A European Commission conference on biodiversity in Athens has issued a forward-looking message regarding the future biodiversity policy of the European Union.

Key findings include the need to improve communication about the loss and its consequences, the importance of thinking about ecosystem protection rather than species protection, and the need to ensure that available funds are indeed channelled towards nature protection projects.

A mid term report on the implementation of the European Union's Biodiversity Action Plans was published by the European Commission.Despite some encouraging results, notably with the further extension of the Natura 2000 network of protected areas and important investments in biodiversity, the integration of biodiversity and ecosystem concerns into other sectoral policies remains an important challenge. The new Communication from the Commission identifies priorities for further action.

Europe's rich patchwork of protected flora and fauna grew further today with a major extension of Natura 2000, the EU's network of protected natural areas. The additions include 769 new sites and a total area of 95,522 km2. Most of the sites are in the newer Member States. Romania and Bulgaria have now added areas to the network for the first time, including areas along the Black Sea that are home to numerous varieties of rare and threatened plants and animals. Natura 2000 now includes around 25,000 sites, covering almost 20% of the EU’s landmass, making it the largest interconnected network of protected areas in the world. It is the EU's key weapon in the fight against biodiversity loss.