The IUCN Pan-European Component Programme outlines the main objectives for IUCN in the pan-European region for the period 2009-2012, taking into account the expanding core competencies and responsibilities of the IUCN Regional Office for Pan-Europe (ROfE) and opportunities for working in close cooperation with IUCN members, Commissions and National Committees in the region. It is also based on collaboration with the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation located in Malaga, Spain due to the partial overlapping of the territory, members, issues and objectives at the sub-regional level.
The IUCN Regional Office for Pan-Europe, located in Brussels, and its three Programme Offices situated in Belgrade (for South-Eastern Europe), Moscow (for Russia), and Tbilisi (for the Southern Caucasus), are involved in numerous pan-European programmes and initiatives. Some of these pertain to nature conservation including Natura 2000, the Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy, and the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Programme of Work on Protected Areas, while others are in sustainable agriculture (Common Agricultural Policy Reform, Agro-Environmental Measures for Biodiversity Assessment and Control), and forestry (Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe). ROfE also represents IUCN on a number of specialist bodies within the European Commission concerning the implementation of and reporting on the Nature Directives and sustainable use of natural resources. Through its Countdown 2010 initiative, IUCN is promoting the halting of the loss of biodiversity by 2010 though an extensive network of partners in pan-Europe and around the world. The Countdown 2010 Secretariat is housed within ROfE.
Additional major areas of activity and interest of IUCN ROfE include: maintaining strong links with IUCN members and key decision makers across pan-Europe and in European Union (EU) institutions; influencing policy development at the EU level and policy implementation in Member States; providing scientific information and expertise; providing information on EU policies, programmes and funding opportunities to members; capacity building in neighbouring countries; and ensuring the integration of biodiversity in development cooperation and in economic, agriculture, forestry, trade, energy and climate change policies. On the global level, the EU is both the major provider of development aid and the largest trade partner. For this reason, ROfE established and maintains its EU Liaison Office (EULO) dedicated to maintaining strong links to and a good relationship with the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Council.
The Pan-European region is the largest IUCN region, stretching from Greenland to the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Mediterranean. It includes a vast diversity of biomes and ecosystems. It is also highly varied in terms of social, cultural, economic and political characteristics. The environmental and biodiversity conditions and issues vary greatly across this vast region - from the Arctic to the Balkans and from Greenland to the Russian Far East and to EU Overseas Countries and Territories and Outermost Regions.
Major trends concerning biodiversity in the pan-European region include the following:
1. Changes in biodiversity due to human activities were more rapid in the past 50 years than at any time in human history, and the drivers of change that cause biodiversity loss and lead to changes in ecosystem services are either steady, show no evidence of declining over time, or are increasing in intensity. These trends are projected to continue and perhaps even accelerate.
2. Biodiversity has shown strong declines. Regional species assessments now indicate that 13% of birds, 15% of mammals and 38% of freshwater fish are threatened with extinction.
3. Habitat loss and degradation as a result of land use changes are the major causes of these species declines in terrestrial environments. In European rivers and wetlands, major threats include dam construction, water abstraction, and introduced species and pollution. In marine areas, overharvesting is reducing fishery stocks to below their recovery limits, and factors such as by-catch and pollution are threatening marine mammals.
The Pan-European region component programme for 2009-2012 is based upon and is consistent with the IUCN global programmatic framework, “Shaping a Sustainable Future” and is focused on the following thematic priorities:
- Conserving the diversity of life
- Changing the climate forecast
- Naturally energising the future
- Managing ecosystems for human well-being
- Greening the world economy
