The EU Policy
Framework
Policy Workshop – Designing PES Schemes and
Markets for Ecosystem Services
Laure Ledoux, DG Environment
Brussels, 6 July 2012
Content
1. EU Policy Context
2. Progress in
implementing the
Biodiversity
Strategy
3. Outstanding issues
and next steps
The EU mandate (March 2010)
Adoption of a long term (2050) vision

By 2050, European Union biodiversity and the ecosystem
services it provides – its natural capital – are protected, valued
and appropriately restored for biodiversity’s intrinsic value and for
their essential contribution to human well-being and economic
prosperity, and so that catastrophic changes caused by the loss of
biodiversity are avoided

Adoption of a mid term (2020) headline target
Halting the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem
services in the EU by 2020, and restoring them in so far as
feasible, while stepping up the EU contribution to averting global
biodiversity loss
3
International biodiversity policy
framework
Adoption of EU post2010 biodiversity vision
& headline target
Adoption (15-26/03/10)
Development and
adoption of post-2010
EU Biodiversity Strategy
Adoption by Commission
(05/ 2011), endorsed by
Council (06/2011)
Adoption of new
global Strategic Plan
2011-2020 (vision,
mission, 20 targets)
CBD COP10
(10/2010)
4
ES reflected throughout 6 targets
2050 Vision
2020 headline target
6 Targets:
1
Enhance
implementation
of nature
legislation
2
Restore
ecosystems
est. Green
Infrastructure
3
Sustainable
Agriculture
&
Forestry
4
Achieve
Maximum
sustainable
yield
ACTIONS
5
6
Combat
Contribute to
Invasive Alien averting global
Species
biodiversity
loss
Target 2 in the Biodiversity Strategy
Target 2: By 2020, ecosystems and their services are
maintained and enhanced through the establishment of
Green Infrastructure and the restoration of at least 15%
of degraded ecosystems.
-
Action 5: Improve knowledge about ecosystems and their
services in the EU
Action 6: Establish priorities for restoration and promote the
use of Green Infrastructure
Action 7: Ensure no net loss of biodiversity and ecosystem
services
Principles for EU Biodiversity
financing
• Biodiversity Strategy:
• Diversify and scale up financing sources (public and
private)
• Role of innovative financing instruments, including
market-based instruments, e.g. PES, PPP for green
infrastructure, biodiversity offsets (no net loss initiative)
• June 2011 MFF communication:
• Mainstream biodiversity throughout the EU budget,
including main financing instruments
• Efficiency: maximising co-benefits of various funding
sources (climate change)
• Implemention: benchmarks, monitoring and reporting
rules and tracking procedure
2020 roadmap to a resource efficient
Europe
• Promote the use of innovative financial and
market-based instruments and explore their
wider potential […]
• Put forward proposals to foster investments in
natural capital, to seize the full growth and
innovation potential of GI and the ‘restoration
economy’ through a Communication on GI (2012)
and a ‘No net loss’ initiative (2015)
EC study - IFM to enhance
biodiversity private sector finance
• Study objectives:
• Analyse conditions, opportunities and limitations for private
sector biodiversity finance
• Provide advice on future policy options - EU and international if
possible
• Investment Options analysed:
• Pro-biodiversity businesses
• Supporting carbon storage actions
• MBI: Biodiversity Offsets, Payments for Ecosystem Services
(PES)
• Green infrastructure projects
• Cross-cutting issues: Risk, and Information
• Challenges:
• Need for strong policy signals/regulatory framework in order to
scale up to full potential
• Need for pilot/demonstration projects
Council Conclusions 21 June 2011
•
WELCOMES the focus of the Strategy on biodiversity as a whole and
ecosystems services - within but also beyond protected areas – in recognition of
the essential services they provide as well as their intrinsic and economic value;
•
WELCOMES the emphasis on maintenance, including management, and
cost-effective restoration of ecosystems to ensure the continued provision
of ecosystem services, in particular given the climate change mitigation and
adaptation benefits of many ecosystems and the relevance for human well-being;
UNDERSCORES the importance of green infrastructure also as a contribution to
further integrating biodiversity considerations into other EU policies; and
WELCOMES the Commission’s commitment to develop a Green Infrastructure
Strategy by 2012;
‘STRESSES the importance of further work to operationalise the 'no net loss'
objective of the Strategy for areas and species not covered by existing EU nature
legislation and of ensuring no further loss or degradation of ecosystems and their
services’
•
10
Council Conclusions 19 December
2011 (1)
•
•
•
•
•
11
STRESSES the need of maintaining, restoring as far as feasible and
enhancing ecosystems and their services;
REITERATES that properly valuing biodiversity and ecosystem services can
contribute to their conservation and sustainable use;
RECOGNISES the importance of promoting the integration of these values into
decision making processes and accounting and reporting systems at EU and
national level by 2020;
and ACKNOWLEDGES that this work should be supported by the results of
ecosystem mapping and assessment of the state of ecosystems and their
services. In view of the short timeframe for initiating this work, URGES the
Commission and Member States to determine the modalities for and scope of these
tasks building upon the work carried out by the Member States;
'agrees that a common approach is needed for the implementation in the EU
of the NNL principle and invited the Commission to address this as part of the
preparation of its planned initiative on NNL by 2015, taking into account existing
experience as well as the specificities of each Member State, on the basis of indepth discussions with Member States and stakeholders regarding the clear
definition, scope, operating principles and management and support instruments in
the context of the common implementation framework of the Strategy'.
