Eurosite is a proud member of several international multi-stakeholder alliances fostering biodiversity and climate protection. Here is an overview of their composition and scope.
Alliances
European Habitats Forum
Eurosite is a member of the European Habitats Forum (EHF). The EHF is a group of NGO networks that provide input and advice to DG Environment and EU Member State Nature Directors, particularly regarding implementing the Birds and Habitats Directives and establishing the Natura 2000 network. The EHF meets with the DG Environment of the European Commission twice a year and has one seat in the coordination group for biodiversity and nature. The EHF facilitates, through these meetings, communication between DG Environment and European nature conservation NGOs.
Global Peatlands Initiative
Eurosite is a member of the Global Peatlands Initiative (GPI).
The Global Peatlands Initiative is an effort by leading experts and institutions formed by 13 founding members at the UNFCCC COP in Marrakech, Morocco in 2016 to save peatlands as the world’s largest terrestrial organic carbon stock and to prevent it from being emitted into the atmosphere. The current greenhouse gas emissions from drained or burned peatlands are estimated to amount to up to five percent of the global carbon budget — in the range of two billion tonnes CO2 per year. Partners to the Initiative are working together within their respective areas of expertise to improve the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of peatlands. In this way the Initiative is contributing to several Sustainable Development Goals , including by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, maintaining ecosystem services and securing lives and livelihoods through improved adaptive capacity.
Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process
Since 2014, Eurosite has been participating in the Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process, an initiative of the European Commission assisting the Member States and key stakeholders to manage Natura 2000 as a coherent ecological network. Wageningen Environmental Research (WENR) is the lead contractor to support the EC in developing and implementing the Process. WENR does this with support from sub-contracted consortium partners.
Eurosite is following the Process closely and will contribute to it by organising thematic networking events according to the needs of the site managers’ community.
Find out more about the Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process on the Natura 2000 Communication Platform.
Global Coalition for Biodiversity
Ahead of the crucial 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Kunming (China), the European Commission asks all national parks, aquariums, botanic gardens, zoos, research centres, science and natural history museums to join forces and increase public awareness regarding the nature crisis. The COP was supposed to take place in 2020 but has been postponed to 2021 due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Comparable to the Paris Agreement focusing on the climate urgency and just as necessary, it is envisaged that during COP 15, 196 Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity will adopt a new global framework to protect and restore nature. After the COP, the Global Coalition for Biodiversity will focus on coordinated actions mitigating biodiversity loss.
In May 2020, during Biodiversity Week, Eurosite — the European Land Conservation Network became an official supporter of the Global Coalition for Biodiversity of the European Commission. With this communication campaign, the Commission calls for stronger mobilisation to raise awareness about the need to protect biodiversity. Because strength lies in unity, we call upon all institutions that care about the planet’s future and biodiversity to join the Global Coalition for Biodiversity for a future with rich and resilient biodiversity. To join forces for nature, the Coalition aims to have 500 members and supporters engaged in signing the pledge. Interested institutions can contact ec-biodiversity-coalition@ec.europa.eu directly (please Cc Gilles.DOIGNON@ec.europa.eu) for further information or to sign up. The full text of the pledge is available here.
