The biodiversity strategy which is being prepared by the European Commission as part of the 'European Green Deal’ is intended to be ambitious, since it is intended to respond to a crisis as serious and urgent as that of the climate, which is itself linked to climate change, according to the document being prepared by EUROPE.
"Climate change and biodiversity loss are inextricably linked and interdependent, and both have crucial effects on global sustainability. It is essential to strengthen synergies between climate, energy and biodiversity policies, as required by the European Green Deal, and to fully tap into nature’s climate change adaptation and mitigation potential. This requires better integration of ecosystems and ecosystem services into planning and investment decisions, including large-scale ecosystem restoration as an integral part of climate action", the Commission stresses.
This strategy could be presented on 25 March, according to the provisional timetable of the College of Commissioners, which is still subject to change.
It will have two main axes: the external axis for the conference on biological diversity (Kunming, CBD COP15 in October), which should define the post-2020 global framework, and the other for internal use so that the EU can give itself the means to fulfil its ambitions and set an example.
It does so on the basis of the expectations of both the EU Council and the European Parliament, both of which called for ambitious results in Kunming (see EUROPE (12394/10, 12405/4). For COP15, the EU should confirm its commitment to the global vision for 2050, but also help to ensure that this vision is translated into one or more long-term objectives and that 2030 targets are set that go beyond the Aichi targets and are results-orientated.
To this end, the Commission mentions in particular: - the protection of a minimum percentage of marine and terrestrial areas, but the figure of 30% is still in square brackets; - a percentage reduction in the use of pesticides in agriculture, but again the figure of 30% is indicative; - sustainable fisheries and minimising their impact on marine ecosystems; - an end to deforestation and forest degradation and deforestation-free supply chains, etc.
According to the Commission's draft, these objectives will have to be accompanied by a much more robust implementation and review mechanism.
Once the framework has been agreed at global level, the EU should support it through all its external policies "by setting a credible example", be it diplomacy, trade policy or development policy, all of which should integrate biodiversity concerns and make green and sustainable investments a priority.
EU 2030 Strategy. Above all, the Commission plans to, and will work to, strengthen Member States' implementation of all relevant environmental legislation, in particular the Nature ('Habitats' and 'Birds') and Water Framework Directives.
But a new coordination and governance framework should be put in place to ensure that Member States translate their commitments into their post-2020 national strategies and action plans.
Crucially, according to the draft document, concrete targets and commitments should be set for nature protection, the restoration of healthy ecosystems, the sustainable use of ecosystems, the integration of biodiversity into other policies and the means to enable transformative change.
Depending on the outcome of COP15, the EU could commit to the restoration of at least 30% of land and/or marine areas. The figure and the appropriateness of providing for both types of zones are still open to question (hence the square brackets). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)