Biodiversity loss escalating in Europe due to widespread development

Biodiversity loss is at unprecedented proportions in Europe which if left unchecked may soon impact human lives directly, European Union officials said this month.

Hundreds of animals including the Iberian lynx, Bavarian pine vole and the Mediterranean monk seal are among the species threatened by biodiversity loss.

"Biodiversity is in crisis, with species extinctions running at unparalleled rates," said Janez Potocnik, the EU Environment Commissioner.

Aside from birds, mammals, insects and reptiles, several plant species across Europe are also threatened by pollution, climate change and loss of habitat, among other factors.

Biodiversity loss is projected to have negative ramifications in the economic and social structure of European countries.

"Life is possible because of biodiversity," said Ana Nieto of the International Conservation of Nature. "Everything comes from biodiversity. Everything comes from having well-functioning ecosystems."

Potocnik unveiled a strategy last month that included restoring 15 percent of damaged ecosystems, mitigating invasive species, limiting biodiversity loss by 2020 and implementing management plans for forests.

Some environmentalists view the measures as lacking specifics and are skeptical of their implementation because governments generally do not allocate enough funding for such causes. The EU said it is still looking at how to get funding for the new goals.

The EU plan "appears to fall short of delivering what is needed to protect Europe's valuable natural resource base" according to the group European Environmental Bureau.

Environmentalists point out that the EU, while striving hard in its conservation efforts to stem biodiversity loss, has not always followed up on its plans, for instance having failed to meet its 2010 targets.