The Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy presents an innovative and proactive approach to stop and reverse the degradation of biological and landscape diversity values in Europe. Innovative, because it addresses all biological and landscape initiatives under one European approach. Proactive, because it promotes the integration of biological and landscape diversity considerations into social and economic sectors. The Strategy reinforces the implementation of existing measures and identifies additional actions that need to be taken over the next two decades. The Strategy also provides a framework to promote a consistent approach and common objectives for national and regional action to implement the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Why the Strategy?
Europe has a shared responsibility towards conserving its natural heritage and passing it on to future generations. Recent political and social developments in Europe offer a number of unique opportunities to act in favour of the conservation of biological and landscape diversity. Throughout the continent, agricultural practice is changing, former military, industrial and agricultural land is becoming available and has a potential for nature development, international cooperation is increasing in all areas and there is growing public awareness and concern for biological and landscape diversity issues. These considerations have led the Council of Europe in cooperation with other national and international organizations, both governmental and non-governmental, to take the initiative to develop united European action.

Many initiatives have been and are being undertaken to address the continuing deterioration of the natural environment. Their capacity would be enhanced and their effectiveness increased when:

• initiatives cover the whole of Europe;
• biological and landscape diversity is integrated adequately into all social and economic sectors;
• conservation of landscapes is adequately incorporated in the major initiatives dealing with biodiversity;
• subsidiarity, partnership and involvement are incorporated;
• initiatives make use of all mechanisms available, in order to change how society thinks and works in relation to biological and landscape diversity, including: international and national markets and trade policy, multilateral or bilateral funds, fiscal and financial policy, initiatives and programmes, public awareness and participation;
• all the main actors in the economic sectors, the land users, the authorities and the general public are involved;
• the same Strategic principles to achieve goals are implemented, thereby achieving possible synergy.

Strategic framework
The Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy is a European response to support implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Strategy was proposed in the Maastricht declaration Conserving Europe's Natural Heritage (1993), and builds on the Bern Convention, the European Conservation Strategy (1990), the Dobrís and Lucerne Ministerial Conferences (1991, 1993), UNCED (1992), and other existing initiatives and programmes.

The Strategy introduces a coordinating and unifying framework for strengthening and building on existing initiatives. It does not aim to introduce new legislation, but to fill gaps where these initiatives are not implemented to their full potential or fail to achieve desired objectives. Further, the Strategy seeks to more effectively integrate ecological considerations into all relevant socio-economic sectors, and increases public participation in, and awareness and acceptance of, conservation interests. Based on the findings of the European Environment Agency report Europe's Environment: The Dobrís Assessment, the Strategy addresses the strengths and weaknesses of existing initiatives, and promotes practical action where there is a lack of suitable instruments, or where existing mechanisms are not implemented to their full potential.

Strategic principles
The Strategy requires the application of 10 principles through all sectors using natural resources, to achieve wise management of biological and landscape diversity. These are the principles of: careful decision making, avoidance, precaution, translocation, ecological compensation, ecological integrity, restoration and (re)creation, best available technology and best environmental practice, polluter pays, public participation/public access to information.

Strategy aims and objectives:
Aims

1. Threats to Europe's biological and landscape diversity are reduced substantially.
2. Resilience of Europe's biological and landscape diversity is increased.
3. Ecological coherence of Europe as a whole is strengthened.
4. Full public involvement in conservation of biological and landscape diversity is assured.

Objectives

1. Conservation, enhancement and restoration of key ecosystems, habitats, species and landscape features through the creation and effective management of the Pan-European Ecological Network.
2. Sustainable management and use of the positive potential of Europe's biological and landscape diversity through making optimum use of the social and economic opportunities on a national and regional level.
3. Integration of biological and landscape diversity conservation and sustainable use objectives into all sectors managing or affecting such diversity.
4. Improved information on and awareness of biological and landscape diversity issues, and increased public participation in actions to conserve and enhance such diversity.
5. Improved understanding of the state of Europe's biological and landscape diversity and the processes that render them sustainable.
6. Assurance of adequate financial means to implement the Strategy.

