Brussels, 19 January 2010 - Today, the European Commission published its communication with the long term vision for biodiversity (by 2050) and four options with different level of ambition for its 2020 biodiversity target.

Angelo Caserta, Regional Director at the BirdLife International European Division, commented “BirdLife International welcomes the Commission’s vision for the future of biodiversity and calls upon Member States to adopt the most ambitious proposed 2020 target, which is well presented in the Communication’s option 4’ –and added- ‘The failure to halt biodiversity decline by 2010 cannot lead to surrender; the EU must also show leadership on the global stage, boost its level of ambition and get serious about actual conservation; 

Note:

 Four levels of ambition are proposed by the Commission for a mid-term (2020) target to turn the vision into reality:

Option 1: Significantly reducing the rate of loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the EU by 2020.

Option 2: Halting the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the EU by 2020.

Option 3: Halting the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the EU by 2020 and restoring them as far as possible.

Option 4: Halting the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the EU by 2020 and restoring them as far as possible, and stepping up the EU's contribution to averting global biodiversity loss.

BirdLife strongly supports Option 4.

Read the Communication at http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/biodiversity/policy/index_en.