Connecting investment, land use and biodiversity: What open data tells
us about nature in the EU
Publication Date/Time
2025-07-16T13:15:00+00:00
Country
Global
Open data allows us to trace the EU’s environmental efforts from
funding and land use to the actual state of biodiversity on the ground
Biodiversity is under pressure across the globe, and Europe is no
exception: more than 80 % of its natural habitats
[https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/nature-and-biodiversity/nature-restoration-regulation_en]
are currently in poor condition – a stark reminder of the need for
urgent action. Healthy ecosystems are essential not only for nature
itself, but also for food security, climate resilience and long-term
societal well-being. 

The EU has placed biodiversity at the heart of its environmental
agenda, making it a key pillar of the European Green Deal
[https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en].
The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030
[https://environment.ec.europa.eu/strategy/biodiversity-strategy-2030_en]
sets out to protect and restore nature, expand protected areas and
embed biodiversity considerations across major EU policy areas –
from agriculture to urban planning. 

But how can we tell whether we’re making meaningful progress? Open
EU data helps us begin to answer that question. It provides insights
into how much we invest in nature, how land is used across the
continent and how biodiversity is responding on the ground. 

 

HOW MUCH DOES THE EU INVEST IN PROTECTING NATURE?

The EU and its Member States support environmental protection through
targeted spending – a reflection of both their priorities and the
value placed on nature and ecosystem services. But how much of this
investment is directed specifically towards biodiversity? 

Biodiversity is one part of a broader environmental agenda – one
that includes managing air and water quality, treating waste and
reducing industrial impacts. To understand biodiversity’s role
within this framework, we can turn to open EU data on environmental
protection expenditure
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Environmental_protection_expenditure_accounts]. 

FIGURE 1.1 shows how environmental protection spending across the EU
has evolved over time. After peaking in 2015, it dropped by nearly
20 % in 2016 – possibly reflecting the completion of major
infrastructure projects funded under the previous EU budget
cycle – and gradually recovered in the following years. Spending
specifically focused on biodiversity and landscape protection followed
a similar post-2015 drop but had not yet returned to its earlier peak
by 2022. 

A closer look at national budgets in the same year (FIGURE 1.2)
reveals significant variation among Member States. Denmark stands out,
allocating over half of its environmental protection budget to
biodiversity and landscape protection. In contrast, most other Member
States, including large ones such as Germany, France and Poland,
dedicate less than 10 % of their environmental budgets to this
category. Several Member States report even smaller shares, reflecting
each country’s unique environmental context – but the overall
trend is telling: as of 2022, biodiversity investments had yet to
return to the levels seen in 2015. 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/20250715_Protection%20Expenditure_%28d%29.png]
FIGURE 1: HOW MUCH DO GOVERNMENTS IN THE EU INVEST IN ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION? 

_Source:_ Eurostat
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Environmental_protection_expenditure_accounts],
data.europa.eu
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/2cxemikgo2ut1pvrqfuelq?locale=en]. 

 

HOW IS THE EU’S LAND BEING USED AND PROTECTED? 

Land use is one of the most direct drivers of biodiversity change. The
way we shape the landscape defines the space left for ecosystems to
function. Urban sprawl, agricultural intensification and the steady
loss of semi-natural habitats, such as meadows or wetlands, continue
to fragment the natural environment and threaten species’
survival. 

Based on the latest LUCAS survey
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=LUCAS_-_Land_use_and_land_cover_survey#The_LUCAS_survey],
FIGURE 2.1 provides a country-by-country view of terrestrial
protected areas, expressed as a share of national surface area. It
reveals significant variation across Member States. Bulgaria leads
with 41 % of its land designated as protected, followed closely by
Slovenia (40.5 %). The EU average of 26.1 % sits just below Member
States such as Spain and France, which have 28.1 % of their land
designated as protected areas. At the other end of the scale, Finland
(13.4 %), Ireland (13.9 %) and Belgium (14.7 %) report some of
the lowest shares of protected territory. 

Beyond national totals, the structure and distribution of protected
sites also matter. FIGURE 2.2 maps Natura 2000
[https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/biodiversity/natura-2000/the-natura-2000-protected-areas-network]
areas across the EU, highlighting differences in how Member States
approach land conservation. Larger connected areas (as seen in Sweden)
can support more species and ecological processes, whereas fragmented
patches may fail to do so. Coastal areas also emerge as key
biodiversity zones, with notable concentrations of large protected
areas in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea and off the coast of
France. 

