Despite the EU's general failure to deliver on its target of halting biodiversity loss throughout the Union by 2010, the NGO stresses that the many examples of best practice and localised success stories show that "the EU already has powerful conservation tools and, where there is political will to implement science-backed action, the results invariably follow" (EurActiv 17/12/08).
BirdLife's new report on the EU's progress towards halting biodiversity loss sets out a number of specific recommendations for resolving the biodiversity crisis. These are grouped under four main headings: governance and legislation, investing in natural capital, building green infrastructure and addressing the drivers of biodiversity and ecosystem loss.
Mainstreaming biodiversity into other policies
The BirdLife rescue plan for Europe's biodiversity underlines the need for stronger enforcement of existing EU legislation, such as the Birds and Habitats Directives. But it also suggests developing specific 2020 biodiversity strategies for key sectoral policies, such as the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
Sectoral EU strategies for the next ten years could "re-energise the process of involving stakeholders in achieving EU biodiversity policy, minimise conflicts and commit both industry and authorities to better implementation and financing," the report argues.
Consequently, more funding and new tools to improve financial streams for biodiversity protection are also needed to develop and implement new policies, the study adds.
Finally, the report suggests that efficient land-use policies are needed to ensure that new infrastructure and urban development does not lead to biodiversity loss. Biodiversity footprint considerations in product labelling and public procurement would encourage sustainable consumption and production, it adds.
Need for appropriate targets and indicators
The document also proposes a list of measurable targets and indicators, which would allow progress to be tracked throughout the EU. The report already includes a simple overview table, which uses a traffic light system to present average scores for different EU member states regarding a number of indicators.
While the countries' scores vary depending on the indicator, which are ranked from red to green, not one EU member states was given the green light for its final score.
