Matthew Borg Cardona BirdLife is an official partner of International Year of Biodiversity. Zoom In

Discover Natura 2000's hidden gems with the EU Commissioners

12-02-2010

BirdLife International welcomes the newly appointed European Commission, the second under the leadership of President Barroso.
On this occasion, as part of the activities organized during the UN International Year of Biodiversity, BirdLife International, together with its EU-27 Partners, has invited President Barroso and all the Commissioners to visit a Natura 2000 site in their home country. Through this visit they would stress the importance of the Commission’s commitment and efforts to preserve Europe’s common heritage and underline the construction of a sustainable future for Europe.

Biodiversity loss and climate change are the two most alarming manifestations of our current overuse of natural resources and disregard for the ecological consequences of our actions. Tackling those inextricable problems requires joint up thinking that puts the science of ecosystems management at the heart of decision making.

"We hope that [..] the European Commission will provide a strong and clear voice for the protection of the environment and biodiversity" —Angelo Caserta, Regional Director, BirdLife International European Division

 “The International community has failed to meet the 2010 targets and now more than ever the EU must lead in the adoption of an ambitious 2020 target that not only aims to halt the loss of biodiversity, but also to champion the recovery of habitats and species” commented Angelo Caserta, Regional Director of the BirdLife European Division.

BirdLife International believes a new 2020 target should stop further biodiversity loss, improve the status of threatened species and habitats by speeding up their recovery, enhance and restore ecosystems to increase their resilience and recognize both the inherent and the utilitarian value of biodiversity.

BirdLife is an official partner of International Year of Biodiversity. With its sound base in science, and the BirdLife Partnership's global repository of information on bird populations, BirdLife International is uniquely placed to comment and report on the state of biodiversity for the CBD, whose meeting will take place in Nagoya, Japan, later this year.
“We hope that in the next five years President Barroso and the whole College of Commissioners will provide a strong and clear voice for the protection of the environment and biodiversity through their different portfolios and we wish them a very successful mandate”, concluded Angelo Caserta. 

If you want to be up-to-date with BirdLife International European stories, register to our electronic Newsletter "BirdLife Europe e-news" by clicking here. Or to hear about news from the global BirdLife network, please click here.