15 Implementation of EU biodiversity
action plan
(32069)
14863/10
+ ADDs 1-4
COM(10) 548
| Commission Report: The 2010 assessment of implementing the EU biodiversity action plan
|
Legal base |
|
Document originated | 8 October 2010
|
Deposited in Parliament | 15 October 2010
|
Department | Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
|
Basis of consideration | EM of 17 November 2010
|
Previous Committee Report | None, but see footnotes
|
To be discussed in Council | No date set
|
Committee's assessment | Politically important
|
Committee's decision | Cleared
|
Background
15.1 The Commission has said that biodiversity is integral to
sustainable development, and that, together with climate change,
its loss is the most critical global environmental threat: and,
as the EU had set itself the target of halting biodiversity loss
by 2010, it adopted in 2006 a Biodiversity Action Plan[69]
to speed up progress. This identified four key policy areas
biodiversity within the EU, the EU and global biodiversity, biodiversity
and climate change, and the knowledge base and ten related
priority objectives, but, after it had become clear that the EU
would not achieve its target, the Commission put forward in January
2010 a further Communication[70]
as a first step towards that objective. Its aim was to stimulate
informed debate by identifying the issues at stake and the steps
needed to realise the EU's goals of contributing to international
discussions on a global vision beyond 2010 as part of a plan to
implement the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.
15.2 That Communication noted that several factors
had prevented the EU from achieving its 2010 target, and needed
to be addressed. These included gaps in the implementation of
Natura 2000; a number of major policy gaps, notably on soils and
invasive species, and the need for better coordination on infrastructure
development and planning; gaps in knowledge and data at Member
State, EU and global levels; the need to improve the integration
of biodiversity concerns into other policies; the need for funding
for biodiversity in the EU to be properly assessed; considering
the issue of equity within the EU and at a global level, given
the uneven spread of biodiversity; securing a successful outcome
to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, and making a success
of the negotiations on reducing emissions from deforestation.
The Commission also suggested the following four levels of ambition
for a 2020 headline target:
- significantly reducing the
rate of loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the EU
by 2020;
- halting the loss of such services by 2020;
- halting the loss of such services by 2020, and
restoring them as far as possible;
- halting the loss of these services by 2020, restoring
them as far as possible, and stepping up the EU's contribution
to averting global biodiversity loss.
The current document
15.3 In this latest report on the implementation
of the Action Plan, the Commission notes that EU biodiversity
remains under serious pressure, and that the global situation
is even more alarming. It then seeks to summarise recent progress
under the various policy areas and objectives, and to identify
four key supporting measures.
BIODIVERSITY IN THE EU
Safeguarding EU habitats and species
15.4 The Commission notes that there has been a significant
improvement in the completion of the Natura 2000 network, particularly
as regards the marine environment, and that the focus is shifting
towards effective management and restoration. It also highlights
the increasing emphasis on environmental assessment, and the development
of the significant biodiversity in its outermost regions.
Conserving biodiversity in the wider EU countryside
15.5 The Commission notes that the Common Agricultural
Policy (CAP) is the policy instrument having the most significant
impact on biodiversity in rural areas, and that, following the
"Health Check" in 2009, the environmental conditions
attached to cross-compliance have been amended, and biodiversity
identified as one of the five new challenges facing the CAP: on
the other hand, the abolition of compulsory set-aside, has been
a set-back. Other areas highlighted by the Commission include
progress towards greater energy sustainability, particularly through
the Renewable Energy Directive, the development of river basin
management plans, and the protection of forests and soils.
Conserving biodiversity and ecosystems in the
wider EU marine environment
15.6 The Commission says that it is to adopt a Decision
relating to good environmental status for marine waters, as a
key step in the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework
Directive, and that its 2009 Green Paper[71]
on the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) was the first step towards
achieving the commitment made by the EU at the World Summit on
Sustainable Development in 2002 to achieve maximum sustainable
yields for depleted stocks by 2015.
Compatibility of regional development with biodiversity
in the EU
15.7 The Commission notes that the Cohesion Policy
in the period 2007-13 addresses both directly and indirectly the
preservation of biodiversity, and that other measures, such as
waste water treatment and natural risk prevention, are also significant.
It says that all but two Member States have, to some degree or
other, allocated funding for nature and biodiversity, and it draws
attention to the efforts made by it and the Council to promote
"green infrastructure".
Reduction of the impact on EU biodiversity of
invasive alien species
15.8 The Commission says that the Communication[72]
it put forward in 2008 on developing a strategy for invasive species
has triggered a debate, with the Council subsequently calling
for an effective strategy to fill the gaps at EU level.
THE EU AND GLOBAL DIVERSITY
Strengthening the effectiveness of international
governance
15.9 The Commission says that, since the most recent
conference of the parties to the United Nations Convention of
Biological Diversity, it has focussed efforts on ensuring delivery
of the commitments made, and on preparing for the next conference,
where the three key issues agreeing a revised strategic
plan for the Convention for 2010-20, agreeing a Protocol on access
to genetic resources and the sharing of the resultant benefits,
and a financing target for global biodiversity will have
a crucial bearing on the world's ability to address the biodiversity
challenge. In the meantime, it notes that, despite intensive efforts
from the EU, the global target of significantly reducing the rate
of biodiversity loss by 2010 has not been reached.
Strengthening support for biodiversity in EU external
assistance
15.10 The Commission notes that average annual external
assistance of Member States for biodiversity in the period 2003-06
was some 740 million, representing 48% of all biodiversity-related
development assistance, whilst the biodiversity related activities
in Commission's own portfolio of external actions in the period
2007-09 amounted to about 325 million. It also draws attention
to the large increase in funds for the Global Environment Facility;
to the use of environmental impact assessments by bilateral and
multilateral development agencies; the mid-term review of the
Environment and Natural Resources Thematic Programme; and the
biodiversity training given to EU staff.
