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Biodiversity policies

Biodiversity policies in the EU

The most important pieces of biodiversity legislation in the EU are the Birds and Habitats Directives, which provide for the establishement of the Natura 2000 Network (see more below).However, as a Party to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the European Community developed its own biodiversity strategy and action plan also in order to deliver the 2010 target to halt biodiversity loss. Read more about the EU biodiversity policies>>

Natura 2000

The Habitats Directive of the European Community provides a framework for the establishment of the "Natura 2000", which will include a range of important and threatened habitats. Read more about Natura 2000>>

One of CEEweb's Working Groups focuses on Natura 2000 networks. Its aim is to help these networks establish and function properly in CEE countries. The point of the activities is to minimize the threats to biodiversity in this CEE region caused by human activities. Read more about the activities of the Natura 2000 Working Group>>

 

Influencing EU biodiversity policy - the work of the European Habitats Forum

CEEweb is a member of the European Habitats Forum (EHF), a coalition of international non-governmental organizations involved in the conservation, rehabilitation and sustainable use of species, habitats and landscapes throughout Europe.

The main areas of EHF work include the Habitats and Birds Directives and EU biodiversity policies. The Forum promotes nature conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources in Europe, it fosters communication between European nature conservation NGOs and the European Commission in order to enhance the effectiveness of their programs. Read more about the work of the European Habitats Forum>>

 

Environment for Europe process

The 'Environment for Europe' (EfE) process is an essential political framework for cooperation on environmental issues on the continent. It covers the region of the United Nation Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) including 55 countries, with the focus moving more to Eastern Europe and even more in the NIS countries in the last few years. Since 1991 it regularly brings together Ministers of Environment at Pan-European conferences to formulate environmental policy and to take important decisions in this area as well as to review the results achieved. A large number of conventions, strategies and policies aiming at nature conservation have been developed during the EfE process, among them the Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy (PEBLDS). Read more about the 'Environment for Europe' process>>

CEEweb has been involved in the EfE process since 1994. For a number of years CEEweb coordinated the Biodiversity Issue Group of Pan-European ECO-Forum that facilitates NGO input into the EfE process; it took part in implementing and monitoring the PEBLDS. For the second intergovernmental conference 'Biodiversity in Europe' in Budapest, February 2002, CEEweb and ECO-Forum organized NGO participation and input together. The next milestone in the process was the 5th Ministerial Conference in 2003 in Kyiv, for which CEEweb evaluated the progress made by CEE countries in biodiversity policy field.

The 6th Ministerial Conference took place on 10-12 October 2007 in Belgrade, where CEEweb co-organised the Biodiversity Stakeholders'Roundtable on behalf of ECO Forum in cooperation with PEBLDS. The pre-conference on biodiversity and its link to sustainable production and consumption patterns aimed deepen the understanding and raise awareness of biodiversity loss and its link to production, consumption patterns. Besides, the Pan-European Biodiversity Picnic campaign by organising a national event on 22 May, International Biodiversity Day, was launched on the Biodiversity Stakeholders' Roundtable,

CEEweb activities related to the Environment for Europe process:

 

Pan-European Biological and Landscape Strategy (PEBLDS)

The Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy was endorsed at the third Pan-European Conferences of Ministers of the Environment 'Environment for Europe' held in Sofia in October 1995, it concerns more than 50 countries of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. The PEBLDS is a European response to support the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

PEBLDS provides a platform for experience sharing and actions in the biodiversity field. CEEweb has been actively involved in the 2006–2007 reform process of PEBLDS and advocated for a more
bottom-up approach, which focuses on the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Pan-Europe. The 2007 March PEBLDS Council meeting, where CEEweb participated as an observer, endorsed this future reorientation of the process. In our view, this change in direction will contribute to more results on the ground, which will be a benefit for both nature and the people in the region.

The Joint Secretariat of PEBLDS carries out the daily operations and is composed of the Council of Europe and UNEP.

In 2005 CEEweb became an observer member of the PEBLDS Bureau and since then it has taken an important role in activating nature protection NGOs. In 2006 CEEweb coordinated the NGO input into the 4th Biodiversity in Europe conference from the CEE region on behalf of ECO Forum. In 2007 CEEweb co-organised the Biodiversity Multistakeholders' Roundtable on behalf of ECO Forum in cooperation with PEBLDS. In 2008 CEEweb coordinates collecting national biodiversity country profiles from the region and will present them on the 5th Biodiversity in Europe conference.

CEEweb activities related to PEBLDS:

 

CEEweb Policy Office: Széher út 40 | 1021 Budapest | Hungary | Tel: +36 1 398 0135 | Fax: +36 1 398 0136 | E-mail: office@ceeweb.org