Plant and animal species are disappearing at an accelerating rate due to human activities.
What are the causes, and why is biodiversity so important?
Biodiversity, the variety of all living beings on our planet, has been decreasing alarmingly in recent years, primarily due to human activities such as land-use change, pollution, and climate change.
Following the Parliament’s call to address the main drivers of biodiversity loss and set legally binding targets, the European Commission presented a new Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 in May 2020.
In June 2021, the Parliament adopted its position on the “EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030: Bringing Nature Back into Our Lives” to ensure that by 2050, the world’s ecosystems will be restored, resilient, and adequately protected.
On January 16, 2020, Members of Parliament called for legally binding targets to stop biodiversity loss at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in China in October 2020. The conference will gather the signatories of the 1993 UN Convention on Biological Diversity and decide on the post-2020 strategy. The Parliament seeks a leading role for the EU and considers that 30% of the EU’s territory should be natural areas, with biodiversity integrated into all EU policies.
What is Biodiversity?
Biodiversity is traditionally defined as the diversity of life on Earth in all its forms. It encompasses different species, their genetic variations, and the interaction of these life forms within complex ecosystems.
In a UN report published in 2019, scientists warn that one million out of an estimated eight million species are threatened with extinction. Some even believe we are in the midst of the sixth mass extinction in Earth’s history. Previous mass extinctions have wiped out between 60% and 95% of all species, and it takes millions of years for ecosystems to recover from such events.
Learn the facts and figures about endangered species in Europe.
Why is Biodiversity Important?
Healthy ecosystems enable processes we take for granted. Plants capture energy from the sun and make it available to other life forms. Bacteria and other organisms decompose organic matter, creating nutrients that maintain healthy soil for plants to grow. Pollinators are crucial for plant reproduction and food production, while plants and oceans serve as carbon sinks, and the water cycle heavily relies on living organisms.
In short, biodiversity provides clean air, fresh water, fertile soil, and crop pollination. It helps us combat climate change and mitigates natural disasters.
Given the interaction of living organisms within dynamic ecosystems, the extinction of one species can have far-reaching impacts on the food supply. Predicting the exact consequences of mass extinction for humans is impossible, but we know that biodiversity currently allows us to thrive.
Main Reasons for Biodiversity Loss
- Land-use change** (deforestation, intensive agriculture, urbanization)
- Direct exploitation (hunting and overfishing)
- Climate change
- Pollution
- Invasive alien species
What Measures Does the Parliament Propose?
Members of Parliament strongly support protecting at least 30% of marine and terrestrial areas (forests, wetlands, grasslands, coastal ecosystems) and the goal that 10% of the EU’s land and sea, including all carbon-rich ecosystems, remain untouched.
They want these targets to be binding and implemented at the national level in EU member states, in cooperation with regional and local authorities.
Join the conservation of biodiversity through Step for Humans.
Concerned about the decline in pollinator numbers, Members of Parliament called for an urgent review of the EU Pollinators Initiative.
Learn how to preserve biodiversity.
Source: (https://www.europarl.europa.eu/)