Reducing the impact of international trade on
global biodiversity
15.11 The Commission observes the major pressure
on biodiversity arising from the illegal trade in endangered species,
and the leading role played by the EU within the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). It also draws
attention to the voluntary partnerships entered into under the
Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) initiative,
measures to combat illegal logging, and the priority given to
use of Sustainability Impact Assessments in trade agreements.
BIODIVERSITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Supporting biodiversity adaptation to climate
change
15.12 The Commission notes that the EU has continued
to highlight the important links between biodiversity and climate
change, and that this is increasingly reflected in policy development,
particularly as regards the recognition that protecting and restoring
biodiversity provides cost-effective opportunities for climate
change mitigation or adaptation. In addition, it draws attention
to its White Paper[73]
on Adaptation to Climate Change; the Accord reached at the Copenhagen
Conference, including the provision on financial assistance from
industrialised countries; the call to reduce emissions from deforestation
and forest degradation; and the Global Climate Change Alliance.
THE KNOWLEDGE BASE
Strengthening the knowledge base for sustainable
use of biodiversity
15.13 The Commission says that considerable progress
has been achieved over the past two years in enhancing the relevant
knowledge base, both within the EU and globally, and it draws
attention to a number of initiatives aimed at further improvements.
These include the establishment of an EU Biodiversity Baseline
(and related indicators); the launching of a Biodiversity Information
System for Europe; Framework Programmes under the European Research
Area; the introduction of an Intergovernmental Science-Policy
Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services; and the launching
by the G8 of a study on the economics of ecosystems and biodiversity.
KEY SUPPORTING MEASURES
Ensuring adequate financing
15.14 The Commission points out that the European
Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) remains the most
important EU funding source for Natura 2000 and biodiversity in
the EU, though the European Regional Development Fund and the
European Fisheries Fund are also significant. It adds that it
has proved difficult to establish a methodology to determine how
much EU funding has been used by Member States for nature and
biodiversity, but it notes that at present only about 20% of the
total financing needs for managing protected areas, including
the Natura 2000 network, are being met. It also draws attention
to the 836
million available to find nature and biodiversity from the LIFE+
programme in the period 2007-13.
Strengthening EU decision-making and implementation
15.15 The Commission says that, as it had previously
identified information gaps as one of the likely reasons for the
EU not meeting its 2010 biodiversity target, it has been actively
addressing this issue. It also notes that a Communication[74]
on implementing EU Environmental Law as adopted in 2008, a European
Network of Environmental authorities was set up in 2009, and that
Member States have made considerable efforts to provide it with
comprehensive information in relation to the Biodiversity Action
Plan.
Building partnerships
15.16 The Commission suggests that the building of
partnerships is one of the requirements for a successful biodiversity
policy, and it records the launching in 2010 of a EU Business
and Biodiversity Platform and of a partnership with the European
Investment Bank for the development of innovative financial instruments
for biodiversity.
Public education, awareness and participation
15.17 The Commission says that the EU has continued
its efforts to raise public awareness of the importance of biodiversity
conservation, with the launching of a major EU Biodiversity Campaign,
and the carrying out of a Eurobarometer opinion poll.
Monitoring
15.18 The Commission says that research and monitoring
have been intensified in order to fill key knowledge gaps, and
that the European Environment Agency is about to publish a knowledge
gap analysis for ecosystem indicators. It also notes an initiative
under the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES)
programme to provide data to support the monitoring of both the
marine and terrestrial environment.
15.19 The Commission concludes by saying that, although
the 2010 objective in the Biodiversity Action Plan has not been
met, significant progress has been made over the last two years
on the Natura 2000 sites, improving the knowledge base, and establishing
further linkages between biodiversity and climate change, but
that more progress needs to be made on integrating biodiversity
considerations into other sectoral policies, making the necessary
funding available, and filling existing policy gaps. It says that
it is currently working on a future biodiversity policy framework,
and that it will be drawing on the findings of this latest assessment.
The Government's view
15.20 In his Explanatory Memorandum of 17 November
2010, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Natural Environment
and Fisheries at the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs (Mr Richard Benyon) notes that the report is primarily
retrospective in terms of assessing progress towards the 2010
target, but that it will also inform the development of the new
EU Biodiversity Action Plan. He adds that the UK supports such
a development as a contribution towards the global framework agreed
recently under the auspices of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Conclusion
15.21 This report by the Commission seeks to identify
the progress made towards the EU's aim of halting biodiversity
loss, and in particular the steps taken to pursue the detailed
policy objectives set out in the Biodiversity Action Plan, including
those where further work is still needed. For that reason, we
are drawing it to the attention of the House, but, as it would
appear to have been prepared essentially for information, and
(we understand) no discussion has been planned by the Council,
we are content to clear it.
69 (27531) 9769/06: see HC 34-xxxiii (2005-06), chapter
10 (28 June 2006). Back
70
(31270) 5614/10: see HC 5-x (2009-10), chapter 6 (9 February 2010). Back
71
(30556) 8977/09: see HC 19-xviii (2008-09), chapter 2 (3 June
2009). Back
72
(30237) 16813/08: see HC 19-viii (2008-09), chapter 14 (25 February
2009). Back
73
(30535) 8526/09: see HC 19-xvii (2008-09), chapter 5 (13 May 2009). Back
74
(30217) 16222/08: see HC 19-v (2008-09), chapter 14 (28 January
2009). Back
|