Search results
355 results
Sort by:
Grassland butterfly index in Europe
Butterflies play an important role in ecosystems and provide a range of ecosystem services, including pollination. Butterflies are sensitive to environmental change and a good indicator of the health of the environment. Currently their numbers are declining. Between 1991 and 2023 the index of 17 grassland butterfly species in the European Union decreased very strongly, by 50%. To ensure the recovery of butterflies, Member States need to significantly increase the implementation of existing policies and put in place new conservation and restoration measures.
Assessing biodiversity in Europe — the 2010 report
The present report considers the status and trends of pan-European biodiversity, and the implications of these trends for biodiversity management policy and practice. It considers the key biodiversity policy instruments currently applied in Europe, the threats to biodiversity and their management implications across major habitat types. The implications for biodiversity of cross- cutting issues such as tourism and urban planning are also considered, along with the challenges that remain for conserving and sustainably using of Europe's biodiversity. The report makes use of the SEBI 2010 indicators and other relevant national and regional information sources. It does not consider the biodiversity of EU overseas territories and outermost regions.
Biodiversity Information System for Europe (BISE)
Flyer: a living resource for biodiversity information
EEA Briefing 1/2006 - Assessing environmental integration in EU agriculture
Distribution and targeting of the CAP budget from a biodiversity perspective
The EU has highlighted the importance of using the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) to prevent the abandonment of high nature value farmland and its intensification as a key action to halt biodiversity decline. The present report sets out to assess whether the current distribution of CAP funds is likely to favour the maintenance of farmland with high nature value (HNV). And it explores the extent to which CAP funds are likely to support the long-term economic and ecological sustainability of these HNV farming systems.
Ecosystem accounting and the cost of biodiversity losses — the case of coastal Mediterranean wetlands
This report focuses on ways we can use land and ecosystem accounting techniques to describe and monitor the consequences of biodiversity loss in the coastal wetlands of the Mediterranean. These ecosystems are characterised by the close coupling of economic, social and ecological processes, and any accounting system has to represent how these key elements are linked and change over time. This report discusses the importance of estimating the ecological and social costs of maintaining these systems, and the problems surrounding providing monetary estimates of the services associated with wetlands. It also shows how individual wetland socio-ecological systems (SES) can be defined and mapped using the remotely sensed land cover information from Corine Land Cover.
Agriculture and environment in EU-15 - the IRENA indicator report
EEA Report 2/2006 - Integration of environment into EU agriculture policy - the IRENA indicator-based assessment report
This report aims to provide a fair reflection of the progress, the achievements and obstacles in the integration of environmental concerns into EU agriculture policy, based on indicators developed in the IRENA operation (see Section 1.3). It also tackles limitations to successful policy implementation at Member State level, and challenges ahead.
Progress towards halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010
This report assesses farmland, forests, freshwater ecosystems, marine and coastal systems, wetlands of international importance and mountain ecosystems in order to provide evidence of progress — or lack of progress — towards the 2010 target of halting the loss of biodiversity.
European forests — ecosystem conditions and sustainable use
Biodiversity – 10 messages for 2010.
Each message provides a short assessment focusing on a specific ecosystem or issue related to biodiversity in Europe.
10 messages for 2010 – Cultural landscapes and biodiversity heritage
Key messages: 1) Diverse climatic conditions, varied geology and morphology and centuries of pre- and post-industrial land use created Europe's diverse mosaic of cultural and natural landscapes, rich in biodiversity. 2) Europe's landscapes have become highly fragmented and homogenised, threatening their biodiversity and affecting their multifunctional role. 3) By managing its multifunctional culture-historical landscapes and related biodiversity sustainably, Europe can secure valuable ecosystems services while preserving its cultural and natural heritage. 4) Various legal instruments and initiatives address European biodiversity heritage at the landscape level. Incorporating these into regional and local planning and involving local communities is necessary to secure Europe's biodiversity heritage and maintain multifunctional landscapes.
10 messages for 2010 — protected areas
This report explores the historical trends, most recent progress and projected future progress on climate change mitigation through reduced GHG emissions, renewable energy gains and improved energy efficiency. It builds upon data reported by the EU-27 Member States, five EEA member countries and nine Contracting Parties of the Energy Community. This message is the 2nd in a series of '10 messages for 2010'. Each message provides a short assessment focusing on a specific ecosystem or issue related to biodiversity in Europe. The remaining messages will be published at various intervals throughout 2010. More detailed information on the published and upcoming messages.
10 messages for 2010 — freshwater ecosystems
Freshwater ecosystems in Europe are rich in biodiversity but at risk. They provide essential ecosystem services to humans, such as cleaning water, preventing floods, producing food, providing energy and regulating freshwater resources...
10 messages for 2010 — marine ecosystems
Marine ecosystems provide key services both globally and locally, which are essential for maintaining life on our planet. However, marine biodiversity faces an unprecedented range of pressures. In recent years climate change has caused changes in species distribution and presents new challenges for marine biodiversity as oceans become more acidic.
10 messages for 2010 - Forest ecosystems
Short assessment of the status of the European forest ecosystems
10 messages for 2010 - Agricultural ecosystems
Within the framework of the CAP, the last 50 years have seen increasing attention to biodiversity, but without clear benefits so far. With agriculture covering about half of EU land area, Europe's biodiversity is linked inextricably to agricultural practices, creating valuable agro-ecosystems across the whole of Europe.
10 messages for 2010 - climate change and biodiversity
The variety of life underpins our social and economic wellbeing and will be increasingly an indispensible resource in the battle against climate change. However, our consumption and production patterns are depriving ecosystems of their capacity to withstand climate change and deliver the services we need from them. As we understand more about the ways that climate change is impacting biodiversity, it becomes clear that we cannot tackle the two crises separately. Their interdependence requires us to address them together.
10 messages for 2010 - Coastal ecosystems
Key messages: 1) As an interface between land and sea, European coastlines provide vital resources for wildlife, but also for the economy and human health and well-being. 2) Multiple pressures, including habitat loss and degradation, pollution, climate change and overexploitation of fish stocks, affect coastal ecosystems. 3) Coastal habitat types and species of Community interest are at risk in Europe; two thirds of coastal habitat types and more than half of coastal species have an unfavourable conservation status. 4) Integrated and ecosystem-based approaches provide the foundation for sustainable coastal management and development, supporting socio-economic development, biodiversity and ecosystem services. Coordinated action at the global, regional and local levels will be key to sustainable management of coastal ecosystems.
10 messages for 2010 — Mountain ecosystems
European mountain regions provide essential ecosystem services for lowlands and host a great diversity of habitats and species, many adapted to specific extreme climatic conditions. Mountain ecosystems are fragile and vulnerable, and face severe threats from land abandonment, intensifying agriculture, impacts of infrastructure development, unsustainable exploitation and climate change.
10 messages for 2010 - Urban ecosystems
In Europe, where the overwhelming majority of people live in urban areas, tackling the interlinked challenges between biodiversity and its network of towns and cities is crucial to help halting biodiversity loss.
Synthetic biology and the environment
New approaches to biodiversity conservation or unexpected but irreversible forms of environmental disruption?
Artificial meat and the environment
An appealing innovation with highly uncertain potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enable more sustainable use of natural resources.
Relative population size of water bird species for 1989-2002 within Ramsar sites
Relative population size is based on the mean of combined population levels
Representation of countries in the SEBI 2010 indicator set, January 2009
How to read the graph: for 24 of the SEBI 2010 indicators, data are included for Poland, and for 15 indicators, data are included for Luxembourg