Mapping and assessment of ecosystems and their services
An EU wide ecosystem assessment in support of the EU biodiversity strategy
Rainforest ecosystem. Source: Panya/ Adobe Stock
This assessment analyses the condition of Europe’s ecosystems and the pressures they face, from intensive land use and pollution to climate change and invasive species. Covering forests, farmlands, wetlands, rivers, lakes, marine and urban ecosystems, it evaluates trends since 2010 and highlights links between ecosystem condition, services to people, and the need for targeted conservation and restoration.
Europe’s ecosystems provide food, timber, clean water, climate regulation, and recreation, yet they face ongoing pressures including intensive land and sea use, pollution, overexploitation, climate change, and invasive alien species. This assessment evaluates changes in ecosystem condition across the EU and its marine regions, using 2010 as a baseline for policy. It covers a wide range of ecosystems – forests, farmlands, wetlands, rivers, lakes, heathlands, shrublands, urban green areas, and marine habitats. In addition, the report includes crosscutting assessments on climate change, invasive alien species, soils, landscape mosaics, and ecosystem services. By linking pressures, condition, and the benefits ecosystems deliver to people, the findings inform policy, conservation, and restoration efforts. The analysis supports the objectives of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020, particularly the development of an integrated monitoring framework to track progress in protecting and restoring ecosystems.
- Active Restoration
- Implementation
- Monitoring & Projecting
- Planners & Implementers
- Policy Actors