The Erlenbruch forest in the natural preserve Mahnigsee-Dahmetal in Brandenburg is part of the Natura-2000-network, an EU-wide network of nature protection areas.
© Manuela BurkartEuropean countries are not in a good negotiating position at the nature protection conference in Nagoya (COP10), which starts today. The final evaluation report about the joint action plan for maintaining the biological diversity 2010, published by the EU commission on October 8th, shows that the European countries have not done their homework either.
Most European politicians acknowledge by now that biological diversity is necessary to maintain the ecological equilibrium. The results published by the European Commission regarding the concluded action plan in 2006 are, however, disillusioning. According to the Commission the ecological systems in Europe have been damaged to such an extent, that” they are not capable anymore to provide basic capacities and resources like pollination, clean air and water in optimum quantity and quality.”
Despite the fact that there has been some progress to designate and protect Natura-2000 areas in the past years, further funding is not secure. “Only 20% of the total funding are covered for the cultivation of nature protection areas including the Natura-2000-network in Europe,” the Commission states.
EuroNatur asks the German government to set a good example at the Convention of Biological Diversity by making firm commitments to protect the biological diversity. This means to start work at home and set up a specific plan how to put into action the National Biodiversity strategy on a national basis.
Link to the “2010 assessment of implementing the EU Biodiversity Action Plan” of the European Commission (pdf.file, 87 kb)
Link to the website of the Convention of Biological Diversity (COP 10) in Nagoya