Representatives from IUCN, Bulgaria, the European Commission and the Natura 2000 Users’ Forum gave keynote speeches, and these were followed by discussion amongst participants, which included representatives from EU member states, members of land-owners, land-users and hunters organisations, and NGOs.

“We are very happy at IUCN to convene this meeting, which shows that only with dialogue amongst the various stakeholders will we chart the way forward to a sustainable future for biodiversity in Europe and beyond,” commented Luc Bas, Director of the IUCN European Regional Office.

This was the second in a series of receptions on the post-2020 biodiversity debate, following the first reception with the Estonian EU Presidency in September last year.