Council Conclusions 19 December 2011 (2)
CALLS UPON the Commission to consider, within the scope of the Green
Infrastructure (GI) Strategy under preparation, among others, the
following issues:
• a) possible scope and key components of GI;
• b) possible framework for GI implementation based on existing experience,
particularly in spatial planning, including coastal;
• c) methodological issues related to GI, including with regard to spatial
connectivity between protected areas and basic requirements for the
delivery of the necessary ecosystem services;
• d) options to integrate GI in existing policy instruments and importance
of GI in terms of climate change adaptation;
• e) identifying opportunities for financing GI;
• f) communication and promotion of GI targeting different stakeholders
and sectors, and in particular local authorities;
EP Resolution April 2012 (1)
•
•
•
Payment for ecosystem services (PES) is a promising, innovative
financial tool for biodiversity conservation;
Stresses that protecting, valuing, mapping and restoring biodiversity
and ecosystem services is essential in order to meet the goals of the
Roadmap to a Resource-Efficient Europe, and calls on the Commission and
the Member States to consider, as part of specific measures, presenting a
timetable for mapping and assessing ecosystem services in the EU
which will enable targeted and efficient measures to be taken to halt
the degradation of biodiversity and ecosystem services;
urges the Commission and the Member States, therefore, to value
ecosystem services and to integrate these values into accounting
systems as a basis for more sustainable policies;
EP Resolution April 2012 (2)
•
•
•
Wishes the EU to set a considerably higher restoration target
reflecting its own more ambitious headline target and its 2050 vision,
taking into account country-specific natural conditions; urges the
Commission to define clearly what is meant by ‘degraded ecosystems’ and
to set a baseline against which progress can be measured;
Urges the Commission to adopt a specific Green Infrastructure Strategy
by 2012 at the latest, with biodiversity protection as a primary objective;
underlines that this strategy should address objectives relating to urban
as well as rural areas, inter alia in order better to fulfil the provisions of
Article 10 of the Habitats Directive;
Urges the Commission to develop an effective regulatory framework
based on the ‘No Net Loss’ initiative, taking into account the past
experience of the Member States while also utilising the standards
applied by the Business and Biodiversity Offsets Programme; notes, in this
connection, the importance of applying such an approach to all EU
habitats and species not covered by EU legislation;
Knowledge-base
Action 5
Mapping & assessment of ecosystems and services (by 2014)
Economic value assessment and integration into accounting and reporting
systems(by 2020)
Policy tools
Action 6a
Restoration prioritisation framework
(by 2014)
Action 6b
Green Infrastructure Strategy
(by 2012)
15
Target 3
Agriculture
and forests
Baseline
Maintenance of
ecosystem services
Policy initiatives
Target 1
Nature
legislation
Action 7a
Biodiversity proofing
methodology (by 2014)
Strategic approach
to compensation
Action 7b
No Net Loss initiative (by
2015)
Target 2
By 2020, ecosystems and their services are maintained and enhanced by establishing
green infrastructure and restoring at least 15% of degraded ecosystems
Other EU legislation,
WFD, MSFD…
Target 5
Invasive
alien species
Target 4
Sustainable
fisheries
Relevant studies
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Biodiversity proofing
Estimating Target 2 financing needs
TEEB follow-up study for the EU
Supply and demand of HB and design elements
