Biodiversity
The Commission considers preserving biodiversity as a key element of its greening activities and has already launched several ecosystem and biodiversity programmes, in particular in its non-urban sites
The Commission will continue to develop and implement these initiatives to preserve and restore ecosystems and their biodiversity, including protected habitat and species, and in particular in Natura 2000 protected areas close to its rural and urban sites.
Preserving and restoring nature and biodiversity
Overall
The following figure shows sealed and natural surface areas on a per capita basis at the sites, indicating that JRC Geel is the most sparsely populated site, followed by JRCs Karlsruhe, Ispra and Petten. Each of these sites offers several hundred square meters of land per person, although not necessarily all accessible. Brussels, Luxembourg and Seville are all located within the city and therefore have less space. Data on total use of land, total sealed area, nature oriented areas offsite/onsite are included in Annex 5.
Sealed and natural space at the EMAS sites in 2023 (m2/person)
OIB management implemented a new approach to biodiversity for the European Commission's buildings and surroundings in Brussels in October 2022. In 2022 the OIB also launched projects in the BERL and BRE2. In 2023 pilot projects targeted the inner courtyards of B-28 and L-41 to support measures enhancing the quality of office buildings.
Discussions about the projects for greening of the roofs of CHAR and ORBN buildings will continue in 2024, and which will cover 260m2. A study was launched for the BERL site, with the objective of enhancing the strategy's visibility along with additional biodiversity projects for MERO and CSM1 buildings.
The future Jean Monnet 2 building (JMO2) will benefit from spaces promoting biodiversity as part of the BREEAM Certification. The project concerning the green rooftop of the Euroforum is on hold. Green roofs are implemented on top of the technical floors in the new Mercier Post building acting as a water management measure and at the same time contributing positively to the microclimate of the city of Luxembourg.
In 2023 synergies continued between OIL EMAS Team and the nursery schools (CPEs) to develop workshops and events for the educators on sustainability (e.g. compost projects, differentiated grass mowing).
OIL has also contacted several actors in Luxembourg to define indicators for monitoring biodiversity on the Commission's sites.
Due to their geographical remoteness (mostly "non-urban" sites), there is plenty of room for nature at the JRC, which contributes a great deal to preserving biodiversity. The actions taken are coupled with awareness-raising.
In 2023, JRC Geel organised several actions to foster its biodiversity, either by preserving the fauna or improving its habitat. Annually, JRC Geel helps toads to cross the road, and avoid being run over when they move to the pond during the mating season. With the participation of its staff members, the site created an abode for salamander and toads (as shown in the case study below).
Additionally and to better assess its biodiversity, JRC Geel launched a 'bioblitz' project, allowing staff to picture the fauna and flora present on site with the application Obsidentify and uploading their observation on the e-platform Warnemingen.be. The platform provides the location of the sighting, the photo and indicates the rarity of the species identified.
JRC Ispra features 34 hectares and 8 habitats of conservation concern covered by the Habitat Directive, including two classified as priority habitats (3140, 6230*, 6510b, 6510c, 91E0*, 9160, 9190, 9260). The latest habitat monitoring plan was carried out in 2022 and the relevant documents were completed in 2023. This work made it possible to study and put into practice new specific conservation measures and, hopefully, to improve biodiversity in the long term. Habitat restoration and protection projects are planned to improve conservation and develop the site's natural heritage.
In JRC Karlsruhe almost 70% of the site’s surface is a non-sealed “natural” area. A large part is natural forest, similar to the surrounding forests, which provide a natural habitat for different species. The glass walls of one of the site's bike racks have been fitted with opaque film strips in a test project to prevent bird strikes (the other bike rack remains with concrete walls).
JRC Petten is one of the greenest Commission sites, with more than 80% of the site left for wildlife to roam free. Part of the site is a Natura 2000 "dry heath" habitat. The site is implementing an advanced scenario for nature preservation and restoration in order to achieve the goal of sustaining biodiversity on site.
Despite the challenges of working in an urban area, JRC Seville is also making progress by promoting a guided bike tour to identify native trees in a nearby park. Additionally, a contract was initiated to install interpretative signage on the trees in the courtyard.
Grange has a five-year land management plan and in 2023, under that plan, planted 5160 trees over c.1 ha area. Some animals have returned since the plan was introduced, and have been captured by CCTV cameras as shown below.
