Biodiversity — Ecosystems

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Biodiversity is the name given to the variety of ecosystems (natural capital), species and genes in the world or in a particular habitat. It is essential to human wellbeing, as it delivers services that sustain our economies and societies. Biodiversity is also crucial to ecosystem services — the services that nature supplies — such as pollination, climate regulation, flood protection, soil fertility and the production of food, fuel, fibre and medicines. More

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Better information needed on Europe's forests

News 27 Nov 2018

There is a growing demand for forest products and ecosystem services but information on the changes in Europe's forests is currently limited. According to an EEA briefing, published today, high-resolution satellite images will improve knowledge about changes in structure, function and condition of forest ecosystems and the impacts of different forest management practices across Europe.

Restoring floodplains would improve state of water, ecosystems and climate protection in Europe

News 19 Nov 2018

Areas next to rivers hold potential for cost-effective flood protection and improving the health of an entire river ecosystem. According to a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing published today, restoring European floodplains closer to their natural state would contribute to the achievement of several European Union policies. Estimates suggest that 70-90 % of Europe’s floodplain area is ecologically degraded.

EU reaches the Aichi target of protecting ten percent of Europe's seas

News 25 Oct 2018

A total of 10.8 % of the surface of Europe’s seas was designated as marine protected areas by the end of 2016, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) assessment, published today. This means the EU has reached the global Aichi target of protecting at least 10 % of coastal and marine areas by 2020. However, the EEA analysis also shows that the protected area networks are skewed towards coastal waters and do not sufficiently cover the deep sea.

Water in Europe means life, health, food, leisure, energy and more

News 30 Aug 2018

Europe's freshwater and marine resources may seem limitless but they are under increasing pressure from pollution, over-exploitation and climate change. The European Environment Agency's (EEA) Signals 2018 explores the state and trends of Europe’s waters, asking how we can ensure healthy rivers, lakes, groundwater resources and seas for future generations.

Better information needed on Europe's forests There is a growing demand for forest products and ecosystem services but information on the changes in Europe's forests is currently limited. According to an EEA briefing, published today, high-resolution satellite images will improve knowledge about changes in structure, function and condition of forest ecosystems and the impacts of different forest management practices across Europe.

Restoring floodplains would improve state of water, ecosystems and climate protection in Europe Areas next to rivers hold potential for cost-effective flood protection and improving the health of an entire river ecosystem. According to a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing published today, restoring European floodplains closer to their natural state would contribute to the achievement of several European Union policies. Estimates suggest that 70-90 % of Europe’s floodplain area is ecologically degraded.

EU reaches the Aichi target of protecting ten percent of Europe's seas A total of 10.8 % of the surface of Europe’s seas was designated as marine protected areas by the end of 2016, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) assessment, published today. This means the EU has reached the global Aichi target of protecting at least 10 % of coastal and marine areas by 2020. However, the EEA analysis also shows that the protected area networks are skewed towards coastal waters and do not sufficiently cover the deep sea.

Water in Europe means life, health, food, leisure, energy and more Europe's freshwater and marine resources may seem limitless but they are under increasing pressure from pollution, over-exploitation and climate change. The European Environment Agency's (EEA) Signals 2018 explores the state and trends of Europe’s waters, asking how we can ensure healthy rivers, lakes, groundwater resources and seas for future generations.

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Life under water faces serious threats

Article 30 Aug 2018

Life in Europe’s freshwater bodies and regional seas is not doing well. The poor state of ecosystems has a direct impact on many animals and plants living in water, and it affects other species and humans, depending on clean water. The state of Europe’s seas is dire, mainly due to overfishing and climate change, while freshwater bodies suffer from excess nutrients and altered habitats. Chemical pollution negatively impacts both freshwater and marine environments.

Europe’s environment: the power of data and knowledge

Article 15 Mar 2018

Europe collects increasingly more data, enhancing our understanding of the environment. Earth observation data obtained through the European Union’s Copernicus programme presents new challenges and opportunities to improve our environmental knowledge. Combining up-to-date Copernicus data with our existing knowledge base, the European Environment Agency (EEA) aims to empower policy makers and citizens across Europe in taking measures to address local, national and global challenges.

Towards healthy and productive seas in Europe and beyond

Article 15 Sep 2017

Marine life, the global climate and our economy and social wellbeing all depend on healthy seas. Despite some improvements, our assessments show that the way we currently use Europe’s seas remains unsustainable. Climate change and competition for natural resources add extra pressures on the marine environment. European policies and measures could result in greater improvements when they are implemented through an ‘ecosystem-based management’ approach and are supported by a global ocean governance framework.

