Every May 22, the International Day for Biological Diversity is celebrated, promoted by the United Nations to remember the importance of biodiversity in the functioning of the planet and promote actions against its accelerated deterioration. Under the slogan “Local action for a global impact“, this year the importance of taking measures at the local level that have a domino effect capable of extending beyond is underlined.

Ecosystems support essential functions for food, health and the economy, but scientific indicators show a continued deterioration of biodiversity on a global scale. The Global Assessment of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) estimates that 75% of the terrestrial and 66% marine environment are significantly altered by human activity, while more than 85% of wetlands have been lost. Marine plastic pollution has increased tenfold since 1980 and affects 86% of sea turtles, 44% of seabirds and 43% of marine mammals. Added to this is the degradation of particularly vulnerable ecosystems , such as coral reefs, which have lost half of their coverage since the end of the nineteenth century.

Other international indicators point in the same direction and reflect the magnitude of this deterioration. The Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) identifies more than 48,600 species threatened with extinction, equivalent to 28% of the total assessed, while the first Global Tree Assessment concludes that 38% of tree species are at risk. In parallel, the most recent edition of WWF’s Living Planet report documents an average decline of 73% in monitored vertebrate populations over the past five decades.

Against this backdrop, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework sets out 23 targets for 2030 and four major targets for 2050. Its priorities include restoring 30% of degraded ecosystems, conserving 30% of land, water and seas and reducing the spread of invasive alien species. The United Nations adds that translating these commitments into concrete actions will be decisive in halting and reversing nature loss.

BIODIVERSITY, RESTORATION AND ACTION ON THE TERRITORY

In line with these objectives, the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) integrates biodiversity conservation as a cross-cutting axis of its activity, understanding that the health of ecosystems is inseparable from challenges such as adaptation to climate change, territorial resilience, ecological transition and social well-being.

Through the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (RTRP), financed by the European Union – NextGenerationEU, actions have been promoted for urban renaturation, bioeconomy, circular economy and generation of knowledge about natural heritage. This approach finds continuity in initiatives co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) that support interventions to strengthen and advance key areas such as green infrastructure, marine conservation and the bioeconomy.

At the same time, the Foundation has lines of support for the recovery of particularly sensitive ecosystems such as Doñana and the Mar Menor. In the Doñana area, the calls are aimed at promoting environmental improvement in the agricultural and forestry fields, the renaturalization of agricultural areas and sustainable territorial development. In the case of the Mar Menor lagoon, the aid promotes the recovery of its ecological functionality through environmental improvements associated with agricultural and livestock activity.

The LIFE projects under the coordination, participation or support of the Foundation also strengthen the restoration of terrestrial and marine habitats, the recovery of endangered species, land stewardship and the management of protected areas. This work allows the conservation objectives to be transferred to specific actions on the territory.

Marine conservation is also a strategic line of action. Within the framework of the Pleamar Programme, co-financed by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), initiatives linked to marine biodiversity, the restoration of the aquatic environment, the improvement of the management of protected areas, fisheries sustainability and the transition to a blue economy compatible with the preservation of ecosystems are supported. On the other hand, the Empleaverde+ Programme, co-financed by the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), is aimed at strengthening professional skills, green employment and new skills linked to the ecological transition.

Biodiversity not only sustains economic activities or livelihoods, but also forms the basis for the functioning of the ecosystems on which human life depends. Integrating their conservation into public policies, territorial planning, economic activity and the design of cities is essential to move towards more resilient, healthy and prepared societies in the face of global change.