With the looming threat on biodiversity and a large decline across wildlife populations since 1970, attention to policy for reducing biodiversity impact has increased.
EU level
The EU has published the biodiversity strategy for 2030, which is its long-term plan to protect nature and reverse degradation of ecosystems and biodiversity loss.
A Directive provides guidelines to member nations for policy implementation of specific topics, while allowing for the exact measures to be defined by individual nations. Two biodiversity-related Directives are currently active in the EU: the Birds Directive, that focuses on wild bird species, and the Habitats Directive, for which Europe's wild flora and fauna is the focus.
Other policy measures that are on the table are the 'Nature restoration law', which requires strict targets for degraded ecosystems, and 'Urban greening', which is a measure aimed at restoration of nature in urban areas such as towns and cities. Some of the policy measures are also directed at improving physical sites - the 'Protected areas - Natura 2000' is a network of protected areas around the world, and which forms the foundation of the 'Green infrastructure', a planned network of natural and partly natural areas that can provide ecosystem services and are encouraged to be used in EU policies to enable ecosystem restoration and thus improve the state of biodiversity. Finally, measures designed for specific species are 'Pollinators', for directing conservation efforts of wild pollinators, 'Animals in zoos' to focus on the health and protection of animals outside the natural habitat, and the 'Invasive Alien Species' measure to reduce the damaging effect of alien species.
A Directive provides guidelines to member nations for policy implementation of specific topics, while allowing for the exact measures to be defined by individual nations. Two biodiversity-related Directives are currently active in the EU: the Birds Directive, that focuses on wild bird species, and the Habitats Directive, for which Europe's wild flora and fauna is the focus.
Other policy measures that are on the table are the 'Nature restoration law', which requires strict targets for degraded ecosystems, and 'Urban greening', which is a measure aimed at restoration of nature in urban areas such as towns and cities. Some of the policy measures are also directed at improving physical sites - the 'Protected areas - Natura 2000' is a network of protected areas around the world, and which forms the foundation of the 'Green infrastructure', a planned network of natural and partly natural areas that can provide ecosystem services and are encouraged to be used in EU policies to enable ecosystem restoration and thus improve the state of biodiversity. Finally, measures designed for specific species are 'Pollinators', for directing conservation efforts of wild pollinators, 'Animals in zoos' to focus on the health and protection of animals outside the natural habitat, and the 'Invasive Alien Species' measure to reduce the damaging effect of alien species.
Global level
On a global scale, the highlight is the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, agreed at COP15. It includes four goals and 23 targets to be achieved by 2030. Actors are required to set their national targets and commitments. Other measures that are being taken are to prevent trade of seal products and of endangered species and protect marine biodiversity, especially whales and dolphins.