Brussels, 07/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - To mark International Biodiversity Day on 22 May, the European Commission will host a high-level conference in Brussels on the Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and Their Services (MAES).
The EU's initiative in this field is based on one observation: apart from their intrinsic value, biodiversity and the services it provides (for the production of food, fuel, drugs and for tourism, for example) have an important economic value. A figure should be placed on this value and it should be included in accountancy systems. And in order to know what to protect and how to make the most of ecosystem-related services, there needs to be solid, reliable and comparable data.
This conference will enable the European Commission, member states and all stakeholders involved - the European Environment Agency, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), NGOs and researchers - to take stock the work undertaken in this area at member state and EU levels.
This platform will help demonstrate how reliable and quality information on the condition of the ecosystems and the services they provide can help the European Union reach its biodiversity targets and integrate the main environment-related concerns in all appropriate sectoral policies: climate change adaptation, regional, water, agriculture, marine and forestry policies.
The European Union is committed to halting the loss of biodiversity and the decline of ecosystem services up through Horizon 2020. (AN)