Europe’s resilience: halting biodiversity loss and building a healthy and sustainable food system

The European Commission adopted a comprehensive new Biodiversity Strategy to bring nature back into our lives and a Farm to Fork Strategy for a fair, healthy and environmentally friendly food system on 20 May. The two strategies are mutually reinforcing, bringing together nature, farmers, business and consumers for jointly working towards a competitively sustainable future.

The two strategies put the citizen at the centre, by committing to increase the protection of land and sea, restoring degraded ecosystems and establishing the EU as a leader on the international stage both on the protection of biodiversity and on building a sustainable food chain. In line with the European Green Deal, both strategies propose ambitious EU actions and commitments to halt biodiversity loss in Europe and globally and to convert our food systems.

This strategy, adopted at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, is a central element of the EU’s recovery plan and is of crucial importance to prevent and strengthen resilience to future pandemics and to provide immediate business and investment opportunities for the recovery of the EU economy.

The strategy propousals

The strategy brings forward concrete steps to put Europe’s biodiversity on the path to recovery by 2030, including transforming at least 30% of Europe’s lands and seas into effectively managed protected areas and bringing back at least 10% of agricultural area under high-diversity landscape features.

Funding

The actions foreseen in nature protection, sustainable use and restoration will bring economic benefits to local communities, creating sustainable jobs and growth. Funding of EUR 20 billion/year will be unlocked for biodiversity through various sources, including EU funds, national and private funding.

More information

Reinforcing Europe’s resilience: halting biodiversity loss and building a healthy and sustainable food system

Question and Answers on Biodiversity Strategy