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Halting the loss of biodiversity is possible in the long
term within a properly functioning market economy, which is
able, by taking a holistic approach, to ensure the sustainable
use of natural resources, the good quality of the environment,
the coherence of ecosystems, as well as social justice. Whilst
immediate implementation of already identified conservation
measures, and some additional ones, is essential in the short
term, it is indispensable to complement these efforts with
the design and implementation of long term measures which
can lead to fundamental changes in the socio-economic drivers
underlying biodiversity loss. These measures should bring
about the lowering of total environmental pressure to a level
that stays within the global ecological carrying capacity.
RECOMMENDATION 1. Put an absolute limit on total natural
resource and energy use and ensure the sustainable use of
biodiversity.
Applying input side regulation to the economy is the only
effective way to decrease total environmental pressure. This
would create the right balance between the use of natural
resources and human labour in the production process, and
thus contribute to achieving full employment. This would shift
the production and consumption patterns towards less energy-
and material-intensive products and services, and positively
change the values of society by making people appreciate natural
resources more, including healthy ecosystems. As production
and consumption patterns fundamentally change, the sustainable
use of biodiversity, including the management of Natura 2000
sites, becomes more profitable for the land owners. Similarly,
this would make a substantial contribution both to improving
the coherence of ecosystems and to limiting pollution and
the spread of invasive alien species and use of GMOs, by creating
an enabling socio-economic environment for effective policies
and legal regulation in those fields.
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Long term priority measures
Develop and introduce economic
measures to limit total energy use in the economy
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Immediate priority actions
Finalise Natura 2000 in
terrestrial and marine areas and realise its proper
management through effective conservation measures and
by providing sufficient funding. Launch initiatives,
with funding, to take concrete action for biodiversity
in the wider European context.
Include the conservation of all
natural ecosystems amongst climate change mitigation
and adaptation measures under any future international
agreement (push for "biodiversity credits"
to be issued for the preservation of forests, peat bogs
and other natural ecosystems, as a system parallel to
carbon credits)
Adopt the Soil Directive
for the sustainable use of soil
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RECOMMENDATION 2. Improve the coherence and connectivity
of natural ecosystems.
As the status of biodiversity is largely determined by the
spatial structure of ecosystems, effective land use policy
that can ensure the coherence and connectivity is indispensable
for biodiversity conservation. Currently there is no coherent
ecological network in Europe, on the contrary, man made infrastructures
form a coherent network of roads, rails, pipelines, etc. This
needs to be changed.
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Long term priority measures
Develop and adopt land use
policy, including at EU level, in order to:
- limit green field investments,
- rehabilitate degraded areas and give natural processes
free rein in them,
- rationalise the current man-made infrastructures which
prevent ecosystem coherence.
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Immediate priority actions
Launch the EU Wilderness Initiative
and design tools to effectively conserve and possibly
extend the wilderness areas as appropriate for the conservation
of European biodiversity
Minimise the negative impacts
of programmes, plans and projects on ecosystem coherence
through SEA, EIA and other tools
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RECOMMENDATION 3. Effectively control the total environmental
pressure originating from pollution and biological agents.
The quality of the state of the environment and thus ecosystems
needs to be ensured through strict legal regulations, which
first of all aim for prevention (through controlling the intentional
and unintentional spread of invasive alien species, maintaining
the integrity of ecosystems, giving up the use of GMOs and
controlling the production of chemicals and other pollutants)
and which apply control and eradication as complementary measures.
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Long term priority measures
Expand the EU chemicals policy
in order to address the total pressure from pollution
Give up the idea of GMOs,
as a false solution to social and ecological challenges
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Immediate priority actions
Develop and adopt a new EU legal
regulatory framework for the prevention, control and
eradication of invasive alien species
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In order to achieve the above, an open debate with no sacred
cows, which examines fundamental socio-economic links and
relationships in a holistic approach, needs to start within
the framework of the EU discussion on future biodiversity
policy. This debate should also be extended to the global
level within the framework of the CBD, WTO and other fora,
as global solutions are needed for global biodiversity.
See the full
report
The assessment was carried out with the support of the
European Commission DG Environment and the French Ministry
of Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and Territorial
Management. The assessment and the publication do not reflect
the opinion of the donors.
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