Europe

Introduction

Europe is a region rich in biodiversity with 2,500 types of habitats/ecosystems and over 215,000 species. Yet these European ecosystems are in a state of rapid decline. To address concerns over the decline of biodiversity the European Community (EC) approved the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1992. The EC is currently spending about three percent of its development assistance (around €190 million per year) on biodiversity conservation, sustainable use and benefit sharing on a pan-European scale. Today, the EU plays a leading role in the global efforts to mitigate the loss of biodiversity.

The governments of European countries have committed to a range of agreements aimed at halting the loss of biodiversity. They range from the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and the Millennium Development Goals to the Kyiv Resolution on Biodiversity and the targets agreed by European Union biodiversity stakeholders at their Malahide meeting in 2004 .

Action Plans

The EU Biodiversity Strategy was adopted by the European Commission in 1998. The Strategy is a framework and therefore takes a broad-brush approach proposing objectives for work in a number of key policy areas, covered by four sectoral biodiversity action plans on Fisheries, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Economic Development and Co-operation. Progress on the implementation of the Action Plans is monitored by a Biodiversity Expert Group chaired by the Commission.

The Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy (PEBLDS) supports the implementation of the CBD, as well as strengthening existing European Conventions and the EU Biodiversity Strategy (1998). The rolling work programme for PEBLDS can be found at www.strategyguide.org.

In addition, the Natura 2000 programme is being implemented, albeit to varying degrees, throughout the European Union. This programme was established under the 1992 Habitats Directive and requires Member States to submit lists of proposed sites for conservation to the EC. Currently, about 20% of the EU’s land surface is designated under Natura 2000.

European Biodiversity Monitoring and Indicator Framework coordinates biodiversity indicators and monitoring across Europe as a result of the biodiversity targets set for 2010 at global, pan-European and European Union levels.

How does the Strategy work?

The Strategy is conceived as a 'matrix' of five major themes: biodiversity conservation; sustainable use; sharing of benefits; research; and education. Each of these themes are relevant to seven different policy areas, including forests; nature conservation; agriculture; and development. The relevant Directorates General of the Commission in each policy area are required to direct the biodiversity action plans.

Key Legislation

The 1992 Habitats Directive constitutes the most important instrument and the strongest legal weapon for nature protection within the EU. Other legislation relevant to the Biodiversity Strategy includes the Birds Directive and the EU Regulation on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

The EU Water Framework Directive, which aims to protect the aquatic environment and enhance the status of aquatic ecosystems, specifically requires compliance with protected areas standards and objectives thereby linking closely with the Habitats and Birds Directive.

The Directive on Environmental Assessment of Certain Plans and Programmes (SEA Directive 2001) incorporates environmental alongside social and economic impact assessments of certain plans and programmes with likely significant environmental effects. These are mandatory for agricultural, forestry, fisheries, energy, industry, transport, waste management, water management, telecommunications, tourism, town and country planning and land use as well as where an assessment is deemed necessary under the Habitats Directive. Under the directive, a Strategic Environmental Assessment is required to report any issues affecting areas designated under the Habitats Directive. This has implications for companies in that it may require reporting on potential indirect and off-site impacts on biodiversity.

Taking Action

In November 2003 the European Seminar ‘Public Private Partnerships for Europe’s Biodiversity’ resulted in the Brabant-European Partnership Manifesto, which acknowledged the great potential for the biodiversity sector to become a key partner in developing a sustainable future for Europe’s countryside among many other key points. Furthermore, the EC is looking to gain international agreement on the establishment of a network of protected areas and clear guidance on how protected areas should be managed. The EC also called for indicators to measure biodiversity, and for strengthening of access to genetic resources and equitable sharing of benefits through implementation of the Bonn Guidelines. The European Platform for Biodiversity (BioPlatform) supports the existing European Platform for Biodiversity Research Strategy and provides a forum for scientists and policy makers across the EU to promote, discuss and inform national biodiversity activities and best practice.

Business Context

The link between biodiversity and business has been fairly weak across the EU. While few initiatives currently exist which bring biodiversity to the European Corporate agenda, individual companies are taking action within their own operations.

The EU recently set up a corporate governance advisory panel to provide advice on preparing corporate governance and company law measures. Click here for more information. The work of this panel will be complementary to the more strategic role in the convergence of corporate governance in Europe carried out by the recently created European Corporate Governance Forum.

The European Social Investment Forum (EUROSIF) is the pan-European stakeholder network which encourages and develops sustainable and responsible investment and better corporate governance. Recently, a Eurosif study, Socially Responsible Investment among European Institutional Investors 2003, showed that European Institutional Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) had reached €336 Billion. Other groups with similar platforms include The European Multi Stakeholder Forum on CSR, the SME Key and the SRI Compass.

A European Roadmap for Businesses: Towards a Sustainable and Competitive Enterprise was recently published by CSR Europe.

Overall, these actions indicate that businesses are becoming more intimately involved with issues like sustainable development, CSR and SRI.