On World Biodiversity Day, celebrated this year under the theme ‘Acting locally for global impact‘, the EU is highlighting how local action across Europe is helping turn global biodiversity commitments into concrete results for citizens, communities and businesses.
From restoring wetlands and forests to supporting pollinators, improving water resilience and greening cities, the EU is continuing efforts to protect and restore nature ahead of COP17 of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Yerevan, Armenia, this October.
Protecting and restoring nature is also an economic imperative. Every euro invested in nature restoration can generate between €4 and €38 in economic benefits through healthier ecosystems, cleaner water, more resilient agriculture and reduced climate-related damage.
From targets to real-world delivery
The EU has significantly strengthened its biodiversity framework in recent years through landmark initiatives such as the Nature Restoration Regulation, the Roadmap towards Nature Credits and stronger protections for water, soils and ecosystems. The focus is now firmly on implementation.
Across Europe, Member States are preparing National Restoration Plans under the Nature Restoration Regulation, setting out concrete actions to restore degraded ecosystems and strengthen resilience to climate change. These efforts are already delivering practical benefits for citizens — improving water quality, reducing flood and wildfire risks, supporting food security, restoring pollinators and strengthening local livelihoods.
The Natura 2000 network remains the cornerstone of Europe’s biodiversity policy. Covering more than 27,000 protected sites across Europe, it protects some of the continent’s most valuable ecosystems while supporting sustainable tourism, farming and rural communities.
“World Biodiversity Day is a reminder that nature is not a luxury. Healthy soils, forests, wetlands and oceans underpin our economies, our health and our security. Across Europe and worldwide, communities, businesses, scientists and citizens are already turning biodiversity commitments into concrete action.
Ahead of COP17, the EU remains committed to implementation, mobilising investment and working with partners to bring nature back onto a path to recovery.”
Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience, and a Competitive Circular Economy
Around Natura 2000 Day on 21 May, local events across Europe are helping reconnect citizens with nature and raise awareness of biodiversity’s importance for health, resilience and quality of life.
People of all ages are invited to participate in citizen science initiatives until 25 May, such as BioBlitz events to help monitor species and ecosystems, contributing directly to biodiversity knowledge and conservation.
Globally, EU-supported For Our Planet projects are helping communities restore ecosystems, protect wildlife and strengthen climate resilience, demonstrating how local solutions can contribute to global biodiversity action.
Scaling up investment in nature
Protecting biodiversity is increasingly recognised not only as an environmental necessity, but also as an economic and security imperative. Healthy ecosystems underpin food systems, clean water, climate resilience and long-term economic stability. For achieving all this, financing is key.
The EU is therefore exploring new tools, such as Nature Credits, designed to scale up private investment in nature and strengthen the business case for biodiversity. With the Roadmap towards Nature Credits, the Commission is looking to create new incentives for businesses and land managers to invest in ecosystem restoration and conservation.
To support this effort, the European Commission hosted a workshop on 21 May, bringing together policymakers, investors, financial institutions and businesses to explore practical approaches for unlocking private capital for nature.
This momentum will continue at EU Green Week 2026, in Brussels on 3–4 June, under the theme of investing in a nature-positive economy. Bringing together policymakers, investors, businesses, farmers and civil society, the event will showcase how a nature-positive economy can strengthen Europe’s prosperity, resilience and competitiveness.
At the global level, the EU continues to support innovative biodiversity financing mechanisms such as the Cali Fund, which aims to ensure that benefits arising from the commercial use of digital genetic information contribute fairly to biodiversity conservation worldwide.
In this regard, the European Commission hosted a workshop in March, bringing together countries, key sectors (such as pharmaceuticals, seeds, cosmetics, and biotechnology), and other stakeholders to explore ways to accelerate the implementation of the Fund.
Finally, the EU remains one of the world’s leading biodiversity donors and is on track to double international biodiversity financing under the current Multiannual Financial Framework compared to the previous period. Flagship projects include NaturAfrica and support for the fight against illegal wildlife trafficking.
Building momentum towards COP17
World Biodiversity Day is also an important milestone on the road to COP17. For the first time since the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework in 2022, governments will assess collective global progress towards the 2030 biodiversity targets through the Global Review of Implementation — including commitments to protect 30% of land and sea, restore degraded ecosystems and scale up biodiversity finance.
The EU was the first Party to submit its 7th National Report under the Convention on Biological Diversity, providing a transparent assessment of progress towards biodiversity targets.
The report confirms that while progress has been made, implementation efforts must accelerate significantly to achieve the 2030 goals.
Against a difficult geopolitical backdrop, the EU continues to work with international partners, coalitions, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, businesses and civil society to maintain momentum and the focus on the urgency for global biodiversity action.
