The EU's Biodiversity strategy aims to bring nature back into people's lives to benefit mental health and well-being. Poor mental health costs Europe over €600 billion per year. Protected natural areas can provide mental health benefits worth €5.55 trillion globally and job creation. The strategy's success requires effective long-term planning, management on the ground, policy coherence, and sufficient investment. Nature-based solutions that benefit biodiversity, climate, and socioeconomic recovery should be prioritized.

1. www.ieep.eu @IEEP_eu
The EU’s Biodiversity strategy:
opportunities and way forward
The EU’s Biodiversity strategy in a fragile world: what’s next?
Céline Charveriat, Executive Director IEEP, 16th March 2021
ESCP Business School #Designing Europe High level Round table

2. www.ieep.eu @IEEP_eu
A crucial time to bring nature back in our lives
Wellbeing
Mental
health
Environment
• Mental disorders such as depression and anxiety today affect
more than 1 in 6 EU citizens representing a massive personal
and societal burden.
• Poor mental health is estimated to cost Europe over €600
billion/year or over 4% of GDP of which a third in direct health
care spending.
• Protected areas have been estimated to provide mental health
benefits worth EUR 5.55 trillion globally.
• Natural capital investment, including restoration of carbon-
rich habitats and climate friendly agriculture, is among the five
most important fiscal recovery policies, offering high
economic multipliers.
• Covering the investment needs of the Natura 2000 network of
protected areas could create up to half a million additional
jobs.
Sources: Mental health: Fact sheet WHO (2019);
Health at a Glance: Europe 2018; State of Health in the EU Cycle
(Buckley et al 2019)
(World Economic Forum 2020)
(ten Brink et al 2016)

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1.
Planning and
governance
Opportunities and way forward
for the biodiversity strategy
4 key considerations
3.
Investment and
funding
1.
2.
Effective
management
4.
Coherence and
mainstreaming

4. 1. Planning and governance
Governance is key to ensure strong
implementation.
To achieve this:
• Member States and stakeholders need to accept and
own legislative targets
– Human capacity to engage stakeholders
– Financial resources
– Legally binding monitoring and reporting

5. 2. Effective management in practice
Effective management on the ground is
crucial for protected areas to fulfil their
potential.
To achieve this:
• Improve the uptake, quality and delivery of
management plans
• Improve the engagement of land managers along
with financial support

6. 3. Coherence and mainstreaming
Mainstreaming biodiversity with other
policy objectives is crucial for a
sustainable economic recovery and
ensuring well-being.
To achieve this:
• Win-wins are needed i.e. nature-based solutions,
which deliver for people, biodiversity and climate
• Sectoral policies need to stop doing significant harm
to biodiversity

7. 4. Investments and funding
Sufficient financing is necessary for
implementation of biodiversity
objectives.
To achieve this:
• Utilise delivery mechanisms that are cross-sectoral
and deliver wide-ranging socioeconomic benefits
– E.g. Nature-based solutions
• Jobs, health benefits, social and environmental justice,
climate adaptation

8. www.ieep.eu @IEEP_eu
Thank you for your attention!
References
Mental health and the environment: Bringing nature back into people's lives
Nature based solutions and their benefits
Management effectiveness in Natura 2000
Drivers of conservation success in the EU
Trade and biodiversity
Impressions on the Biodiversity strategy to 2030
Céline Charveriat, Executive Director IEEP, ccharveriat@ieep.eu