press briefing on saving Europe’s biodiversity starts in the ocean

– Report launch & response to EU Parliament Draft Report

What: Media briefing held on January 14, 2021, by NGOs, followed by a Q/A session, to announce publication of a joint paper detailing 10 recommended EU actions on marine biodiversity in response to the EU 2030 Biodiversity Strategy, and the preparation of the EU Parliament’s position on the Strategy.

Why: On January 14th, both the Environment and Fisheries Committees of the European Parliament (EP) discussed a first draft of the EP response to the European Commission’s EU 2030 Biodiversity Strategy, issued in May 2020. The EP will be finalising and voting on its position in the coming months, and this Strategy is fundamental to driving the EU’s ambition to halt the extreme loss of biodiversity in Europe and globally, from 2021 onwards.

Who: Lead campaigners from BirdLife Europe, BLOOM, ClientEarth, Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, Greenpeace European Unit, IFAW, MEDASSET, Oceana in Europe, Our Fish, Sciaena, Seas At Risk, The Nature Conservancy, WDC – Whale and Dolphin Conservation.

Speakers and Presentations:

1. Rebecca Hubbard, Our Fish – Saving Europe’s Biodiversity and Maximising Climate and Ecosystem Benefits of Fisheries
2. Andrea Ripol, Seas at Risk – Fisheries bycatch of sensitive species and harmful fisheries subsidies – Biodiversity Strategy 2030
3. Nicolas Fournier, Oceana – Protecting marine habitats, Tackling bottom-trawling in Europe
4. Eleonora Panella, IFAW – Underwater noise and using EU influence globally
5. Matthew Gianni, Deep Sea Conservation Coalition – deep-sea fisheries (more EU) and deep-sea mining

This event saw the launch of a joint NGO paper on EU marine biodiversity to learn about how key marine policy gaps in the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 can be overcome, and NGO recommendations for areas of improvement to the EU Parliament draft Own Initiative (INI) report on the Biodiversity Strategy – which was presented in the ENVI Committee on Thursday January 14th.

Back to the Source – Saving Europe’s Biodiversity Starts in the Ocean, jointly published by BirdLife Europe, BLOOM, ClientEarth, Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, Greenpeace European Unit, IFAW, MEDASSET, Oceana in Europe, Our Fish, Sciaena, Seas At Risk, The Nature Conservancy, WDC – Whale and Dolphin Conservation, provides a toolkit of 10 ocean-related actions that EU decision-makers, including the European Commission, EU Member State ministers and MEPs, can use to translate this strategy into tangible and binding actions to ensure the long-term health of our ocean, in order to sustain ourselves, our communities and livelihoods.

The Leaders Pledge For Nature, UN Sustainable Development Goals, Paris Agreement, European Green Deal have all set a path towards transforming the way we do things in order to save life on the planet. But the planet needs more than promises. Life originated in the ocean, and continues to depend on the ocean – it provides every second breath we take. Without a healthy and functioning ocean, life would be impossible.  Back to the Source provides guidance on how the EU can rapidly accelerate progress towards this urgent goal.