Belgium - Overview

Status and trends of biodiversity, including benefits from biodiversity and ecosystem services

The geographical and geological characteristics of Belgium, together with long-standing human impact on land use, have resulted in magnificent biodiversity. The Belgian diversity of life forms is estimated to comprise up to 55,000 species. In addition to some 300 species of blue-green algae, Belgium is home to a few thousand species of bacteria... More »

Main pressures on and drivers of change to biodiversity (direct and indirect)

Land conversion, whether for urban and industrial expansion, agriculture, infrastructure or tourism, is undoubtedly the main cause of biodiversity loss in Belgium. Such activities result in the loss, degradation or fragmentation of habitats, and currently affect all habitat types. In Flanders, Brussels and the marine area, changes in environmental quality due to eutrophication also impose heavy pressure on fauna and flora... More »

Implementation of the NBSAP

In November 2013, Belgium's Interministerial Conference for the Environment adopted an update of the National Biodiversity Strategy to 2020. Based largely on the previous Strategy (2006-2016), the update incorporates provisions aligned with the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity (2011-2020) and the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020... More »

Actions taken to achieve the 2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets

In 2010, the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences opened a new permanent exhibition hall on “Biodiversity in Cities”, and plans to dedicate more halls to biodiversity in the next years.

The Belgium Ecosystem Services (BEES) Community was launched in April 2012, with the following objectives: develop ecosystem services concepts, tools and practices; stop ecosystem and biodiversity degradation, and improve their status; develop mainstreaming and policy tools to promote the integration of ecosystem services concepts in policy and management, business and society; facilitate capacity building, exchange of expertise and experience: including methodologies and transfer of knowledge on Belgian ecosystem services to policy and share the needs from policy makers on this issue, to enable involvement of Belgian actors in national and international initiatives and build the capacity to conduct assessments of ecosystem services; provide overviews of state of the art knowledge and best practices... More »

Support mechanisms for national implementation (legislation, funding, capacity-building, coordination, mainstreaming, etc.)

The Belgian CHM has continued to support the exchange of relevant information through the national CHM website (http://www.biodiv.be). In collaboration with the European CHM, a tool has been developed to facilitate the reporting obligations related to the implementation of national and EU biodiversity strategies by Parties, as well as to the CBD and related Conventions (http://nbsap.biodiv.be/)... More »

Mechanisms for monitoring and reviewing implementation

Although the status of a set of biodiversity and environment indicators is published every year by the regions, the new National Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 calls for the further development of indicators, as a support mechanism for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of measures taken to implement the Strategy... More »