Operational framework
The legal basis for implementing action under the Strategy is found in existing and widely accepted international agreements and treaties such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, Bern Convention (which in the Monaco Declaration was indicated as the main instrument for implementing the Convention on Biological Diversity in Europe), the Bonn and Ramsar Conventions, and the Habitats and Birds Directives of the European Union.

Priorities for action
In the next 20 years, the Strategy seeks to introduce biological and landscape diversity considerations into all social and economic sectors by striving to integrate them into agriculture, forestry, hunting, fisheries, water management, energy and industry, transportation, tourism and recreation, defence, structural and regional policies and urban and rural planning.

Actors to be mobilized
Main actors that would be involved in the implementation of the Strategy would include national authorities, bilateral donors, international organizations and financial institutions, organizations and associations active in the economic sector, private enterprises, the research community, information dissemination organizations, private and public landowners, non-governmental organizations, the public (grassroot and citizen groups), indigenous and local peoples of the regions of Europe.

Structure for Action Plans
Actions are to be implemented by dividing the Strategy into five year Action Plans providing a framework which contributes to a common European response to the Convention on Biological Diversity and in particular the National Biodiversity Strategies. The Action Plans identify the fundamental actions towards the realization of each set of five year goals. By linking into existing initiatives and work programmes, a coherent spectrum of projects is executed, fitting within the framework of the Strategy.

Action Plan on Biological and Landscape Diversity 1996-2000

Introduction

The PEBLDS Joint Secretariat revised the PEBLDS Rolling Programme of Work and following the decision from the Budapest Conference in 2002, harmonised the goals and objectives of the Strategic Plan of the Convention on Biological Diversity with the programme of work.

The Joint Secretariat made the following modifications:

• Retained the Aims of the PEBLDS as the overarching strategic goals for the European region and combined the objectives of the PEBLDS with the objectives of the CBD Strategic Plan (in the European context) and, in that way focused the work programme and eliminated any overlaps or duplication.
• Dropped the existing programme element and sub-element headings as it was possible to fit all activities under the new integrated goals and objectives.
• Noted when an activity contributed to the implementation of a thematic or cross-cutting programme of the CBD, but grouped activities according to their objective rather than the CBD programme under which they may fit.
  

Goals

• Goal 1: The PEBLDS is fulfilling its role as facilitator for European biodiversity issues, in close collaboration with other strategic frameworks, in particular the European Commission biodiversity strategy, as well as facilitating CBD implementation in the pan European region.
• Goal 2: Participants in the PEBLDS process have improved financial, human, scientific, technical, and technological capacity to implement the PEBLDS and the CBD.
• Goal 3: National biodiversity strategies and action plans and the integration of biodiversity and landscape concerns into relevant sectors serve as an effective framework for the implementation of the objectives of the PEBLDS and the CBD.
• Goal 4: There is a better understanding of the importance of biodiversity, landscape, PEBLDS and of the CBD in the pan European region, and this has led to broader engagement across society in implementation.

Action Plan focus on sectors
The actions should specifically address the integration of biological and landscape diversity into the key sectors impacting on the natural environment, and in particular focus on agriculture and rural economy, as throughout Europe it is the rural sector that has the most direct interaction with biological and landscape diversity. Furthermore, agricultural policy and practice is currently undergoing change which offers the greatest opportunity for action towards achieving the overall aims of the Strategy.

Actions and projects
Based on the Strategy objectives, a series of actions have been identified in the Action Plan 1996-2000. They may fall within National Biodiversity Action Plans or the existing work programmes of international organizations, government authorities, economic sectors or non-governmental organizations and therefore could be elaborated into projects, and be undertaken by these organizations as separate, individual or standalone activities, while still contributing towards the realization of the Action Plan 1996-2000. Prioritization in the Action Plan has been based, among other sources, on the responses and policy options indicated in The Dobrís Assessment and IUCN Parks for Life.

