Biodiversity

Our Work

The EU has a well-established biodiversity conservation policy framework that has provided major benefits for biodiversity in Europe. IEEP has a strong track record of assessing and advising on the implementation, monitoring and enforcement of EU policy for biodiversity and ecosystem services. Our work, with partners, helps to strengthen the implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy, the Habitats and Birds Directives and the Natura 2000 network. We seek to improve our knowledge of the status of biodiversity in Europe and globally, and highlight the cost of policy inaction.

IEEP continues to be instrumental in developing nature conservation policy and other sectoral policies to support biodiversity and ecosystem services. We are advancing the Biodiversity Strategy objective of ‘no net loss’ of biodiversity, by identifying policy measures to avoid and minimise negative impacts on biodiversity, and to offset residual impacts tools.

IEEP has helped to establish a structured process to minimize harmful impacts of EU spending and maximise the biodiversity benefits through our work on ‘biodiversity proofing’ EU funding instruments such as those under the Common Agricultural Policy, Common Fisheries Policy, Cohesion Policy. Our work has also helped to develop policy measures to support the concept of green infrastructure, by assessing its potential costs and benefits, and identifying policies that could support its enhancement.

More about our work in this area...

Latest in Biodiversity Policy & Instruments

  • Innovative financing mechanisms for biodiversity: what can Mexico and Europe learn from each other?

    IEEP and partners compare innovative biodiversity financing mechanisms in the EU and Mexico and suggest recommendations for mutual learning.

  • Integration approach to EU biodiversity financing

    For the European Union to meet its goals of protecting and restoring biodiversity, the availability and effective delivery of adequate funding is essential. The current EU framework ...

  • Fitness Check of the Birds and Habitats Directives

    The Nature Directives (i.e. Birds Directive and Habitats Directive) are the key instruments of EU environmental policy; the Fitness Check support study, carried out by Milieu, IEEP and ICF for the European Commission DG-ENV, examined their effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, EU-added value and their coherence with the wider acquis.

  • Conference on the Fitness Check of EU Nature Legislation

    As part of the fitness check of the EU Nature Directives, the European Commission is organising a high-level conference in Brussels on 20 November. The purpose of the conference is to present and discuss the emerging findings from the assessment of evidence and information gathered during the process.

  • How is favourable conservation status being defined across the EU?

    The core objective of both nature directives is to achieve a favourable conservation status of European protected habitats and species. An understanding of how these criteria for conservation status have been interpreted and implemented across the Member States is important as greater uniformity in the interpretation could improve the quality of biodiversity reporting at the European level.

  • Public consultation on EU Nature legislation ‘Fitness Check‘ launched

    The ‘Fitness Check’ on EU Nature legislation has moved to a new phase with the launch of an online public consultation. The consultation allows all interested parties throughout the European Union to share their views on the legislation.

  • The Manual: Chapter 9 - Biodiversity

    This is a chapter of IEEP’s Manual of European Environmental Policy. In this chapter the development of the EU biodiversity policy framework is explored, including the Birds and Habitats Directive and other legislation on Genetically Modified Organisms, for example.

  • IEEP to support the European Commission’s nature legislation fitness check

    As part of its Smart Regulation policy the European Commission is to undertake a Fitness Check of EU Nature legislation, which will comprise a comprehensive assessment of whether the regulatory framework is “fit for purpose”. IEEP is part of a consortium, led by Milieu, that has been awarded the study contract to support the Commission in collecting and assessing evidence for the fitness check.

  • High Nature Value farming throughout EU-27 and its financial support under the CAP

    This study reviews Member States’ estimates of the extent of HNV farmland and use of RDP measures and the CMEF indicators, then identifies future priorities for CAP support for HNV farming and discusses the support opportunities under the reformed CAP. It offers detailed new evidence about the combined effect of Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 CAP payments on the economic and environmental viability of a typical HNV farming system in three Member States.

  • New report: High Nature Value Farming in the EU

    Member States need to make the most of the opportunities under the new Common Agricultural Policy if the declines in HNV farming, critical for meeting our 2020 biodiversity targets, are to be halted.

  • Policy Options to Achieve No Net Loss of Biodiversity

    A new IEEP led study concludes that mandatory biodiversity offsetting is required to achieve no net loss of biodiversity in the EU, but its introduction could be counter-productive if it is not introduced cautiously and regulated strictly. The first priority should be to better implement existing nature conservation measures.

  • Environmental policy and the UK’s review of the EU Balance of Competences

    The UK Government’s Balance of Competences review has now taken evidence on 25 subject areas, including the 6 with the most relevance for the Environment. We take stock of the IEEP’s contributions, and consider what a possible UK renegotiation might mean for the environment.

  • Estimating the Overall Economic Value of the Benefits provided by the Natura 2000 Network

    Estimated benefits provided to EU citizens from the EU’s Natura 2000 Network could be in the range of €200 to €300 billion a year.

Highlights