Biodiversity
Biodiversity refers to the wide variety of living things and ecosystems that coexist on Earth and the interactions between them, as well as the genetic differences that exist within each species.
Among other benefits, biodiversity provides food, fresh water, fertile soils, medicines, textile fibres and other raw materials necessary for life. Healthy ecosystems regulate the climate and absorb CO2, purify drinking water, control flooding, slow erosion, and protect and fertilise the soil that supports our food.
In short, the goods and services provided by biodiversity and ecosystems are a fundamental pillar of the economy and have a high potential for generating employment and social and environmental well-being. However, their lack of valuation in economic terms and their free use have led society to undervalue them, to their irrational and unsustainable use and to their consequent deterioration.
NATURA 2000 NETWORK
The Natura 2000 Network is a European network of natural areas of high ecological value that aims to guarantee the protection and conservation, in a favourable state, of certain types of habitats and species in their areas of natural distribution. It is the main commitment of institutions and citizens to the protection of biodiversity in Europe.
This network constitutes the European Union's main conservation tool, as well as an opportunity to promote sustainable development. Likewise, the Natura 2000 Network promotes a balance between economic, social, and natural activities in order to improve people's quality of life.
The initiative was created in 1992 by the Habitats Directive and consists of two types of spaces:
The network is made up of 27,384 sites and covers 18% of the European Union territory, an area of 1.1 million square kilometers.
In the Basque Country, the Natura 2000 Network is composed of 47 Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), 4 Special Protection Areas for Birds (SPAs), and 4 SACs and SPAs, all of which were proposed by the Basque Government to the European Commission in 1997 and 2003.
The areas protected within this framework represent the largest contribution of Basque society to the protection and enhancement of nature in Europe and include natural areas such as forests, seas, marshes, wetlands, hay meadows, mountain pastures, heaths and other scrublands, rivers, peat bogs, and cliffs.
The 55 areas included in the Natura 2000 Network in the Basque Country cover an area of approximately 1,500 square kilometers (20.5% of the territory).
The threats
The threats currently facing biodiversity are:
Urbanization, infrastructure construction, and deforestation, which cause land use changes from natural to artificial.
Pollution and ecosystem degradation due to industrial production and intensive and unsustainable agricultural and livestock practices.
Climate change, primarily due to the use of fossil fuels.
Invasive alien species.
Pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana)
Furthermore, the cultural and economic model based on excessive consumption of products and the unlimited use of resources and production of goods is an adjacent factor contributing to the loss of biodiversity.
The reduction in the natural productivity of ecosystems also has direct effects on local economies, with high social and environmental costs, particularly affecting those population groups that rely primarily on natural resources.
Consequently, biodiversity has acquired a new economic value based on the benefits derived from maintaining the proper functioning of ecosystems.
Natura 2000 Network and Climate Change
By combining ArcGIS technology with geographic information systems and environmental information from the Basque Country's Natura 2000 natural areas, the public company Ihobe has developed a geoportal with smart maps that allow users to view the impacts these areas will have as the effects of climate change progress (rising temperatures, increased precipitation, etc.).
The "Vulnerability to Climate Change. Natura 2000 Network of the Basque Country" geoportal is aimed at both people without expert knowledge of climate change and specialists who want to delve deeper into the subject.
Geoportal "Vulnerability to Climate Change. Natura 2000 Network of the Basque Country"
Invasive species
Alien or exotic species are species from other areas that establish themselves in a territory to which they are not native. These species generally arrive as a direct or indirect consequence of human activity, voluntarily or accidentally introduced into the new habitat. Some of these species, known as naturalized exotic species, become accustomed to the territory, reproducing and maintaining their populations without human assistance.
When naturalized species are capable of reproducing in large numbers and at considerable distances or rates from their initial population, they are called invasive alien species.
