Essex Biodiversity Project

The European Commission has launched a web-based consultation to gather input from a wide range of stakeholders on policy options for the European Union's post-2010 EU biodiversity strategy. Opinions are sought from citizens, stakeholders, public administrations, business and civil society on issues including the shortcomings of the existing biodiversity policy, the new approach that the Commission is proposing, farming and biodiversity, the economics of biodiversity, and biodiversity governance inside and outside the EU. The results will feed into the new strategy which is under development. The consultation runs until 22 October 2010.

In March 2010, the Council of the European Union agreed on a post-2010 vision and an ambitious new 2020 target for biodiversity to replace the expiring 2010 target. The new target aims to "halt the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services in the EU by 2020, restore them in so far as feasible, while stepping up the EU contribution to averting global biodiversity loss".

This survey is intended to canvas opinions about the various policy options available to fine-tune the new strategy, and the steps needed to ensure that it achieves the desired results. The survey asks in particular about areas where current EU legislation is perceived as inadequate or in need of strengthening, and about options for improving the integration of biodiversity policy into other areas.

The consultation can be filled in at

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/consultations/biodecline.htm