Biodiversity in Europe - A Mini Report on the State of Biodiversity Across the UK & EU
Introduction
As the BBC comes under fire for censoring David Attenborough’s new series ‘Wild Isles’ which documents the destruction of nature across the UK we thought it about time we produced a short summary of the state of biodiversity in both the UK and Europe. This mini report will provide an overview of how our presence is impacting on the natural world and present three regional cases studies; the UK, Germany and Ukraine to better illustrate biodiversity in a national context.
The State of Biodiversity in the UK & EU
“The main ecosystems in Europe are croplands (33%), forests (30%), pastures (16%) and urban land (2%)” (Convention on Biological Diversity, 2023). The wide range of landscapes and ecosystems in Europe have contributed to its immense biodiversity being home to a considerable number of species: “260 species of mammals, of which 40 are marine mammals, 500 species of fish, 500 of breeding birds, 150 of reptiles, 84 of amphibians and 90,000 species of insects, including 10,000 of butterflies and moths as well as 30,000 of beetles” (Convention on Biological Diversity, 2023). Unfortunately, human activity is having a significant negative impact on biodiversity in Europe as “50% of species and 65% of habitat types of European conservation interest have an unfavourable conservation status” meanwhile, “nearly one in six (15%) of the terrestrial mammals and 25% of marine mammals are threatened with the risk of extinction… (and) about 45% of assessed European fish stocks are outside safe biological limits”.
“Only 23% of species and 16% of habitats under the EU Nature Directives are in good health” (WWF, 2023). Unsustainable agriculture, climate change, overexploitation of forests, oceans, rivers, lakes and soils, overfishing, pollution, invasive species, and continued habitat loss are just some of the leading drivers which are contributing to biodiversity loss in the EU. In May 2020, the EU set out a biodiversity strategy for 2030 which aims to protect nature and reverse the degradation of ecosystems by building up resilience to future threats such as the impacts of climate change, forest fires, food insecurity and disease outbreaks. The EU has proposed a set of specific commitments and actions to be delivered by 2030;
Establishing a larger EU-wide network of protected areas on land and at sea,
Launching an EU nature restoration plan,
Introducing measures to enable the necessary transformative change,
Introducing measures to tackle the global biodiversity challenge, (European Commission, 2023)
“This strategy, along with the EU Farm to Fork Strategy, is a potential game changer for EU nature, food and farming policies” (WWF, 2023) as it sets targets which should provide a new wave of essential strategies to further protect areas, work towards the restoration of nature, expand organic farming and reduce the use of agricultural chemicals. Though this new strategy is an excellent step forward towards protecting what is left of EU’s natural spaces it will not be enough, as large-scale nature restoration will need to become a legal requirement for all EU Member States if a tangible change is to be experienced.
A study led by the University of York has shown that if we maintain the current momentum for conservation and rewilding projects such as those looking to reintroduce larger terrestrial species like wolves, beavers and lynx we could see an increase in diversity in flora and fauna beyond the levels seen 8,000 years ago with the exception of two permanently lost species – the Aurochs (a wild ancestor of the cow) and the European Wild Ass. Whilst the study focused on the number of species types as opposed to the number of creatures within each species set it has shown how well nature can adapt to anthropogenic changes at a regional scale (University of York, 2022).
