Grasslands, wetlands and coastal habitats in Europe face the greatest threats, mainly due to the decline of traditional patterns of agriculture, tourist development and climate change, according to a report by the European Commission on the conservation status of over 1150 species and 200 habitat types protected under EU law.
According to the report, only a small proportion of these vulnerable habitats and species have achieved good conservation status and Member States will need to strengthen their efforts if this situation is to improve.
The report, the most comprehensive survey of EU biodiversity ever undertaken, however, is not uniformly gloomy, for some larger, emblematic species such as the wolf, Eurasian lynx, beaver and otter are beginning to re-colonise parts of their traditional range.
EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said: "We are committed to halting the loss of biodiversity in Europe and this report leaves no room for complacency.
Bringing vulnerable habitats and species back to a good status takes time and considerable effort. EU nature legislation and the Natura 2000 network are the key elements in achieving our objectives for biodiversity protection in the EU. Now that the terrestrial part of the network is nearly complete, we can expect significant improvements over the next 10 to 20 years."
"Europe's biodiversity is still under serious pressure and faces grave risks. Although we will miss the target of halting the biodiversity loss in Europe by 2010, some progress is being made. As the Commissioner said recently in Athens, the post-2010 target should be ambitious, measurable and clear. It should maintain the emphasis given to the intrinsic value of biodiversity while also recognising the value of healthy and resilient ecosystems and the services they provide", said
Professor Jacqueline McGlade, executive drector of the European Environment Agency.
The report covers 216 types of habitats, and contains information about some 1182 species. Although the overall message is that many species and habitat types have not achieved good conservation status, there are indications that protection measures are having an impact and that some habitat types and species are starting to recover.
Species such as the brown bear, the wolf and the beaver are recovering and re-establishing themselves in many areas. This means that the right habitats are available, and that negative pressures such as hunting and pollution have been reduced.
Grasslands, wetlands at risk
The overall status of grassland, wetland and coastal habitat types is particularly poor. Grasslands are mainly associated with traditional patterns of agriculture, which are disappearing throughout the EU, and the conservation status of all habitat types associated with agriculture is significantly worse than other types of habitat.
Wetlands are being converted to other uses, and are also suffering the effects of climate change, as are habitats associated with mountain glaciers. Coastal habitats are under increasing pressure from tourism.
Overall, some 13 per cent of regional habitat assessments and 27 per cent of regional species assessments were reported as ‘unknown’. The number of ‘unknown’ classifications was particularly high for species found in southern Europe, with Cyprus, Greece, Spain and Portugal indicating ‘unknown’ for more than 50 per cent of the species reported in their territories.
The marine environment poses a particular problem, with 57 per cent of the marine species assessments and about 40 per cent of the marine habitats assessments classed as ‘unknown'.
According to the report, only a small proportion of these vulnerable habitats and species have achieved good conservation status and Member States will need to strengthen their efforts if this situation is to improve.
The report, the most comprehensive survey of EU biodiversity ever undertaken, however, is not uniformly gloomy, for some larger, emblematic species such as the wolf, Eurasian lynx, beaver and otter are beginning to re-colonise parts of their traditional range.
EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said: "We are committed to halting the loss of biodiversity in Europe and this report leaves no room for complacency.
Bringing vulnerable habitats and species back to a good status takes time and considerable effort. EU nature legislation and the Natura 2000 network are the key elements in achieving our objectives for biodiversity protection in the EU. Now that the terrestrial part of the network is nearly complete, we can expect significant improvements over the next 10 to 20 years."
"Europe's biodiversity is still under serious pressure and faces grave risks. Although we will miss the target of halting the biodiversity loss in Europe by 2010, some progress is being made. As the Commissioner said recently in Athens, the post-2010 target should be ambitious, measurable and clear. It should maintain the emphasis given to the intrinsic value of biodiversity while also recognising the value of healthy and resilient ecosystems and the services they provide", said
Professor Jacqueline McGlade, executive drector of the European Environment Agency.
The report covers 216 types of habitats, and contains information about some 1182 species. Although the overall message is that many species and habitat types have not achieved good conservation status, there are indications that protection measures are having an impact and that some habitat types and species are starting to recover.
Species such as the brown bear, the wolf and the beaver are recovering and re-establishing themselves in many areas. This means that the right habitats are available, and that negative pressures such as hunting and pollution have been reduced.
Grasslands, wetlands at risk
The overall status of grassland, wetland and coastal habitat types is particularly poor. Grasslands are mainly associated with traditional patterns of agriculture, which are disappearing throughout the EU, and the conservation status of all habitat types associated with agriculture is significantly worse than other types of habitat.
Wetlands are being converted to other uses, and are also suffering the effects of climate change, as are habitats associated with mountain glaciers. Coastal habitats are under increasing pressure from tourism.
Overall, some 13 per cent of regional habitat assessments and 27 per cent of regional species assessments were reported as ‘unknown’. The number of ‘unknown’ classifications was particularly high for species found in southern Europe, with Cyprus, Greece, Spain and Portugal indicating ‘unknown’ for more than 50 per cent of the species reported in their territories.
The marine environment poses a particular problem, with 57 per cent of the marine species assessments and about 40 per cent of the marine habitats assessments classed as ‘unknown'.
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