European governments aim to halt the loss of Europe's biodiversity by 2010

4 February 2003, Geneva, Strasbourg, Tilburg
From 30 - 31 January 2003, European governments, international organisations and NGO's met in the framework of the Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy (PEBLDS) in the "Palais des Nations" in Geneva, Switzerland.

While preparing for the biodiversity and landscape input into the upcoming 5th Ministerial "Environment for Europe"-Conference in Kyiv, Ukraine in May 2003, they agreed to propose to the Kyiv Conference to halt the loss of Europe's biodiversity by 2010. This commitment is stronger than the agreement of the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, which pledged to achieve by 2010 a significant reduction of the current rate of loss of biodiversity.

The meeting decided to propose to the Ministerial meeting in Kyiv key targets on biodiversity and landscape that would contribute to realizing the 2010 target. These targets include the identification by 2006 of the location of the Pan-European Ecological Network, a substantially increased involvement of the financial sector in biodiversity projects and programmes, increased efforts in the field of forestry and biodiversity and agriculture and biodiversity, and coherent biodiversity monitoring and indicator efforts.

Mrs Sylvi Ofstad of Norway was appointed as the new President of the Council and Bureau of PEBLDS, succeeding Peter Skoberne of Slovenia, and in the Bureau of PEBLDS, which is the executive body of the Council, the following members and observers were elected: Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, Andorra, Moldova, Georgia, Albania, and Czech Republic, and as observers: IUCN, ECNC and Ecoforum.

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For more information please contact the Joint Secretariat of PEBLDS, tel. +41-22-9178395, or ECNC +31-(0)13-5944944