Biodiversity rescue plan

By Emily Smith

Date: 11/05/06

Europe needs to take a proper look at the effect that climate change has on plants and animals, according to the European Commission.

A biodiversity action plan to be published on Tuesday (15 May) will suggest ways that member states can meet their target of halting biodiversity loss by 2010.

Among the measures suggested will be better research into the relationship between biodiversity and climate change. For instance, climate change could mean that there are more ticks surviving the winter to spread diseases, especially if there are fewer birds around to eat the parasites.

A Commission official said that Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas believes that "biodiversity loss is as big a threat as climate change. You could even argue that it is worse, since there are no mitigation measures to bring back extinct species", she added.

Article anticipates the adoption of a biodiversity action plan to be published by the European Commission on 15 May 2006. In this document the Commission was to suggest ways how EU Member States could meet their target of halting biodiversity loss by 2010.