ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the institutional context for European Union (EU) biodiversity policy, identifies the major barriers to mainstreaming biodiversity across EU policies, and also the lessons learned for achieving a Green Economy. It explores the evolution of biodiversity policies in Europe and examines, in particular, how the emergence of the debate on the Green Economy coincided with a time when the need for biodiversity mainstreaming in the EU was recognized. The chapter discusses a number of challenges that have contributed to the unsuccessful mainstreaming efforts, including institutional fragmentation, lack of training and skills, as well as a lack of guidance/tools to enable non-specialists in other sectors to take account of their dependence and their impact on biodiversity and ecosystems. It examines opportunities for transforming biodiversity governance within the EU in order to allow for biodiversity conservation to contribute to transition to a Green Economy in the EU, focusing on new languages, new indicators and new instruments.
