize will be
awarded to the winner of each photo story
category, and an additional €500 Youth Prize
will be awarded to the winning photo story
entry from a participant aged between 18
and 24.
The EEA will use some
of the photographs in future publications
on air quality, including web pages and
reports.
ImaginAIR aims to raise
awareness of the importance of air quality.
Many of the air pollutants which cause acid
rain have been reduced over the last few
years, although several pollutants which
seriously affect health are still a problem
in Europe, particularly in cities.
Participants could choose
to tell a story which considers the positive
or negative aspects of air pollution. For
example, the natural world absorbs a lot
of air pollution, but natural processes
can also be a source of poor air quality.
Another example is that technology has a
dual role – our consumption of the newest
technology leads to pollution, but technological
developments have also allowed us to monitor
and filter air pollution.
Other stories could
tell how pollution has changed, show the
health effects of air pollution, or depict
an inspiring lifestyle which reduces air
pollution. These are just a few ideas –
indeed, the possibilities are as broad as
the atmosphere.
Good luck!
