Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (2023/24)

The biodiversity and ecosystem services destination of the 2023-2024 Cluster 6 work programme will support R&I for the EU environment and biodiversity protection framework and the European Green Deal. It is based on the vision developed in the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 and will support its implementation, furthering the orientations of the 2021-2022 work programme. It will also take into account new European Green Deal initiatives, notably i) the EU forest strategy for 2030[[ Communication COM/2021/572: New EU Forest Strategy for 2030]], ii) the EU action plan: “towards zero pollution for air, water and soil”, iii) the EU climate adaptation strategy and iv) the EU soil strategy for 2030. Connections are expected to be made with the EU proposal for a nature restoration law[[Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on nature restoration, COM(2022) 304 final, 22.06.2022]], which includes binding targets, and environmental reporting, and the new approach for a sustainable blue economy in the EU[[ Communication COM/2021/240: on a new approach for a sustainable blue economy in the EU Transforming the EU's Blue Economy for a Sustainable Future]].

It will support R&I activities that help maintain ecosystems in good ecological condition and a clean and healthy environment for the EU, including water, soil and air. This will contribute to the implementation of relevant policies such as health, climate adaptation and mitigation, disaster risk reduction, sustainable circular bioeconomy and blue economy. The R&I activities will also reflect the strong interconnections between, e.g. the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030[[ Communication: EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030]] and the farm to fork strategy[[ Communication: Afarm to fork Strategy for a fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food system]], as well as the pollinators initiative[[https://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/conservation/species/pollinators/policy_en.htm]].

R&I supported under this destination will ensure that mainstreaming biodiversity in society and the economy takes into account justice, fairness and global aspects. This is to ensure the "just transition" emphasised in the European Green Deal is achieved.

R&I activities supported by Cluster 6 will complement and ensure synergies with activities supported under several Horizon Europe partnerships, in particular: i) the European biodiversity partnership Biodiversa+; ii) the European partnership water security for the planet “Water4All”; iii) the European partnership on accelerating farming systems transition: agroecology living labs and research infrastructures; iv) the European partnership on animal health and welfare and; v) the European partnership for a climate-neutral, sustainable and productive blue economy. R&I activities should also specifically address the strong interconnections between biodiversity and the emergence of infectious diseases by complementing the activities of with the European partnership for pandemic preparedness and the European Partnership for One Health/AMR Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).

Synergies will also be ensured with the following Horizon Europe missions: “Restore our ocean, seas and waters by 2030”, “A soil deal for Europe” and “Adaptation to climate change”.

Projects supported under this destination are expected, where appropriate, to provide timely scientific contributions to major science-policy bodies such as the Intergovernmental science-policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)[[ https://ipbes.net/policy-support]], the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and the Convention on Biological Diversity. They are also expected to cooperate with the Science Service project Bio-agora. Where appropriate, the following existing platforms and information-sharing mechanisms should be used for dissemination and exploitation: the EC Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity[[ https://knowledge4policy.ec.europa.eu/biodiversity_en]], Biodiversity Information System for Europe (BISE)[[ https://biodiversity.europa.eu/]], and Oppla[[ https://oppla.eu/]].

This destination will also help achieve the twin green and digital transitions. Where relevant, advantage will be taken of the development and use of advanced digital technologies.

This destination will continue to support the EU leadership in the relevant international fora in line with the Commission priority “A stronger Europe in the world” and international cooperation will be key to addressing global challenges in many topics in this destination. The EU's outermost regions (defined in article 349 TFEU), where biodiversity is high and threats multiply, should be given special consideration.

Expected impact

Proposals for topics under this destination should set out a credible pathway resulting in the strategic plan having the following impact: "Biodiversity is back on a path to recovery, and ecosystems and their services are preserved and sustainably restored on land, inland water and at sea through improved knowledge and innovation". More specifically, one or more of the following impacts should materialise:

• Direct drivers of biodiversity decline will be understood and addressed – land and sea use change, natural resource use and exploitation, climate change, pollution, invasive alien species – as well as indirect drivers – demographic, socio-economic, technological, etc.
• Protected areas and their networks will be planned, managed and expanded and the status of species and habitats will be improved based on up-to-date knowledge and solutions.
• Biodiversity, ecosystem services and natural capital will be mainstreamed in the society and economy: e.g. they will be integrated into public and business decision-making; approaches for enabling transformative changes to tackle societal challenges will be built including by deploying nature-based solutions (NBS).
• Practices in agriculture, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture will be developed and improved to support and make sustainable the use of biodiversity and a wide range of ecosystems services.
• Biodiversity research and support policies and processes will be interconnected at EU and global levels, making use of advanced digital technologies and societal engagement where appropriate.
• The biodiversity and health nexus will be understood, in particular at the level of ecosystems. This will be achieved by using the one-health approach, in the context of climate change and globalisation and by addressing contributions and trade-offs.

The impacts have been revised compared with the 2021-2022 work programme in order to take into account R&I activities included in the 2021-2024 strategic plan, but that are yet to be addressed. This was the case, for instance, for several direct drivers of biodiversity loss. The new drafting of the impacts makes clear that they are within the scope of the work programme.