Vast majority of Europe's key habitats in poor or bad condition - report
Related: State of nature in the EU (European Environment Agency)
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Source: The Guardian
Vast majority of Europe's key habitats in poor or bad condition – report
State of Nature in the EU survey finds only a quarter of species have good conservation status
Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent
Mon 19 Oct 2020 11.00 BST
The vast majority of protected landscapes across Europe are rated as in poor or bad condition and vital species and their habitats continue to decline despite targets aimed at protecting them, according to a report.
Only a quarter of Europe’s species are rated as having a good conservation status, while 80% of key habitats are rated as being in poor or bad condition across the continent, in the State of Nature in the EU 2013-2018 assessment by the European Environment Agency.
Just under half of all bird species are thriving, at 47%, but this is a decline of five percentage points since 2015, showing that the trend is going in the wrong direction.
Virginijus Sinkevičius, the EU commissioner for the environment, oceans and fisheries, said: “(This) shows very clearly that we are still losing our vital life support system. We urgently need to deliver on the commitments in the new EU biodiversity strategy to reverse this decline for the benefit of nature, people, climate and the economy.”
Much of the blame for the poor condition of Europe’s natural environment lies with intensive farming. The EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP) tends to reward intensive farming, despite moves to reward farmers for some measures that prioritise the environment.
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/19/vast-majority-europe-key-habitats-poor-bad-condition-report
