This document is an excerpt from the EUR-Lex website
Document 52011SC0541
COMMISSION STAFF WORKING PAPER SUMMARY OF THE IMPACT ASSESSMENT COMMISSION STAFF WORKING PAPER SUMMARY OF THE IMPACT ASSESSMENT
COMMISSION STAFF WORKING PAPER SUMMARY OF THE IMPACT ASSESSMENT COMMISSION STAFF WORKING PAPER SUMMARY OF THE IMPACT ASSESSMENT
COMMISSION STAFF WORKING PAPER SUMMARY OF THE IMPACT ASSESSMENT COMMISSION STAFF WORKING PAPER SUMMARY OF THE IMPACT ASSESSMENT
COMMISSION STAFF WORKING PAPER SUMMARY OF THE IMPACT ASSESSMENT COMMISSION STAFF WORKING PAPER SUMMARY OF THE IMPACT ASSESSMENT /* SEC/2011/0541 final */
1.
Introduction
In March 2010, the European Council adopted
an ambitious new headline target for biodiversity to replace the expiring 2010
target. The new headline target calls for halting the loss of biodiversity and the
degradation of ecosystem services by 2020 and restoring them in so far as
feasible, while stepping up the EU contribution to averting global biodiversity
loss. The current biodiversity policy framework
will not enable the EU to reach its 2020 headline target. The Council therefore
called on the Commission to develop a new strategy, which should include targets
as well as necessary, feasible and cost-effective measures and actions to reach
them. The Council requested that the strategy reflect the eventual outcomes of
the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on
Biological Diversity (CBD CoP10), which took place in Nagoya, Japan in October
2010, and that it be completed as soon as possible after that meeting.
2.
Problem definition
The 2010 EU biodiversity baseline shows
that on average only 17% of assessed habitats are in favourable conservation
status and up to 25% of animal species in the EU face the risk of extinction.
Most ecosystem services are no longer able to deliver the optimal quality and
quantity of basic services such as crop pollination, clean air and water, and
control of floods or erosion that underpin many economic activities. Europe's biodiversity remains under severe
threat from habitat loss due to land use change and fragmentation; pollution;
overexploitation/unsustainable use of resources; invasive species and climate
change. These pressures are all either constant or increasing in intensity. The
situation is similar at global level. The pressures are underpinned by indirect
drivers that relate for instance to demographic and cultural/lifestyle choices,
market failures, and economic structure, size and growth. This degradation and loss have significant
environmental, economic and social consequences within the EU and at the global
level. For example the loss of riparian wetlands has an impact on society at
large, through reduced flood control services, lower water purification,
reduced recreational and amenity services and lower carbon storage. Some
business sectors are particularly affected, as they depend on biodiversity and
ecosystem services, either directly or indirectly. Biodiversity loss also has impacts
on jobs, since one in six jobs in Europe is somehow linked to the environment
and biodiversity, whether directly or indirectly. It also limits the delivery
of several ecosystem services essential to maintain a healthy population, from
the provisioning of food and potable water to clean air and medicine. In
addition, it has a strong bearing on the EU’s territorial cohesion, since
biodiversity and ecosystems cement the social fabric and identity of many
European regions. Actions proposed in this paper are those
where the EU has most value-added and leverage. However, it is clear that
without parallel action at Member State level, they will not be sufficient to
deliver the target of halting biodiversity loss. Success in delivering the 2020
headline target will depend on a mixture of EU and national, regional or local
measures, in line with the principle of subsidiarity. Actions may need to vary across
Member States and from regions.
3.
Objectives and targets
The general objective is the EU 2020
biodiversity target and its three components. Achieving the 2020 headline
target is also seen as an intermediary step towards attaining the objective set
out in the 2050 vision, and a means of meeting the EU's commitment to the
global 2020 biodiversity targets. Specific objectives are identified, taking
into account the factors that led to the failure of the EU in meeting its 2010
target and the need to reflect the global biodiversity targets agreed at CBD CoP10.
