IUCN, European Regional Office

Unsustainable agricultural practices are among the main causes of biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution globally. It is thus essential to integrate environmental conservation practices in the agriculture sector when looking at pathways for a sustainable future. In this context, Nature-based Solutions (NbS) could be a critical tool for improving the status of productive landscapes.

Food is one of the basic needs for human life. At the same time, agriculture is a leading cause of biodiversity loss, driving 80% of deforestation and consuming 70% of freshwater resources globally. Conventional farming practices have further contributed to habitat degradation, soil depletion, and species loss. This report aims to provide a general overview of how the relationship between biodiversity and agriculture is assessed.

The circular economy is a positive step forward to help achieve our environmental targets. When implemented with nature in mind, it can present an important opportunity for nature and biodiversity. As outlined by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 we will need to transform our production and consumption systems.

The high amount of land used for cultivation and livestock farming has dramatically shaped landscapes in Europe and throughout the rest of the world. Agriculture is a fundamental human activity that intrinsically depends on nature and at the same time poses a threat to it. Thus, sustainability has emerged as a necessity in future agricultural policy and practice.

The European Red List is a review of the status of European species according to IUCN regional Red Listing guidelines. It identifies those species that are threatened with extinction at the regional level – in order that appropriate conservation action can be taken to improve their status. This publication is a summary of the conservation status of the European species of mosses, liverworts and hornworts, collectively known as bryophytes.

The European Red List is a review of the status of European species according to IUCN regional Red Listing guidelines. It identifies those species that are threatened with extinction at the regional level – in order that appropriate conservation action can be taken to improve their status.

The aim of this study is to provide an overview of national legal instruments in all European Union Member States related to protection of the marine environment from plastic pollution, and to support upcoming European policy efforts such as the EU Strategy on Plastics, but also other future efforts to tackle this global environmental challenge.

In recent years, awareness has risen surrounding the crucial role of plants in providing ecosystem services and on their decline – they are one of the essential foundations of healthy ecosystems that we depend on. However, significant gaps in knowledge still remain. In this context, the European Red List of lycopods and ferns provides the first ever comprehensive assessment of the extinction risk of all native lycopod and fern species to Europe.