The Value of Biodiversity for Agriculture

Hosted by

Angélique Delahaye MEP

Chair of the “Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services” working group of the EP Intergroup on “Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development”

Biodiversity is a vital aspect of agriculture, as it is the origin of all species of crops and domesticated livestock. Biodiversity and agriculture are therefore strongly interrelated, and agricultural biodiversity performs ecosystem services such as soil and water conservation, maintenance of soil fertility, and pollination, all of which are essential to human survival. In Europe, where technological developments have led to structural modifications in farming practices, increasing pressure has been put on the environment. A whole range of policies has been implemented at the European level to respond to these challenges and ensure biodiversity is protected, such as the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the Birds and Habitats directives, Natura 2000. Yet, the agriculture sector is vital to the food production of Europe, where the agricultural land accounts for almost half of the territory, and the sector employs up to 25 million European citizens.

In light of the existing policies, their evolution, and future challenges, this event brought together European policy-makers and different representatives from the agricultural sector to discuss the value of biodiversity in nowadays agriculture, and the need to address the sector’s challenges in a sustainable way.

A summary report will be available in the coming days.