Tender for supporting green infrastructure efficiency and implementation The European Commission has issued a tender for support in the implementation of nature and biodiversity policy, especially by improving the knowledge base on and assessing the implementation and efficiency of green infrastructure in Europe. This work will help mainly in pre... The European Commission has issued a tender for support in the implementation of nature and biodiversity policy, especially by improving the knowledge base on and assessing the implementation and efficiency of green infrastructure in Europe. This work will help mainly in preparing the basis for an impact assessment of a future green infrastructure strategy in Europe, in particular by assessing implementation and efficiency monitoring of existing approaches for green infrastructure in Europe (on transnational, Member State, regional or local level) and outside Europe, including financial estimates. In January 2010, the Commission published a new vision and target for biodiversity policy in the EU for the period after 2010. Part of this EU biodiversity strategy will be a daughter strategy on green infrastructure, foreseen for 2011. Green infrastructure will be a major tool to combat habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation, by far the biggest drivers of terrestrial biodiversity loss at EU level over the past 50 years due to land use changes (such as land use intensification and land abandonment). In the EU, around 1,500 hectares of mainly agricultural land are lost every day to infrastructure and urbanisation. Europe's territory is consequently more fragmented than any other continent. Europe's main contribution to reverse this trend and to link and strengthen various ecosystems in urban and rural areas will be green infrastructure. It consists of spatially or functionally connected areas which maintain ecological coherence as an essential condition for healthy ecosystems. Its added value however comes from broader investments in natural capital with a view to 'greening' existing infrastructure and strengthening the functionality of ecosystems for delivering goods and services as well as mitigating and adapting to climate change effects, and enhancing the quality of life (health, tourism, conserving historic and cultural heritage). The Commission wishes to ensure best use of existing data for understanding the effects of green infrastructure policy, and to provide data for a potential upcoming impact assessment of a future European green infrastructure strategy, having special regard to the implementation and efficiency of existing and potential future green infrastructure policies.For further information, please contact: European Commission Directorate-General for the Environment ENV.SRD.2 - Finance attention: Markets Team BU 5, 00/122 1049 Brussels Belgium E-mail: env-tenders@ec.europa.eu To see the full details of the call, please consult: OJ No S177 of 11 September 2010