Forests are one of the greatest natural symbols of Europe with these beautiful and complex ecosystems ranging from the Black Forest in Germany to the Hoia Forest in Romania the biodiversity they contain is immense, therefore, protecting these key natural spaces has often been the focus of efforts to protect EU biodiversity. In a comprehensive study by the European Forest Institute a multidisciplinary team of 13 authors came together to chart how we can effectively maintain and enhance forest biodiversity in Europe. This study set a new milestone for research of its kind as the solutions were scaleable and would allow forest managers and policymakers to take action and maintain and enhance conservation efforts. The key approaches were:
Forest biodiversity monitoring,
Recognising ‘external’ and ‘internal’ threats to biodiversity,
More stringent conservation measures,
Hands-on nature-positive management,
Ecosystem management approaches,
Variation of forest management approaches and intensity,
Recognising that conserving and increasing biodiversity is a shared task, (EFI, 2022)
Though Europe (as a whole) is working to improve biodiversity it is also important to zoom in on individual nations to see how they are tackling the conservation crisis…
The UK
“The UK is currently placed in the lowest 12% of global countries and territories for biodiversity intactness” (RSPB, 2021). Research by the Natural History Museum and RSPB using the Biodiversity Intactness Index (BII) has found that the UK is at the bottom of the G7 league table for how much biodiversity remains. The UK has a BII of 50% which is significantly lower than Germany’s 67%, France’s 65% and Italy’s 65%. Within the UK the individual nations BII are Scotland 56%, Wales 51%, Northern Ireland 50% and England 47% (RSPB, 2021). This research has exhibited just how far the UK has fallen behind on their nature targets over the course of a lost decade (2011-2021) making it all the more urgent that over the next decade (2021-2031) the UK takes rapid, decisive action to restore ecosystems and prevent further losses of biodiversity.
So, what has caused this drastic loss in UK biodiversity? Well as always it is a mixture key of factors;
Across the nation, woods and grassland have been destroyed and fields of single crops planted in their place. Over two-thirds of the UK is now used for agriculture and 8% has been built on, leaving little room for nature,
Centuries of farming and urban spread triggered by the industrial and agricultural revolutions is being blamed as major factors for biodiversity loss (McKie, 2021).
The global BII currently stands at 75%; however, the safe level to ensure that the planet does not fall into ecological recession which could result in widespread starvation is considered to be 90%. With the UK measuring at around 50% it is no surprise that so many UK species are hovering on the brink of extinction, including the Scottish Wildcat, natterjack toad, turtle doves and the cicada (McKie, 2021). Even the hedgehog, perhaps one of the most recognisable symbols of UK wildlife is threatened. Though scientists believe that we can turn things around this cannot be achieved by “offshoring” to developing countries and becoming reliant on such nations to provide good ? and grow food whilst suffering the depletion of their own wildlife in order to ease pressure on our biodiversity.
Germany
Germany provides a relatively more promising picture for biodiversity in Europe. Home to 48,000 native species of animals, 9,500 native species of plants and 14,000 native species of fungi Germany’s biodiversity is some of the most expansive in Europe. “Protecting the foundations of life is an official national objective, a requirement added to the Basic Law in 1994” (Eric, 2023). To this end Germany houses 16 national parks and biosphere reserves as well as thousands of nature reserves. However, Germany, like so many nations is still facing biodiversity loss with 35% of native species and 26% of native plant species having been classified as endangered (Eric, 2023). As is the case across much of the globe the usual pressures are playing their part in driving down biodiversity such as;
Intensive farming and forestry,
Landscape dissection and urban sprawl,
Soil sealing and pollutants (e.g. acidifying chemicals and nutrients),
Disturbance from increased recreational use and construction of, for example, coastal defences in or close to coastal habitats,
and climate change (Convention on Biological Diversity, 2023).
The German government is not however sitting on its hands. It has ratified the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and just last year announced plans to increase its international biodiversity finance to 1.5 billion euros per year by 2025 (BMUV, 2022). This has doubled the previous 750 million euros that were invested on average between 2017-2021. The German government is aiming to signal its commitment to global biodiversity conservation through its support of the ambitious outcomes of the CBD Cop15 in Montreal, December 2022. The sum promised by Germany will make it the largest international donor and a leader in efforts to preserve nature in developing countries and emerging economies. Better yet, in stereotypical German fashion, which focuses on efficiency, those projects supported by German funding don’t just combat food security or forest restoration but also aim to tackle climate change in the process.
