About: Biodiversity
Wildlife populations fell 68% since 1970s, new WWF report warns
The way humanity produces food, energy and goods is destroying the habitats of thousands of wildlife species, causing plunging population sizes and contributing to the emergence of diseases such as COVID-19, according to WWF’s Living Planet Report 2020, released on Thursday (10 September).
France suspends controversial glue-trapping of songbirds
France has suspended the glue-trapping of songbirds this year but stopped short of abolishing the controversial practice which is criticised as barbaric by bird lovers and banned under European Union regulations.
What is the reaction of the pesticides and biopesticides industry to the EU Farm to Fork and Sustainability strategies?
Géraldine Kutas, European Crop Protection Association (ECPA) Director General, discusses the industry's role in the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity 2030 strategy
EU’s trade deals can put an end to deforestation
The EU must take an aggressive “stick and carrot” approach to trade deals in order to put an end to deforestation and avert a next pandemic, writes Fazlun Khalid.
Food security & Climate change post-COVID – Improving the sustainability of EU agriculture
The Covid-19 pandemic has raised questions about the fragility of our food supply, putting food security back on the agenda. Coupled with the on-going threat of climate change, agriculture has a crucial role to play to ensure European food remains...
Let’s not forget biodiversity
Halting biodiversity loss and restoring nature are essential to Europe’s economic recovery, writes Michel Derdevet. The EU’s aspiration for global leadership on this depends on its ability to lead by example and intensify its actions on the ground, he argues.
One-third of animal species in Germany in bad shape, says new government report
One day before the European Commission unveils its new biodiversity strategy, Germany presented its national nature report, which stressed that while some populations are recovering, insects are now in very bad shape. EURACTIV Germany reports.
EU plans sweeping bioenergy review by end 2020
The European Commission intends to push a “transformative approach” to all forms of bioenergy – including biofuels and woody biomass – as part of a biodiversity strategy due to be unveiled on Wednesday (20 May).
EU aims to ring-fence ‘old-growth forests’ in new biodiversity plan
At least 10% of land – considerably more than the current 3% – will have to be declared “strictly protected areas” under a new EU biodiversity strategy due to be unveiled later this month.
US scientist: ‘Roads and corruption’ are big drivers of deforestation
To be effective, forest conservation initiatives must be rooted in a local context – including the land ownership and tenure ecosystems in which they operate, says Keith Kline, from the prestigious Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the US.
Human impact on wildlife to blame for spread of viruses, says study
Hunting, farming and the global move of people to cities has led to massive declines in biodiversity and increased the risk of dangerous viruses like COVID-19 spilling over from animals to humans, a major study has concluded. EURACTIV's media partner, The Guardian, reports.
NGOs criticise Commission over CAP impact on biodiversity
Environmental NGOs have accused the European Commission of "greenwashing" and cherry-picking positive messages from an EU-funded independent evaluation study about the impact of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) on habitats, landscapes and biodiversity.
Agriculture and biodiversity: A make or break for European Green Deal
A recent impact report published by the European Commission lays bare the terrible mismatch between the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the bloc's biodiversity objectives, writes Jabier Ruiz.
The ‘super year for biodiversity’: Undermined by a wildlife market?
This year's meeting of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is being curtailed by the COVID-19 outbreak. Ironically, the pandemic most likely first emerged from wildlife being traded in a live animal market in Wuhan, China, writes Janice Weatherley Singh.
Green Deal facing delays due to coronavirus, EU admits
The European Commission is having to re-order its priorities in the face of the coronavirus crisis, with “non-essential” initiatives like the biodiversity strategy and the farm-to-fork strategy likely to be delayed by several weeks, EURACTIV understands.
Coronavirus delays UN climate and biodiversity talks
UN Climate Change said it won’t hold any physical meetings until the end of April amid efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic. EURACTIV’s media partner Climate Home News reports. The spread of coronavirus across the world is disrupting climate and...
Von der Leyen’s first 100 days: Are Europe’s forests – and the climate – in good hands?
The Green Deal promoted by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has the potential to strengthen European, as well as global, forests and make a significant contribution to the fight against climate change, writes Hannah Mowat.
Environmental measures in Swedish forests will continue to be strong
In a recent opinion piece, a group of NGOs wrote that Sweden's forest policy is wreaking havoc. Herman Sundqvist argues that this is wrong on several counts and that the country is working to improve environmental measures in the forest.
Sweden’s forest crimes
Sweden presents itself as a global torchbearer on the environment, but its forest policy is wreaking havoc. The EU must act to stop it, say five European NGOs.
How frontier research could be the answer to a more sustainable future
More frequent extreme weather events, increasing political nationalism and growing economic inequality are making sustainable development goals harder to achieve. EURACTIV looked at the work of four frontier researchers to explore how a more sustainable future could look like.
CAP reform: harnessing the power of innovation for a greener EU agriculture
Agriculture in the European Union after 2020 must be encouraged to adopt innovative tools to meet growing environmental challenges, but this requires modernisation, money and knowledge, EURACTIV Poland reports.
With a ‘Farm to Fork’ Strategy on the cards, is the EU finally listening to its citizens?
The Farm to Fork strategy will reveal whether the new Commission is ready to overhaul some of the EU’s most unsustainable policies and the vested interests behind them but leaked drafts suggest that it will not be truly systemic and...
Europe’s environment ‘at a tipping point’, EU agency says
Europe faces environmental challenges “of unprecedented scale and urgency,” according to a comprehensive overview of air, land and water ecosystems published on Wednesday (4 December) by the European Environment Agency.