Life under water faces serious threats Life in Europe’s freshwater bodies and regional seas is not doing well. The poor state of ecosystems has a direct impact on many animals and plants living in water, and it affects other species and humans, depending on clean water. The state of Europe’s seas is dire, mainly due to overfishing and climate change, while freshwater bodies suffer from excess nutrients and altered habitats. Chemical pollution negatively impacts both freshwater and marine environments.

Europe’s environment: the power of data and knowledge Europe collects increasingly more data, enhancing our understanding of the environment. Earth observation data obtained through the European Union’s Copernicus programme presents new challenges and opportunities to improve our environmental knowledge. Combining up-to-date Copernicus data with our existing knowledge base, the European Environment Agency (EEA) aims to empower policy makers and citizens across Europe in taking measures to address local, national and global challenges.

Towards healthy and productive seas in Europe and beyond Marine life, the global climate and our economy and social wellbeing all depend on healthy seas. Despite some improvements, our assessments show that the way we currently use Europe’s seas remains unsustainable. Climate change and competition for natural resources add extra pressures on the marine environment. European policies and measures could result in greater improvements when they are implemented through an ‘ecosystem-based management’ approach and are supported by a global ocean governance framework.

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Forest dynamics in Europe and their ecological consequences

Publication 27 Nov 2018

Forests used to constitute the dominant natural vegetation in most of Europe, covering up to 80 % of the land surface. However, the current extent and condition of forest ecosystems are the result of the process of human appropriation (domestication), which started more than 5000 years ago. By the end of the 17th century, more than half of Europe’s original forest had disappeared and covered just a few percent of the total land area in countries such as Denmark or Ireland. In response to forest depletion, stricter forest management practices emerged to replant, protect and maintain forest cover and the multi-functionality of forests in terms of wood production and protection against, for example, soil and wind erosion.

Marine protected areas

Publication 25 Oct 2018

Designed to conserve Europe's marine life, marine protected areas are a globally recognised toolfor managing and enhancing our marine ecosystems.

Land system at European level — analytical assessment framework

Publication 15 Oct 2018

Land and soil provide vital resources to society such as food, feed, fuel, fibres and shelter. They also provide ecosystem services that support production functions, regulate the risk of natural hazards, and provide cultural and spiritual benefits. By using land, society alters and modifies the quantity and quality of these services, and the intrinsic potential for land benefits to mankind. To better manage its use of land and associated processes, society needs a systems (i.e. integrated) view on land. This briefing proposes an analytical framework that aims at developing a strategy for monitoring and integrated assessment of the state of land and its key resources.

Monitoring progress of Europe's transport sector towards its environment, health and climate objectives

Publication 05 Dec 2017

The ‘Transport and Environment Reporting Mechanism’ (TERM) includes a number of indicators used for tracking the short and long-term environmental performance of the transport sector in the 28 Member States of the European Union (EU-28). This briefing presents the latest indicator-based assessment of progress being made towards key transport-related policy targets and objectives.

Forest dynamics in Europe and their ecological consequences Forests used to constitute the dominant natural vegetation in most of Europe, covering up to 80 % of the land surface. However, the current extent and condition of forest ecosystems are the result of the process of human appropriation (domestication), which started more than 5000 years ago. By the end of the 17th century, more than half of Europe’s original forest had disappeared and covered just a few percent of the total land area in countries such as Denmark or Ireland. In response to forest depletion, stricter forest management practices emerged to replant, protect and maintain forest cover and the multi-functionality of forests in terms of wood production and protection against, for example, soil and wind erosion.

Marine protected areas Designed to conserve Europe's marine life, marine protected areas are a globally recognised toolfor managing and enhancing our marine ecosystems.

Land system at European level — analytical assessment framework Land and soil provide vital resources to society such as food, feed, fuel, fibres and shelter. They also provide ecosystem services that support production functions, regulate the risk of natural hazards, and provide cultural and spiritual benefits. By using land, society alters and modifies the quantity and quality of these services, and the intrinsic potential for land benefits to mankind. To better manage its use of land and associated processes, society needs a systems (i.e. integrated) view on land. This briefing proposes an analytical framework that aims at developing a strategy for monitoring and integrated assessment of the state of land and its key resources.

