Biodiversity is everywhere – and nowhere
22 May is the International Day for Biological Diversity. Biodiversity is a prerequisite for life, it surrounds us, and yet it is so hard to comprehend at both practical and theoretical level. A person can stand in the middle of a forest without realizing either richness or loss of biodiversity. A policy can support biodiversity fully without even mentioning word biodiversity.
Biodiversity loss is a direct result of human activity and constitutes a direct threat to human well-being. According to Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, IPBES report, human activity has significantly altered 75% of land and 66% of marine ecosystems. More than a third of the world’s land surface and nearly three quarters of freshwater resources are now devoted to crop or livestock production. We humans and our livestock account already 96% of the biomass in the world. The populations of wild mammals, birds, fish, frogs, and reptiles have decreased in average by 68 %, and a million species are threatened with extinction. The main drivers for biodiversity loss are changes in land and sea use, direct exploitation of organisms, climate change, pollution, and invasive alien species. Although the loss of biodiversity is a global challenge, many threats are local or regional and thus, can be mitigated with local and cross-border cooperation.
Biodiversity in the Baltic Sea level
policy framework
The fundamental building blocks for global action for mitigating biodiversity loss has been set by the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and the new goals will be set at UN biodiversity conference, COP15, in Kunming, China in October 2022. Sustainable Development Goals number 14 (Life below water) and 15 (Life on land/biodiversity) focus on sustainable use of natural resources and include a goal to halt biodiversity loss.
The European Commission has presented the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030: Bringing nature back into our lives in May 2020, and it is a part of the European Green Deal. The European Parliament has adopted its position on the Strategy to ensure that by 2050 the world’s ecosystems are restored, resilient and adequately protected. The Parliament has called for legally binding targets to stop biodiversity loss to be agreed in COP15. The Parliament also wants the EU to take the lead by ensuring that 30% of EU territory, both land and sea, consists of natural areas by 2030 and that there should be an EU Biodiversity Law similar to the EU Climate Law.
The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea
aligns with the European Green Deal and thus, also with the EU Biodiversity Strategy.
However, the EUSBSR does not have an objective, sub-objective or policy area principally
dedicated to biodiversity issues. However, biodiversity is embedded in many
policy areas, mostly in PA Bioeconomy and PA Nutri, but also in PA Hazard, PA
Tourism, PA Safe and PA Ship.
Missing the wording biodiversity or biological diversity does not mean that biodiversity is not supported. Most of the actions towards healthier and more environmentally sustainable Baltic Sea region also support biodiversity. However, when increased biodiversity or mitigation of biodiversity loss is not set as a target of actions, or a success indicator, the support for biodiversity is a lucky by-product of actions.
