2009-2010: Follow-up of the paper Green Infrastructure and Ecological Connectivity

Co-chairs: Noel Casserly, The Irish National Sustainable Development Council (Comhar), Jan Verheeke, Environment and Nature Council of Flanders (Minaraad)

Main outcomes 2010

• WG representatives presented the part on green networks of the EEAC Statement 2009 at a lunch session in the European Commission on 16 December.
 
• The WG met on 2 March in the Minaraad offices in brussels, followed directly to the WG Agriculture meeting. It was kept relatively brief, so that members who were 19 from 13 countries, who attended both meetings, were able to continue the discussion on the theme for the 2010 statement. With 2010 being the International Year of Biodiversity, the Belgian EU-presidency also has a focus on Biodiversity. Els Martens of the Flemish administration gave a presentation on the Headlines of discussion and preparation of the Belgian presidency in relation to the Nagoya-conference. The meeting ended with a discussion on a draft letter of the WG Chairs.
• On 10 March chair of the EEAC, and co-chairs of the network's Working Group (WG) Biodiversity have written to the new European Commissioner of Environment, calling for urgent action at EU level and inter-governmental level to halt the loss of biodiversity. The EEAC WG welcomes the Commission Communication on Biodiversity of 19 January 2010, however, expresses its concern as the target to halt the loss of biodiversity in Europe by 2010 has not been reached. The WG believes that it is essential for the Spring EU Council to come up with a robust target for 2020 and to bring forward a European Action Plan with proposals on mechanisms and instruments to achieve the 2020 target. The WG also states that the 2020 headline target should be taken into consideration in the main EU-cross cutting strategies such as the SDS and the "EU 2020" Strategy.

Read more: 2009-2010: Follow-up of the paper Green Infrastructure and Ecological Connectivity