A Strategy for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.

The present Strategy for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services for 2020 aims to contribute to achieving several of the Swedish environmental quality objectives and the generational goal. The strategy also contributes to achieving the targets in the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 and those in the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020, adopted as part of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
The Strategy outlines the various objectives that exist for biodiversity and ecosystem services at various levels – nationally, at the EU level and globally - and describes how the Government’s Strategy relates to them. The Government’s overall strategy for biodiversity and ecosystem services consists of the ten milestone targets for biodiversity and ecosystem services that the Government has decided on and the initiatives described in this document. The ten milestone are concerned with: 1) ecosystem services and resilience; 2) the importance of biodiversity and the value of ecosystem services; 3) threatened species and habitat types; 4) invasive alien species; 5) knowledge about genetic diversity; 6) holistic approach to the use of land; 7) protection of land areas, freshwater areas and marine areas; 8) environmental consideration in forestry; 9) varied forestry; and 10) dialogue process in a national forestry programme.
Section 4 of the document describes initiatives aimed to meet milestone targets on the importance of biodiversity and the value of ecosystem services (2), and include indicators for sustainable development; greater knowledge in central government authorities; guidance for county administrative boards; guidance and support for municipalities; economic incentives; public procurement with an ecosystem services perspective; among others. Other initiatives described to meet the other milestone targets include; action plans for endangered species; protection of species; obtaining a more comprehensive view of land and water use; protection or other forms of conservation of areas that are of particular significance to biodiversity and ecosystem services; plan for more effective supervision in the forestry sector; etc.