Protected areas and birds
Eurostat uses biodiversity data collected by other organisations.
The data in the database cover the following topics:
- protected areas under the birds and habitats directive, using data collected by the European Environment Agency
- common bird indicators – including common farmland birds, common forest birds and all common birds – using data collected and processed by the European Bird Census Council and national BirdLife organisations
The variety of birds are used as indicators for assessing the health of the environment. In addition, the number of bird species reflects the level of biodiversity. Studies show that the richness of bird species correlates with the richness of other flora and fauna: the richer the flora and fauna, the richer the number of bird species.
Eurostat is also developing other ways to measure biodiversity that are using ecosystem accounts. Ecosystem accounts measure the condition of ecosystems, alongside their extent and the ecosystem services they provide. Ecosystem extent is the surface covered by the ecosystems Ecosystem services are the services or benefits that nature provides to the economy and society, such as pollination, carbon sequestration, etc.
The Commission (Eurostat) has made a proposal for ecosystem accounts to become mandatory in the EU. For details, please consult the proposal for a regulation as regards introducing new environmental economic accounts modules. In addition, Eurostat coordinates INCA, an EU-level project to develop an integrated system of natural capital and ecosystem services accounting.