Fallopia Japonica
These species are one of the main direct causes of biodiversity loss and can cause significant environmental damage. Among other consequences, invasive alien species change the structure and composition of natural ecosystems, competing directly with native species and sometimes displacing or eliminating them. Their effects can also be observed in the economy and human health.
A total of 478 species of non-native flora have been catalogued in the Basque Country, 86 of which are considered invasive, representing 3.74% of the flora in our territory. These species have invaded a large number of ecosystems, particularly affecting coastal habitats, dunes, marshes, cliffs, and riparian forests.
Regarding fauna, 49 invasive species have been identified (25 vertebrates and 24 invertebrates), the majority (34) of which are native to aquatic ecosystems.
The LIFE project “Restoration of habitats of community interest in estuaries of the Basque Country”, completed in 2014, addresses the problem of the invasive exotic flora species Baccharis halimifolia in the main estuaries of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country.
LIFE Estuaries Project
Estuary habitats are exposed to a wide range of threats, including the proliferation of invasive exotic flora species. The Basque Government's LIFE project "Restoration of habitats of community interest in estuaries of the Basque Country" has aimed to restore these habitats in three areas belonging to the Natura 2000 Network and affected by the spread of the invasive species Baccharis halimifolia.
Baccharis halimifolia, It is an invasive exotic plant species native to the Atlantic coast of North America. It was introduced for ornamental purposes and has spread along the European Atlantic coast, from Brittany to Asturias. This species mainly establishes itself in high marsh areas and is a strong colonizer, capable of altering the physical characteristics of the soil and directly affecting a large number of protected birds.
This project has been co-funded by the Basque Government and the European Commission through the LIFE Nature program. The project was managed by the public company Ihobe.
To address this problem, the LIFE Estuaries project plans to develop actions aimed at eradicating the invasive plant, as well as raising public awareness and disseminating the results achieved.
The elimination of masses and specimens of Baccharis halimifolia this project has allowed the recovery and improvement of 300 hectares of estuarine habitats. Once the invasive species was eradicated, natural colonization by native species in the habitats to be restored was supported through sowing and planting in the affected areas.
Basque Country Biodiversity Strategy 2030
The Basque Country is making a continuous effort to protect and actively manage its natural heritage, with notable efforts in recent years in Natura 2000 areas and in managing the conservation of endangered species of wild flora and fauna.
However, there are still ecosystems that remain degraded, and further work is needed to ensure that the Basque Country's marine and terrestrial environments achieve and maintain a favorable state of conservation.
The Basque Country Biodiversity Strategy 2030 it is the instrument that establishes priorities and commitments regarding natural heritage in the Basque Country. This initiative also has a global vision and is aligned with the Strategic Plan for Biological Diversity 2011-2020, derived from the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, the European Union Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 and the State Strategic Plan for Natural Heritage and Biodiversity 2011-2017.
This strategy is also aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations, approved in 2015. One of these objectives establishes “promoting sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, combating desertification, halting and reversing land degradation and halting biodiversity loss.”
Goals
The vision of the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 is that "the Basque Country will improve the state of conservation of the natural environment, halting its deterioration through the shared responsibility of all stakeholders, while citizens value the wealth of ecosystem services that the natural environment provides for human well-being. All of this is key to bequeathing to future generations biodiversity integrated into a resilient territory."
From this vision derive the goals that constitute the priority lines of action of the Biodiversity Strategy: the first two stem from aspects that favor the conservation of natural heritage, the third is related to the knowledge and culture of nature, and the last to the governance system. All of this is within a framework of effectiveness and efficiency that seeks maximum coherence among the set of public policies that have a transversal impact on the natural environment.
These goals give rise to 10 lines of action that define the position the Basque Country aims to occupy in 2030 and that represent an ambition for the future. These lines of action will define a total of 40 actions that will set the course for 2020, ensuring coherence and coordination in environmental policy planning for this year. These actions have been identified as priorities following the identification of the most relevant needs arising from the Assessment and Participation Process.