An assessment of existing EU policy and legislation shows that two of the
direct drivers of biodiversity loss — climate change and pollution — do not
constitute major policy gaps. Conversely, land use change; overexploitation/unsustainable
use of resources; and invasive alien species constitute significant gaps. As a
result, three specific objectives focus on addressing these drivers. The
remaining three specific objectives respond to the 2050 vision and 2020 headline
target call to maintain and enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services in the
EU (both within and beyond the Natura 2000 network of protected areas), and at
global level. Options for
operational targets and different levels of ambition were then considered based
on their potential to efficiently build on the baseline to 2020 to deliver the
overall target and vision. Six operational targets were (Table 1). General objectives || Specific objectives || Operational targets Halting the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services in the EU by 2020 || Fully implement the Birds and Habitats Directives || T1 - To halt the deterioration in the status of all species and habitats covered by EU nature legislation and achieve a significant and measurable improvement in their status so that, by 2020, compared to current assessments: (i) 100% more habitat assessments and 50% more species assessments under the Habitats Directive show an improved conservation status; and (ii) 50% more species assessments under the Birds Directive show a secure or improved status. Increase the contribution of agriculture and forestry to maintaining and enhancing biodiversity* || T3a - By 2020, maximise areas under agriculture across grasslands, arable land and permanent crops that are covered by biodiversity-related measures under the CAP so as to ensure the conservation of biodiversity and to bring about a measurable improvement(*) in the conservation status of species and habitats that depend on or are affected by agriculture and in the provision of ecosystem services as compared to the EU 2010 Baseline, thus contributing to enhance sustainable management. T3b - By 2020, Forest Management Plans or equivalent instruments, in line with Sustainable Forest Management (SFM[1]), are in place for all forests that are publicly owned and for forest holdings above a certain size(**) (to be defined by the Member States or regions and communicated in their Rural Development Programmes) that receive funding under the EU Rural Development Programme, so as to bring a measurable improvement(*) in the conservation status of species and habitats that depend on or are affected by forestry and in the provision of related ecosystem services as compared to the EU 2010 Baseline. (*) For both targets, improvement is to be measured against the quantified enhancement targets for the conservation status of species and habitats of EU interest in Target 1 and the restoration of degraded ecosystems under Target 2. (**) For smaller forest holdings, Member States may provide additional incentives to encourage the adoption of Management Plans or equivalent instruments that are in line with SFM. Ensure the sustainable use of fisheries resources || T4 - Achieve Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY)[2] by 2015. Achieve a population age and size distribution indicative of a healthy stock, through fisheries management with no significant adverse impacts on other stocks, species and ecosystems, in support of achieving Good Environmental Status by 2020, as required under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Combat invasive alien species || T5 - By 2020, invasive alien species (IAS) and their pathways are identified and prioritized, priority species are controlled or eradicated, and pathways are managed to prevent the introduction and establishment of new IAS. Restoring ecosystem services in so far as feasible || Maintain and restore ecosystems and their services || T2 - By 2020, ecosystems and their services are maintained and enhanced by establishing green infrastructure and restoring at least 15% of degraded ecosystems. Stepping up the EU contribution to averting global biodiversity loss || Help avert global biodiversity loss || T6 - By 2020, the EU has stepped up its contribution to averting global biodiversity loss. Table 1: General and specific objectives and
operational targets
4.
measures and related impacts
For each target, a coherent set of
complementary measures needed to achieve it is proposed. The likely impacts of
these measures are analysed against environmental, economic and social criteria,
differentiating by type of measure when appropriate. As many of the
measures will be further elaborated and analysed in the context of impact
assessments to be undertaken in the context of other policy proposals in the
pipeline, impacts are mostly assessed in a qualitative way (Table 2). Orders of
magnitude of aggregated quantitative impacts are given where possible, and examples
of specific cases usually at project level are also provided for illustrative
purposes. The distribution of impacts within the EU and the expected
international impacts are also assessed, where relevant. || || Environmental || Economic || Social T1 || + || Increased biodiversity and ecosystem services from Natura 2000 sites, better resilience to stressors such as climate change. Synergies with WFD and MSFD. || Increased benefits from ecosystem services. Limited private business opportunities in Natura 2000. || Increased employment in rural areas in the medium term. - || || Fraction of total management costs of € 5.8 billion per year. || Possible short term job losses due to restricted access to resources. T2 || + || Maintained and enhanced ecosystems and services, such as clean air and water, carbon storage and natural disaster control. Increased ecosystem resilience and reduced vulnerability to climate change. Synergies with WFD and MSFD. || Increased benefits from ecosystem services. No aggregated estimates of benefits, but project-based evidence of benefit-cost ratios in the range of 3 to 75. New investment opportunities for businesses and innovation potential. Climate mitigation benefits. || Multiple social benefits, both in urban and rural areas, such as positive impacts on health and quality of life, aesthetical and psychological benefits, reduced exposure to natural disasters, new job opportunities in restoration and conservation. - || || Costs in the order of several billions per year, but GI costs could substitute for more costly grey infrastructure investment. || T3 || + || Maintaining and enhancing agriculture and forest ecosystems and their services, including carbon storage, erosion prevention, pollution control and water purification. Synergies with WFD. || New possibilities created for agricultural sector diversification; improving farmers income in Natura 2000 and HNV areas; increased competitiveness and diversification of the forestry sector. || Contribution to rural development in less favoured areas; new jobs. - || || Costs related to funding from pillar 1 and pillar 2 measures, which would partly contribute to costs of managing Natura 2000 and HNV areas. Likely to be change of spending priorities rather than net costs. Forest management plans administrative costs more than compensated by rural development payments. || T4 || + || Increased and more sustainable levels of fish populations, maintained and enhanced marine ecosystems & services. Synergies with MSFD. || Positive long-run impact on fisheries income. Increased efficiency of public spending. || Prevent negative effect on employment in case of a collapse in fish stocks. - || || Negative short term impacts on fisheries income. Higher management costs to avoid adverse impacts on ecosystems. || Short term social cost of scaling down of fleet in the fishing sector. T5 || + || Reduced pressure on species and habitats from IAS. Strong synergy effects with other targets e.g. ecosystem restoration. || Reduced economic damage. Rough estimates show benefits in terms of avoided damage costs of € 1-9 billion / year. || Reduced adverse impacts on human health, avoided negative employment consequences, enhanced cultural services and recreational activities. - || || € 40 million–190 million / year. || T6 || + || Improved global biodiversity especially in developing countries, Increased ecosystem services such as carbon storage, water provision, purification and retention. Some improvements also in the EU. || Economic benefits from biodiversity & ecosystem services, e.g. climate mitigation, increased crop yields through pollination in developing countries. Genetic diversity benefits EU & developing countries (cosmetics & medication). ABS protocol provides legal certainty of access to resources for EU companies. || Poverty alleviation. Decreased risk of social impacts of natural disasters. Health benefits. Improved livelihood of indigenous communities through sharing of traditional knowledge benefits. - || || EU contribution to financing global biodiversity to increase by 2020; cost of ABS protocol to EU industry. || Table 2: Key
costs and benefits of reaching targets The report reviews prioritisation of actions
within each target. T2 and T5 kick start policy action in areas which are
currently not part of the EU biodiversity policy framework and have good
potential for delivering significant and early results. However, improved
implementation and integration in sectors is also key to reaching the overall
objectives.
