European Biodiversity Status and Threats
The average abundance of native species in most major land-based habitats has fallen by at least 20%, mostly since 1900. Without urgent action, up to one million species, out of an estimated eight million worldwide, are at risk of extinction.
In this article, we explore European biodiversity status and the greatest threats driving its decline.
The Current State of European Biodiversity 2025
Europe is a continent of remarkable and diverse habitats, including mountain forests, wetlands, coastal areas, meadows, hedgerows, woodlands, and ponds, most of which exist within farms. Several pressures on these habitats exist, and the overall health of ecosystems is threatened as a result of these pressures. This is a serious concern because ecosystems provide essential services, known as ecosystem services, that benefit both people and nature. These include pollination, water purification, soil formation, and natural pest control, all of which are vital for sustainable agriculture and food production. When ecosystems are threatened, biodiversity is threatened.
Among the most significant pressures is landscape fragmentation, which breaks up habitats that can benefit biodiversity, making it harder for wildlife to move. Nitrogen pollution, largely from fertiliser use, continues to affect most ecosystems. Around 75% of Europe’s natural areas are exposed to excessive nitrogen levels. Increased extreme weather events like droughts, wildfires and changing weather patterns like increased temperatures and rainfall are placing even more strain on ecosystems. At the same time, more intensive farming and the loss of traditional land practices are changing agricultural landscapes in ways that further degrade biodiversity.
In response to biodiversity decline, the EU has launched a range of policies and restoration projects to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. The most relevant among them include:
Aims to restore ecosystems, habitats, and species across the EU’s land and sea areas to ensure the long-term and sustained recovery of nature.
- EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030
Aims to put Europe’s biodiversity on the path to recovery by 2030 for the benefit of people, climate, and the planet.
The EU’s roadmap for achieving climate neutrality and zero net emissions by 2050 through systemic environmental and economic transformation.
However, progress remains too slow. Key challenges, such as reversing the decline of pollinators like bees and butterflies, cutting nutrient losses from soils, reducing fertiliser use, and improving species conservation, require urgent acceleration.
Greatest Pressures and Threats to Biodiversity in Europe
According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), more than 67,000 pressures on habitats and species have been recorded across the EU, with over 80% of European habitats now in poor condition.
Below are some of the key pressures and threats driving biodiversity loss (adapted from FAO, 2019 and IPBES, 2019):
- Land-use change. Today, about 80% of Europe’s land has been shaped by human activity. Agricultural expansion is the most widespread form of land-use change, with over one third of the terrestrial land surface being used for cropping or animal husbandry. This expansion, alongside a doubling of urban area since 1992 and an unprecedented expansion of infrastructure linked to growing population and consumption, has come mostly at the expense of forests, wetlands and grasslands.
- Direct exploitation occurs when wild animals are hunted, fished, or harvested faster than their populations can recover. This not only threatens the targeted species but also disrupts food chains and ecosystems, ultimately contributing to biodiversity loss.
- Invasive alien species are a growing threat to biodiversity in Europe. These are animals or plants that have been introduced, either intentionally or accidentally, into environments where they do not naturally occur. They cause significant harm to native species, disrupt ecosystems, and alter natural processes.
- Climate change. Rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, and more frequent extreme weather in Europe are also altering ecosystems, damaging natural habitats, reducing species diversity, and weakening nature’s ability to recover and adapt.
- Pollution of air, water, and soil, mainly from agriculture, industry, and transport, accounts for nearly 50% of reported threats to biodiversity in the EU. These pollutants degrade ecosystems, harm wildlife, and reduce the quality of natural habitats across large areas.
How These Pressures Can Be Addressed: The Role of FarmBioNet
The EU has launched several initiatives aimed at reversing biodiversity loss. One such initiative is the Horizon Europe project FarmBioNet, which aims to build a strong network of farmers, foresters, researchers, advisors, NGOs, and other key stakeholders within Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS) across Europe. The goal is to bridge the knowledge gap and promote biodiversity-friendly farming practices.
This 3-year project brings together 19 partners from 13 European countries. It will establish Farming and Biodiversity National Networks (FaB NNs) that act as hubs for knowledge sharing, collaboration, and the exchange of best practices to help halt biodiversity loss.
Protecting Europe’s biodiversity requires more than isolated improvements
Protecting Europe’s biodiversity demands a fundamental shift in how we produce food, manage land, and use natural resources. Recognising the unique role that farmers play in enhancing and protecting biodiversity, the FarmBioNet project aims to identify effective biodiversity-friendly farming (BFF) practices and help farmers in creating habitats that support biodiversity on their farms. Findings from project activities will be shared widely, helping to spread knowledge and practical experience and support stronger adoption of BFF practices across Europe.
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