Review and assessment of the Strategy
The review procedure is divided into four parts. It would be coordinated by a Pan-European Task Force on Biological and Landscape Diversity to be established in 1996 under the auspices of the Council of Europe which would report progress to the Environment for Europe Ministerial Conferences. The Task Force would seek representation from countries party to the Council of Europe, other European countries, international organizations including the European Union, United Nations bodies such as UNDP, UNECE, UNEP, UNESCO and FAO, the World Bank, donors and international non-governmental organizations. Through the Task Force, the parties and actors should be responsible for ensuring proper communication and consultation within their respective areas of responsibility for particular actions engaged in under the Strategy. The review process would be institutionally localized in the Council of Europe with regular assemblies of the governmental parties adhering to the Strategy, and at which venue other actors could also participate.

Rolling Work Programme

Goals and Ojectives

Framework for the PEBLDS Rolling Work Programme, based on the harmonisation of the
Strategic Plan of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) with the PEBLDS:

Goal 1: The PEBLDS is fulfilling its role as facilitator for European biodiversity issues, in close collaboration with other strategic frameworks, in particular the European Commission biodiversity strategy, as well as facilitating CBD implementation in the pan European region.

Objective 1.1: The PEBLDS is setting the Pan-European biodiversity agenda in the framework of the 'Environment for Europe' process, and facilitating the regional preparation and follow up to the CBD Meeting of the Conference of the Parties.
Objective 1.2: The PEBLDS is promoting co-operation between all relevant European instruments and processes, as well as global instruments and processes on the Pan-European level, to enhance policy coherence.
Objective 1.3: Other relevant European processes are actively supporting implementation of the PEBLDS and CBD, in a manner consistent with their respective frameworks.
Objective 1.4: Biodiversity and landscape concerns are being integrated into relevant sectoral or cross-sectoral plans, programmes and policies at the sub-regional and pan European levels, to meet conservation and sustainable use objectives.
Objective 1.5: Participants in the PEBLDS process are collaborating at the regional and sub-regional levels: (1) for the implementation of the CBD; (2) for the conservation, enhancement and restoration of key ecosystems, habitats, species and features of the landscape through the creation and effective management of the Pan-European Ecological Network; (3) for the implementation of the Landscape convention; and (4) for the sustainable management and use of the positive potential of Europe's biological and landscape diversity through making optimum use of the social and economic opportunities on a national and regional level.

Goal 2: Participants in the PEBLDS process have improved financial, human, scientific, technical, and technological capacity to implement the PEBLDS and the CBD.

Objective 2.1: All participants in the PEBLDS process have adequate capacity for implementation of priority actions in national biodiversity strategy and action plans.
Objective 2.2: All participants in the PEBLDS process with economies in transition have sufficient resources available to implement the PEBLDS and the three objectives of the CBD.
Objective 2.3: Technical and scientific co-operation is making a significant contribution to building capacity in the pan European region.

Goal 3: National biodiversity strategies and action plans and the integration of biodiversity and landscape concerns into relevant sectors serve as an effective framework for the implementation of the objectives of the PEBLDS and the CBD.

Objective 3.1: All participants in the PEBLDS process have effective national strategies, plans and programmes in place to provide a national framework for implementing the PEBLDS, the three objectives of the CBD and to set clear national priorities.
Objective 3.2:Biodiversity and landscape concerns are being integrated into relevant national sectoral and cross-sectoral plans, programmes and policies to meet conservation and sustainable use objectives in the pan European region.
Objective 3.3:The priorities in national biodiversity strategies and action plans of the pan European region are being actively implemented, as a means to achieve national implementation of the PEBLDS and the CBD, and as a significant contribution towards the global biodiversity agenda.

Goal 4: There is a better understanding of the importance of biodiversity, landscape, PEBLDS and of the CBD in the pan European region, and this has led to broader engagement across society in implementation.

Objective 4.1: All participants in the PEBLDS process are implementing a communication, education, and public awareness strategy and promoting public participation in support of PEBLDS and CBD.
Objective 4.2: Indigenous and local communities in the pan European region are effectively involved in implementation and in the processes of the PEBLDS and the CBD.
Objective 4.3: Key actors and stakeholders, including the private sector, are engaged in partnership to implement the PEBLDS and the CBD and are integrating biodiversity and landscape concerns into their relevant sectoral and cross-sectoral plans, programmes and policies.