Since 2000 efforts have been made at the European level to coordinate biodiversity indicators and monitoring. With the adoption of biodiversity targets for 2010 at global, pan-European and European Union levels this process has accelerated. The European Biodiversity Monitoring and Indicator Framework is regarded as the framework for coordination at the pan-European level, as included in the Kyiv Resolution on Biodiversity.

Since mid-2004 the EBMI-F activities have been integrated into a joint pan-European/EU initiative, called SEBI2010: Streamlining European 2010 Biodiversity Indicators.

The objectives of the work to be done for SEBI2010 by the coordination team and any processes it establishes in support of countries and other interested bodies to help achieve the 2010 target are:

1. to consolidate, test, refine, document and help produce streamlined sets of policy-relevant biodiversity indicators meaningful in the context of the 2010 target;
2. to help ensure adequate funding for the development and production of indicators and assessments, and related monitoring activities, to support implementation and achievement of the policy decisions and targets;
3. to improve coordination, exchange of information, collaboration and international streamlining on biodiversity-related indicators and monitoring activities building on current activities and good practice;
4. to consider the wider use of the indicators, and their applicability within other relevant indicator frameworks and assessment processes.

The work under SEBI2010 is carried out by a coordination team of EEA and its ETC/BD, ECNC and UNEP-WCMC with European expert groups for individual indicators.

21-23 April 2004: Joint meeting of EIONET, IWG-BioMIN and PEBLDS on development of plan and guidelines for indicators and monitoring to achieve the 2010 target for biodiversity in Europe. Organised by ECNC, EEA and UNEP/ROE at EEA, Copenhagen.

23 March 2004: Seminar 'Europe joining forces to reach the 2010 target - the need for coordinated monitoring'. Organised by the European Parliament, ECNC and EEA in cooperation with the EBMI-F partnership and IUCN-ROfE at the European Parliament, Brussels. Seminar report (2.79 MB Adobe PDF)

February 2004: EEA briefing note on the need for biodiversity monitoring in Europe.

Further information: European Community Clearing-House Mechanism

Documents

'Are we halting the loss of biodiversity in Europe?' (leaflet produced for the Kyiv ministerial conference 'Environment for Europe, May 2003))

Indicators & monitoring side event at CBD-COP6 + proceedings

'Indicators, monitoring and clearing-house mechanisms: tools for policymaking and awareness raising' (STRA-CO (2002) 44), background paper for the 2nd intergovernmental conference 'Biodiversity in Europe'