These patterns illustrate that protecting land is not just about
quantity, but also about spatial planning and ecological coherence. 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/20250715_Protected%20areas_%28a%29.png]
FIGURE 2: HOW MUCH OF THE EU’S LAND IS PROTECTED FOR NATURE? 

_Source:_ European Environment Agency datahub
[https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/datahub/datahubitem-view/6fc8ad2d-195d-40f4-bdec-576e7d1268e4],
Eurostat
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/sdg_15_20/default/table?lang=en],
data.europa.eu
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/e3fe3cd0-44db-470e-8769-172a8b9e8874?locale=en]. 

 

WHAT CAN BIRDS TELL US ABOUT BIODIVERSITY HEALTH? 

One of the most visible and informative signals of biodiversity health
comes from birds. Birds respond quickly to shifts in habitat quality,
food availability and agricultural practices, making them reliable
indicators of broader environmental conditions. 

To monitor ongoing developments across rural areas, the EU uses the
Common Bird Index
[https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/european-zero-pollution-dashboards/indicators/common-bird-index-in-europe-indicator] –
a long-running indicator based on the population trends of widespread
bird species. It offers a window into how biodiversity is faring over
time and across different landscapes. 

FIGURE 3.1 provides a time series of how bird populations have
evolved. While the Common Forest Bird Index dipped to 87 % in 2016,
it has since rebounded to 95.5 % in 2023 – indicating relative
stability in forest ecosystems. The picture is more concerning for
farmland birds: the Common Farmland Bird Index has shown a steady and
significant decline, falling to just 57.9 % in 2023. When combined,
these trends result in an overall Common Bird Index of 85 % – a
figure that does not depict the more serious declines among species
most affected by agricultural intensification and landscape change. 

FIGURE 3.2 gives a broader view of bird species’ conservation
status in the EU in 2020. Of the 417 evaluated species, only 222
(53.2 %) are considered secure. The remainder fall into categories
indicating concern: 42 near threatened, 24 declining, 33 depleted and
96 threatened. An additional 74 species either have not been evaluated
or have an unknown status. These numbers show that approximately only
half of the assessed bird species in Europe with a known status are
currently considered secure, while nearly as many fall into categories
of conservation concern. 

Given that birds are a well-studied, responsive and ecologically
significant group, these findings act as a broader signal. The health
of bird populations reflects the health of entire ecosystems. Despite
ongoing efforts and investment, the persistent decline in farmland
bird species calls attention to the need for more targeted, effective
biodiversity strategies. 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/20250715_Birds_%28a3%29.png]
FIGURE 3: HOW ARE BIRD POPULATIONS DOING IN THE EU? 

_Source_: European Environment Agency datahub
[https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/datahub/datahubitem-view/96e1b9b1-ee94-4547-ad61-8059df7240bf?activeAccordion=1083735%2C1084341],
Eurostat
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/product/page/env_bio3__custom_16368697],
data.europa.eu
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/caci6kh4xni93omtviyqsa?locale=en]. 

 

CONCLUSION 

This data story shows how open data can help track the EU’s
biodiversity efforts across multiple dimensions. Starting with
environmental spending, we saw that while some Member States
prioritise biodiversity more than others, the latest available data
shows that aggregated investment in this area has yet to return to
2015 levels. Linking funding to land use, open data also revealed wide
differences in how much of each Member State’s territory is
protected, showcasing both achievements and remaining gaps. The data
also points to concerning biodiversity outcomes: bird population
trends, especially the steady decline in farmland species, highlight
the pressure Europe’s ecosystems continue to face. 

By connecting these layers, open data offers valuable insights to help
develop stronger, more effective biodiversity policies. Beyond
indicators and budgets, data.europa.eu [https://data.europa.eu/] also
hosts more specialised datasets — such as the Visual WetlandBirds
Dataset
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/visual-wetlandbirds-dataset?locale=en],
featuring annotated videos for bird behaviour analysis — supporting
cutting-edge research and innovation in environmental monitoring. 
 
Discover more at data.europa.eu [https://data.europa.eu/en] and stay
informed by subscribing to our newsletter
[https://data.europa.eu/en/newsletter]. 

 

 

