The report presents an ecosystem assessment covering the total land area of the EU as well as the EU marine regions. This report constitutes a knowledge base which can support the evaluation of the 2020 biodiversity targets. It also provides a data foundation for future assessments and policy developments, in particular with respect to the ecosystem restoration agenda for the next decade (2020-2030). The report presents an analysis of the pressures and condition of terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems using a single, comparable methodology based on European data on trends of pressures and condition relative to the policy baseline 2010. The assessment is carried out by Joint Research Centre, European Environment Agency, DG Environment, and the European Topic Centres on Biological Diversity and on Urban, Land and Soil Systems.
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10 key messages
1 | We need to preserve and restore the EU’s ecosystems in order to secure their essential services; |
2 | Effective implementation of environmental legislation and policies can result in reducing pressures and improving the condition of ecosystems; |
3 | Effective implementation of environmental legislation and policies can result in reducing pressures and improving the condition of ecosystems; |
4 | Improving the condition of ecosystems in the wider landscape by reducing pressures on biodiversity can help improve the status of protected habitats and species both within and outside Natura 2000 areas, and increase their connectivity; |
5 | Pressure on forests remains high and undermines good forest condition; |
6 | Agricultural biodiversity and soil - a vital asset for farmers - continues to decline; |
7 | Wetlands remain in poor condition. The chemical quality of rivers and lakes is improving, but overall progress to achieving good ecological status is insufficient; |
8 | Major data gaps pose obstacles to the assessment of marine ecosystem condition; |
9 | Nature-based solutions in cities can help improve urban quality of life while minimising negative impacts on other ecosystems and improving urban biodiversity; |
10 | The EU needs a better performing biodiversity observation network and more consistent ecosystem condition reporting. |
Foreword to the report
Healthy, thriving and resilient nature is at the core of healthy lifestyles, thriving economies and resilient societies. Europe’s ecosystems - from forests, rivers and lakes to farmland, urban green spaces and soils – form a safety net that protects us from extreme climate impacts and provides us with essential ecosystem services such as crop pollination, soil creation, carbon sequestration and storage, and much more. Access to nature is vital for our physical and mental health. Moreover, the Covid-19 pandemic has reminded us how much our own wellbeing depends on that of the planet.
While we continue to fight Covid-19 and its consequences for the global economy, the clock has not stopped ticking on the two global crises that threaten our very existence: the climate and the biodiversity crises. These crises are fully interrelated. The loss of natural habitats is pushing wildlife out of natural areas and to the proximity of human settlements, increasing the risk of transmission of viral diseases and the emergence of pandemics. Climate change accelerates the destruction of the natural world through droughts, flooding, heat waves and wildfires. Biodiversity loss and unsustainable land use impair nature’s capacity to adapt to climate change and store carbon. Logically, the solutions to the health, climate and biodiversity crisis must also be interrelated.
However, Europe’s ecosystems are under increasing pressure. This first European ecosystem assessment covering EU Member States (EU-27) and UK shows that ecosystems suffer from the increasing impacts of climate change and nutrient pollution. They are being lost to conversion and land use intensification. Native biodiversity is gradually replaced by non-native species, particularly in grasslands and urban areas. As ecosystems are destroyed, the supply of their essential services is also declining. This is costly for our economy and for our wellbeing.
Over one year ago, the Commission presented the European Green Deal: Europe's new growth strategy to bring together environmental, economic and social sustainability. A strategy to develop sustainable and green infrastructure, renewable energy, greener cities and healthier countryside, green products and services, sustainable agriculture and food, clean transport and innovation. This strategy for a green transition has since become our roadmap to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 is at the heart of the European Green Deal. It is a comprehensive, ambitious and long-term plan to protect nature and reverse the degradation of ecosystems. It aims to put Europe's biodiversity on a path to recovery by 2030 including via legally binding restoration targets that we will propose later this in 2021.
Ecosystem restoration will be essential to deliver win-win solutions for climate, biodiversity and human wellbeing by 2030. Restoring agroecosystems will increase their natural productivity and resilience to climate change, support healthier diets and help diversify jobs in rural areas. Restoring forests, wetlands, coastal and marine ecosystems will help us mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change, and increase our resilience to natural disasters such storms, floods and drought. Restoring soil to good condition will improve their fertility, carbon storage and water regulation capacity. Restoring urban ecosystems will make our cities healthier to live in, and more resilient to climate change. Scientists need now to use the results of the first EU ecosystem assessment to develop tools and data to pinpoint places where ecosystems are degraded, and prioritise restoration.