Biodiversity & nature
Last updates
Biodiversity and Invasive Alien Species
On 25 June 2009, the Environment Council adopted conclusions concerning both biodiversity and alien species. The EU set itself the objective of halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010. The Council’s views on invasive species will be taken into account by the Commission when preparing its proposal for an EU strategy and options, communicated on 19 January 2010, to address the issue that it intends to bring forward in 2010 in preparation for the international negotiations on a new global post-2010 vision and target in the autumn. Invasive alien species refer to non-local varieties of plants and animals that have arrived in ecosystems outside their natural habitat. According to recent research, 10,882 non-native species are present in Europe, 10 to 15% of which are estimated to have a negative economic and ecological impact. The Commission will organise in September a stakeholder consultation to exchange views on the components of a future EU strategy on invasive species. In terms of international biodiversity negotiations, the UN conference (COP 10) will be held in Nagoya from 18 to 29 October with the objective of agreeingpost-2010 targets.
EFBA Position:
EFBA will closely monitor any EU initiatives on this matter as fur-farmed animals have been domesticated for more than 100 years and are not to be considered as wild species. EFBA’s key objective is to respect nature through responsible farming practices: security measures are in place at farms to avoid animals escaping from the premises. EFBA strongly opposes the voluntary releases of fur-farmed animals by animal-protection organisations as these are entirely responsible for important damage caused to nature. A European inventory of such releases over the past eight years is available. EFBA will proactively participate in the public consultation launched by the Commission on invasive species.