5.
Funding and governance
As insufficient funding was a key factor in
the failure to meet the 2010 EU target, it will be important to ensure adequate
and effective funding for the implementation of the 2020 biodiversity strategy.
Whilst for some targets, the focus will be more on effective take-up and redistribution
of existing resources, existing sources will need to be scaled up and new ones –
both public and private – identified and promoted at EU, national and global
level. Within the current programming period and without
pre-empting the outcome of the negotiations on the next Multi-annual Financial
Framework, this should be achieved by rationalising available resources and
maximising co-benefits of various sources of funding, including funding for
agriculture and rural development, fisheries, regional policy and climate
change. Opportunities offered by ongoing policy reforms (e.g. CAP, CFP and
cohesion policy), new policy initiatives (e.g. the Resource Efficiency flagship
initiative) and the next financial perspectives should be seized to deliver the
target and vision efficiently. The inclusion of biodiversity objectives should
be explored as part of the Common Strategic Framework under consideration by
the Commission to prioritise funding under the five funding instruments under
rural, regional, social and fisheries policies. Innovative financing mechanisms will also
be needed to mobilise funding from both public and private sources, at all
levels. At EU and national level, the reform of harmful subsidies could offer
opportunities, in line with the 2020 Strategy and the global CBD target. At EU
level, Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) will be further mobilised to
reward private and public goods from agricultural, forest and marine
ecosystems. Incentives should also be provided to encourage up-front
investments in green infrastructure projects and the maintenance of ecosystem
services, for example through better targeted EU funding streams and Public
Private Partnerships. The potential of biodiversity offsets will be looked into
as a way of achieving a 'no net loss' approach. The shared EU and CBD targets need to be
pursued through a mix of sub-national, national and EU-level action. This will
require close coordination between all involved in implementation. A common
implementation framework is proposed in which each Member State would incorporate
the EU targets into its own National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan and
complement them with national targets as necessary, taking into account also the
global targets adopted at COP10. Local and regional authorities, the private
sector and civil society would also have important roles to play and their
participation in the implementation of the strategy needs to be promoted and
facilitated at all levels.
6.
Monitoring, review, communication and way forward
The Commission, together with other
partners, will develop by 2012 a logical framework to monitor trends and assess
progress on the measures and targets in a coherent way, based on the 2010 EU
biodiversity baseline and a streamlined set of agreed indicators. Synergies and
better integration with existing initiatives will also be sought. The
Commission will also continue to address knowledge gaps, in particular
concerning the links between biodiversity, ecosystems and their services. At
the global level, the EU is supporting efforts to establish an
Intergovernmental science policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem
Services (IPBES), to reinforce the science-policy
interface. The Commission, in consultation with the
Member States, will develop a reporting system that is streamlined and aligned
with the review and reporting obligations under the CBD wherever possible.
Finally, efforts will be made to increase public understanding of the
importance of biodiversity and the role that all stakeholders can play in
conserving biodiversity and ensure its sustainable use. On the basis of the priorities highlighted
above and the targets and actions presented, the Commission will come forward
with concrete proposals and initiatives to deliver on the different components
of the Strategy, including an initiative on green infrastructure by 2012, a
strategy on Invasive Alien Species in 2012; and a legislative proposal to
implement the Access and Benefit Sharing Protocol in 2012. These will be
accompanied by impact assessments, as appropriate. Ongoing policy reform
processes, including those of the CAP, CFP and Cohesion Policy, provide timely
opportunities to enhance synergies and maximise coherence with the biodiversity
strategy targets and measures. A mid-term review of the Strategy will be
completed in early 2014 at the latest, and a final assessment in 2020. The
Commission may review the targets if needed in light of new information and consider
further and complementary steps reflecting relevant developments and emerging
priorities at national, EU and global level. [1] As defined in SEC(2006) 748 [2] The EU signed up to a target of achieving MSY levels
by 2015 at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 and to the new
2020 fisheries target adopted at CBD CoP10.