Mapping of ecosystems and ES
Options for reaching restoration target
Options for NNL initiative
CIF GOVERNANCE CHART
BIODIVERSITY & NATURE DIRECTORS (Chair: Pres; Co-chair: Commission)
Co-ordination Group for Biodiversity & Nature (Chair: Commission)
RELEVANT
COUNCIL & EP
WORK
T1 - NATURE
CONSERVATION
T2 – RESTORATION,
GREEN
INFRASTRUCTURE
T3 – AGRICULTURE &
FORESTRY
Habitats Committee (ENV)
Ornis Committee (ENV)
Ecosystem Mapping &
assessment WG (ENV)
GI WG incl. prioritised
restoration Framework
(ENV)*
No net loss WG (ENV)*
Expert group on Agri
& Env. (ENV)
Natura 2000
Management WG
(ENV)
ENEA-MA WG on
2014-2020 OPs &
Biodiversity
(ENV/REGIO)
Natura seminars (ENV)
Other Natura 2000 ad
hoc groups on specific
sectors, some of which
are also listed under
T2, T3, T4
Reporting Expert
Group (ENV)
SEBI (EEA/ENV)
N2000 Ad Hoc groups
(e.g. inland waterways)
(ENV)
N2000 seminars (ENV)
EIA/SEA Expert Grp
(ENV)
Adaptation steering
group (CLIMA)
SEBI (EEA/ENV)
Standing Forest
Committee (AGRIENV)
Advisory group on
Agri & Env (AGRI)
Advisory group on
Rural Dev. (AGRI)
Rural Dev. Ctee
(AGRI)
T4 – MAXIMUM
SUSTAINABLE YIELD
Marine Strategy
Framework Directive
Coordination Group
(ENV)
Reporting Expert
Group (ENV)
Eval. Network on RD
(AGRI)
SEBI (EEA/ENV)
Standing Ctee on IAS
(ENV)**
Biodiversity & Dev.
Coop. platform
(ENV-DEVCO)
MSFD WG on Good
Env Status (ENV)
N2000 Marine Exp.Grp
(ENV)
COMAR for marine
biod. in ABNJ (MARE)
N2000 & forest Ad
Hoc group (ENV)
MS Consult. Grp. on
IAS (ENV)
T6 - GLOBAL
Scientific Review Grp
on IAS (ENV)**
N2000 Ad hoc group.
aquaculture (ENV)
N2000 & agri Ad
Hoc group (ENV)
T5 – INVASIVE ALIEN
SPECIES
Reporting Expert
Group (ENV)
Trade &
Environment Ctee
(TRADE)
SEBI (EEA/ENV)
Reporting Expert Group
(ENV)
DIKE (ENV)/
EMODNET (MARE)/
ICES
SEBI (EEA/ENV)
WFD CIS
MSFD CIS
Forest Directors
Legend: Current chairmanship in brackets, Core groups in bold, * group to be created, ** group under consideration as part of the legislative proposal
NB: The group listing in boxes shows the core groups and those others identified as most relevant and is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all existing groups.
EU Target 2 Roadmap
Mapping and
NNL
Assessment of
Ecosystems & Services
2012 - 3 Meetings MAES WG
- 3 Meetings NNL WG
- Stakeholder workshop
- Study on valuation
2013 - MAES WG meeting(s)
- Mapping study
- Habitat Banking study
- Biodiversity proofing
study
- NNL WG Meeting(s)/
recommendations by
mid-2012
- Formal consultation
- Impact Assessment
Steering Group (IASG)
- NNL options Study
Green Infrastructure
and Restoration
- Green Infrastructure
Green Paper
- 1st Meeting of the GI&R
WG
- GI&R WG Meetings
NNL: Some issues raised
• Need for gap analysis
• Offsets in context of mitigation hierarchy and
habitat banking just one of the options
• From presentation of Member State experiences
and concrete case studies
•
•
•
•
•
Additionality
Need for metrics – measuring losses and gains
Long term management issues
Availability of land
Different approaches to 'habitat banking'
Outstanding issues and next steps
• Knowledge base: significant differences across
MS – importance of action 5
• Further development and implementation of
policy initiatives
• Importance of mainstreaming BES in all
instruments in the next budget
• Enabling conditions for private sector
involvement?
Thank you for your attention
More information
EU biodiversity strategy
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nat
ure/biodiversity/policy/index_en.htm
Ecosystem Assessment homepage
http://biodiversity.europa.eu/ecosyst
em-assessments
Environment and economics webpage
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/en
veco/index.htm
Bise http://biodiversity.europa.eu
Contact: Laure.Ledoux@ec.europa.eu