The European Commission publishes the 3rd Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES) report co-authored by CEP

CEP’s Ric Eales and Liza Papadopoulou are contributing authors to the third technical report (2016), just published, taking stock on Mapping and assessing the condition of Europe’s ecosystems: Progress and challenges.

The Biodiversity Strategy outlines a number of targets and precise actions to stop biodiversity loss. By mapping out and assessing the state of ecosystems and their services, we can help inform the policy decisions affecting the environment.

A coherent analytical framework has been developed (see first technical report, 2013) to be applied by the EU and its Member States in order to ensure consistent approaches. A second technical report (2014) proposed indicators that can be used at European and Member State’s level to map and assess biodiversity, ecosystem condition and ecosystem services.

All Member States are actively involved in mapping and assessing the state of ecosystems and their services in their national territory. At EU level also, a lot of MAES-related activities are supported by the European Environment Agency and its Topic Centres, the Joint Research Centre, Eurostat, DG Research & Innovation.

More information can be found on the European Commission’s website on MAES or contact Ric Eales.