Monitoring progress of Europe's transport sector towards its environment, health and climate objectives The ‘Transport and Environment Reporting Mechanism’ (TERM) includes a number of indicators used for tracking the short and long-term environmental performance of the transport sector in the 28 Member States of the European Union (EU-28). This briefing presents the latest indicator-based assessment of progress being made towards key transport-related policy targets and objectives.

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Status of marine fish and shellfish stocks in European seas

Indicator Assessment 06 Feb 2019

As a main source of protein, fish stocks and other sea products are renewable resources, which could sustain human needs in the long term — if exploited in an appropriate manner. The overall use of fish and shellfish stocks in Europe currently remains beyond the limit for long-term environmental sustainability. However, the analysis of long time series shows important and recent signs of improvement in the North-East Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea. Since the early 2000s, better management of fish and shellfish stocks has contributed to a clear decrease in fishing pressure in these two regional seas, and signs of recovery in the reproductive capacity of several fish and shellfish stocks have started to appear. If these efforts continue, meeting the 2020 objective for healthy fish and shellfish stocks in the North-East Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea could be possible based on two of three criteria (i.e. fishing mortality and reproductive capacity). In contrast, there is small likelihood that the 2020 policy objective will be met in the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

Agriculture: nitrogen balance

Indicator Assessment 20 Dec 2018

At the EU level, there has been a decrease in the agricultural nitrogen balance between 2000 and 2015, which is an indication of an improving trend. The main decrease was between 2000 and 2010; between 2010 and 2015 there was no further significant decrease. A country comparison of the average agricultural nitrogen balance for the years 2000-2003 and 2012-2015, shows that for the majority of European countries there was a reduction in the nitrogen balance, reflecting an improving trend. Although the agricultural nitrogen balance is decreasing in most Member States, it is still considered to be unacceptably high in some parts of Europe because of associated impacts on the environment. This is particularly true in western Europe and in some Mediterranean countries. Even in countries with low national averages, there can be regions with high nitrogen loadings because of agricultural intensity, such as livestock density. Further efforts are therefore needed to reduce the balance.

Nationally designated protected areas by major ecosystem type and International Union for Conservation of Nature management category

Data Visualization 19 Dec 2018

Complementarity between European designations (Natura 2000 and Emerald Network) and national designations (Common Database on Designated Areas) by share of terrestrial area

Data Visualization 19 Dec 2018

EEA coastline for analysis

Data 11 Dec 2018

The EEA coastline dataset has been created for detailed analysis (e.g.:1/100000) for geographical Europe. The coastline is a hybrid product obtained from satellite imagery from two projects: EUHYDRO (Pan-European hydrographic and drainage database) and GSHHG (A Global Self-consistent, Hierarchical, High-resolution Geography Database), as well as some manual amendments to meet requirements from EU Nature Directives, Water Framework Directive and Marine Strategy Framework Directive. In 2015, several corrections were made in the Kalogeroi Islands and two other Greek little islets, as well as in the peninsula of Porkkala. In this revision from 2017, two big lagoons have been removed from Baltic region, because, according to HELCOM, are freshwater lagoons.

Nationally designated areas (CDDA)

Data 12 Nov 2018

The European inventory of nationally designated areas holds information about designated areas and their designation types, which directly or indirectly create protected areas.

Rural concentration of the ozone indicator AOT40 for crops, 2015

Figure 02 Oct 2018

Accumulated ozone exposure values for crops — over a threshold of 40 parts per billion (AOT40c) — for 2015, as calculated for the fusion maps and as measured at rural background stations.

Rural concentration of the ozone indicator AOT40 for forest, 2015

Figure 02 Oct 2018

Accumulated ozone exposure values for forest — over a threshold of 40 parts per billion (AOT40f) — for 2015, as calculated for the fusion maps and as measured at rural background stations.

Examples of individual actions to minimise exposure to and release of mercury

Infographic 28 Sep 2018

Main global potential sources of mercury emissions

Infographic 28 Sep 2018

European protected sites

GIS Map Application 03 May 2018

The map shows an overview of protected sites in Europe. Natura 2000 is an ecological network of protected areas, set up to ensure the survival of Europe's most valuable species and habitats. Nationally designated areas (CDDA) is a European inventory of protected areas designated by the national authorities. Name and site code will display when clicking on the map. For some areas it is necessary to zoom in before the information will display.

Fragmentation pressure of urban and transport infrastructure expansion

GIS Map Application 12 Jan 2018

Classes represent the number of meshes per 1 000 square kilometres. Light colours mean less fragmentation pressure and dark colours mean more fragmentation pressure exerted by urban and transport infrastructure expansion.

