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Environment

Biodiversity strategy for 2030

Objectives

The biodiversity strategy aims to put Europe’s biodiversity on the path to recovery by 2030 for the benefit of people, climate and the planet.

In the post-COVID-19 context, the strategy aims to build our societies’ resilience to future threats such as

  • the impacts of climate change
  • forest fires
  • food insecurity
  • disease outbreaks - including by protecting wildlife and fighting illegal wildlife trade

Actions

The strategy contains specific commitments and actions to be delivered by 2030.

Establishing a larger EU-wide network of protected areas on land and at sea

The EU will enlarge existing Natura 2000 areas, with strict protection for areas of very high biodiversity and climate value.

Launching an EU nature restoration plan

Through concrete commitments and actions, the plan is for EU countries to put in place effective restoration measures to restore degraded ecosystems, in particular those with the most potential to capture and store carbon and to prevent and reduce the impact of natural disasters.

As part of this plan, the Commission proposed the EU’s first ever Nature Restoration Law which includes an overarching restoration objective for the long-term recovery of nature in the EU’s land and sea areas, with binding restoration targets for specific habitats and species.

Introducing measures to enable the necessary transformative change

The strategy highlights unlocking funding for biodiversity, and setting in motion a new, strengthened governance framework to

  • ensure better implementation and track progress
  • improve knowledge, financing and investments
  • better respecting nature in public and business decision-making

Introducing measures to tackle the global biodiversity challenge

These measures will demonstrate that the EU is ready to lead by example to address the global biodiversity crisis. In particular, working towards the successful adoption of an ambitious global biodiversity framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Implementation

Two online tools track progress in implementing the strategy

  • an online actions tracker provides up-to-date information on the state of implementation of the strategy’s many actions
  • a targets dashboard shows progress to the quantified biodiversity targets set by the Strategy, at the EU level and in the Member States

Timeline

Previous and upcoming actions

  1. 21 November 2023
    Commission adopts proposal for a Regulation establishing an EU forest monitoring framework
  2. 5 July 2023
    Commission adopts proposal for a Soil Health Law
  3. 22 June 2022
    Commission adopts proposal for a Nature Restoration Law
  4. 9 June 2021
    European Parliament resolution on the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030
  5. January - April 2021
    Public consultation on nature restoration targets

    View the public consultation here.

  6. 23 October 2020
    Council adopts Conclusions on the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030
  7. 18 September 2020
    European Economic and Social Committee adopts Opinion on EU biodiversity strategy for 2030
  8. 20 May 2020
    Publication of the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030

Media

LinkedIn live with Commissioner Virginijus SINKEVIČIUS on the EU 2030 Biodiversity Strategy and Europe's green recovery.

 

Latest news

Collage of images: flower, waterfront, forest.
  • News blog

How LIFE is protecting Europe's degraded peatlands

Restoring and managing peatlands improves water retention and quality, stores carbon, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and increases biodiversity. Since 1992 LIFE has been working hard on this.