The objective of this study has been to bring together EU examples where biodiversity loss or the modification/loss of habitats accompanied by biodiversity loss has led to the loss/degradation of ecosystem services, and consequently to economic costs and/or social losses. The information used and analysed in the study has been collected through expert interviews, a literature survey, and a short questionnaire distributed to relevant stakeholders in February 2006.

The outcomes of this study clearly demonstrate that throughout the EU, a wide range of biodiversity-related services provided by a variety of ecosystems have been lost or degraded. The case studies reveal different levels of biodiversity loss (including loss/degradation of ecosystems and habitats, changes in species population levels and species composition, and decline in the number of species) as well as different underlying causes of the losses.

The paper concludes that in several cases the loss of biodiversity and associated services could have been avoided or minimised by considering the full implications of adopted decisions to ecosystem services. It could be argued that such considerations would have improved the sustainability of development initiatives and management practises, contributing to halting the loss of biodiversity in the EU.