Ukraine
As the war in Ukraine continues to rage on and we observe the toll war takes on a nation and its people it is important not to forget the serious impact war also has on biodiversity and the natural world. “Occupying less than 6% of the area of Europe, Ukraine possesses 35% of its biodiversity” (Convention on Biological Diversity, 2023). Pre-war Ukraine already faced numerous pressures on its biodiversity due to;
Fragmentation of landscapes,
The development of infrastructure and urbanization,
Pollution,
Over-exploitation of bioresources,
Destruction of certain types of landscapes as a result of agricultural activities,
and the introduction of alien biological species (Convention on Biological Diversity, 2023).
Naturally, war in Ukraine has exacerbated some of these issues and presented new problems as efforts to restore habitats, conserve species, improve protected area management as well as mitigate and adapt to climate change have come to a grinding halt. Whilst it remains difficult to see clearly how much environmental damage has resulted from the war so far there are already signs of struggle. With Ukraine being home to ‘rare steppe ecosystems’ which have been given the title ‘The Green Heart of Europe’, the 70,000 species currently residing in the nation, including numerous rare, relic and endemic species such as European bison, brown bears, lynx, and wolves as well as sturgeon, which are some of the most threatened species on the planet, now have the added threat of missiles overhead. “As a consequence of the war, 24 protected areas have been forced to suspend their conservation activities in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizia, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Kyiv, and Crimea regions” (Rudenko, 2022). Reports from withdrawing troops in some areas have made mention of damage to park infrastructure and as many park staff have been displaced or conscripted protection for parks has drastically reduced leading to increased poaching and illegal logging (Rudenko, 2022). We hope that the war in Ukraine can come to end allowing people to return home and rebuild their lives whilst also working rebuild key conservation efforts in the region.
References
BMUV. “A strong partner in global nature conservation: Germany to increase international biodiversity finance to 1.5 billion euros per year by 2025 | Press release.” BMUV, 21 September 2022, https://www.bmuv.de/en/pressrelease/a-strong-partner-in-global-nature-conservation-germany-to-increase-international-biodiversity-finance-to-15-billion-euros-per-year-by-2025.
Convention on Biological Diversity. “Main Details.” Main Details, 2023, https://www.cbd.int/countries/profile/?country=eur.
Convention on Biological Diversity. “Main Details.” Main Details, 2023, https://www.cbd.int/countries/profile/?country=de.
Convention on Biological Diversity. “Main Details.” Main Details, 2023, https://www.cbd.int/countries/profile/?country=ua.
EFI. “New EFI study launched - Maintaining and enhancing forest biodiversity in Europe | European Forest Institute.” | European Forest Institute, 30 May 2022, https://efi.int/news/new-efi-study-launched-maintaining-and-enhancing-forest-biodiversity-europe-2022-05-30.
Eric. “TAT-2020-Klima-Lebenswichtige-Vielfalt | Facts about Germany.” Tatsachen über Deutschland, 2023, https://www.tatsachen-ueber-deutschland.de/en/sustainability-and-environment/essential-diversity.
European Commission. “Home - Strategy - Biodiversity strategy for 2030.” Language selection | Environment, 2023, https://environment.ec.europa.eu/strategy/biodiversity-strategy-2030_en.
McKie, Robin. “Nearly half of Britain's biodiversity has gone since industrial revolution.” The Guardian, 10 October 2021, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/10/nearly-half-of-britains-biodiversity-has-gone-since-industrial-revolution.
RSPB. BIODIVERSITY LOSS. The UK’s global rank for levels of biodiversity loss. RSPB, 2021, https://www.rspb.org.uk/globalassets/downloads/about-us/48398rspb-biodivesity-intactness-index-summary-report-v4.pdf.
Rudenko, Diana. “Assessing the environmental impacts of the war in Ukraine.” WWF-CEE, 2022, https://wwfcee.org/our-offices/ukraine/assessing-the-environmental-impacts-of-the-war-in-ukraine.
University of York. “Biodiversity of Europe's mammals as rich as it was 8000 years ago, according to new research.” University of York, 4 November 2022, https://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2022/research/biodiversity-europe-mammals/.
WWF. “Biodiversity | WWF.” WWF EU, 2023, https://www.wwf.eu/what_we_do/biodiversity/.