Europe's seas and selected characteristics of EU marine protected area networks

Figure 18 Dec 2015

The table shows the areal extent of Europe's seas and selected characteristics of EU marine protected areas (MPAs), namely area coverage, percentage of coverage and total number of sites. Data excludes the Icelandic Sea, Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea

Coverage of marine protected areas in Europe's seas

Figure 18 Dec 2015

The table shows the percentage cover of MPAs and distance to 10% target for each regional and sub regional sea and by distance zone from the coastline modified from the report: Spatial analysis of Marine Protected Area Networks in Europe´s seas. EEA Technical report, no 17/2015

Status of marine fish and shellfish stocks in European seas As a main source of protein, fish stocks and other sea products are renewable resources, which could sustain human needs in the long term — if exploited in an appropriate manner. The overall use of fish and shellfish stocks in Europe currently remains beyond the limit for long-term environmental sustainability. However, the analysis of long time series shows important and recent signs of improvement in the North-East Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea. Since the early 2000s, better management of fish and shellfish stocks has contributed to a clear decrease in fishing pressure in these two regional seas, and signs of recovery in the reproductive capacity of several fish and shellfish stocks have started to appear. If these efforts continue, meeting the 2020 objective for healthy fish and shellfish stocks in the North-East Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea could be possible based on two of three criteria (i.e. fishing mortality and reproductive capacity). In contrast, there is small likelihood that the 2020 policy objective will be met in the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

Agriculture: nitrogen balance At the EU level, there has been a decrease in the agricultural nitrogen balance between 2000 and 2015, which is an indication of an improving trend. The main decrease was between 2000 and 2010; between 2010 and 2015 there was no further significant decrease. A country comparison of the average agricultural nitrogen balance for the years 2000-2003 and 2012-2015, shows that for the majority of European countries there was a reduction in the nitrogen balance, reflecting an improving trend. Although the agricultural nitrogen balance is decreasing in most Member States, it is still considered to be unacceptably high in some parts of Europe because of associated impacts on the environment. This is particularly true in western Europe and in some Mediterranean countries. Even in countries with low national averages, there can be regions with high nitrogen loadings because of agricultural intensity, such as livestock density. Further efforts are therefore needed to reduce the balance.

Nationally designated protected areas by major ecosystem type and International Union for Conservation of Nature management category

Complementarity between European designations (Natura 2000 and Emerald Network) and national designations (Common Database on Designated Areas) by share of terrestrial area

EEA coastline for analysis The EEA coastline dataset has been created for detailed analysis (e.g.:1/100000) for geographical Europe. The coastline is a hybrid product obtained from satellite imagery from two projects: EUHYDRO (Pan-European hydrographic and drainage database) and GSHHG (A Global Self-consistent, Hierarchical, High-resolution Geography Database), as well as some manual amendments to meet requirements from EU Nature Directives, Water Framework Directive and Marine Strategy Framework Directive. In 2015, several corrections were made in the Kalogeroi Islands and two other Greek little islets, as well as in the peninsula of Porkkala. In this revision from 2017, two big lagoons have been removed from Baltic region, because, according to HELCOM, are freshwater lagoons.

Nationally designated areas (CDDA) The European inventory of nationally designated areas holds information about designated areas and their designation types, which directly or indirectly create protected areas.

Rural concentration of the ozone indicator AOT40 for crops, 2015 Accumulated ozone exposure values for crops — over a threshold of 40 parts per billion (AOT40c) — for 2015, as calculated for the fusion maps and as measured at rural background stations.

Rural concentration of the ozone indicator AOT40 for forest, 2015 Accumulated ozone exposure values for forest — over a threshold of 40 parts per billion (AOT40f) — for 2015, as calculated for the fusion maps and as measured at rural background stations.

Examples of individual actions to minimise exposure to and release of mercury

Main global potential sources of mercury emissions

European protected sites The map shows an overview of protected sites in Europe. Natura 2000 is an ecological network of protected areas, set up to ensure the survival of Europe's most valuable species and habitats. Nationally designated areas (CDDA) is a European inventory of protected areas designated by the national authorities. Name and site code will display when clicking on the map. For some areas it is necessary to zoom in before the information will display.

Fragmentation pressure of urban and transport infrastructure expansion Classes represent the number of meshes per 1 000 square kilometres. Light colours mean less fragmentation pressure and dark colours mean more fragmentation pressure exerted by urban and transport infrastructure expansion.