In 2010, the European Council committed to a new long-term (2050) vision and mid-term (2020) headline target for biodiversity recovery across the EU: ‘To halt the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services in the EU by 2020 and restore them in so far as possible, while stepping up the EU contribution to averting global biodiversity loss’.

This target underpins the EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy and emonstrates high political commitment in response to the urgent need to protect and improve the state of Europe’s biodiversity over the next decade.