European Parliament highlights EU overseas biodiversity as a strategic investment priority for the next EU budget

On July 1, policymakers, regional authorities and those impacted most directly by those decisions met at the European Parliament to underline that, if the European Union is to achieve its biodiversity and climate objectives, long-term support for biodiversity action in overseas regions must form part of future financing frameworks. The event explored how EU investment could better reflect the strategic importance of these territories and provide the long-term support required to deliver lasting conservation outcomes.

Convened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the European Bureau for Conservation and Development (EBCD), and hosted by MEP Paulo do Nascimento Cabral, the event brought together Members of the European Parliament, including Vice-President Younous Omarjee (The Left, France) and MEP Juan Fernando López Aguilar (S&D, Spain), alongside policymakers, regional authorities and conservation practitioners. Reflecting broad cross-party engagement, discussions reinforced the strategic importance of Europe's outermost regions and Overseas Countries and Territories for the EU's biodiversity and climate ambitions, while calling for the next Multiannual Financial Framework to provide sustained, long-term support for biodiversity action in these territories.

BESTLIFE2030, the European Union's flagship programme supporting locally-led biodiversity action in overseas regions, demonstrated how sustained investment in local leadership delivers measurable benefits for biodiversity, climate resilience and communities.

“Biodiversity is inseparable from life, water and human well-being, and we see in Pointe-à-Pitre how climate impacts and water management challenges are directly linked to ecosystem health and community resilience. Conservation efforts, including initiatives such as BESTLIFE2030, require collective action, long-term commitment and stronger European solidarity,” said Harry Durimel, Mayor of Pointe-à-Pitre and First Vice-President of Cap Excellence Guadeloupe.

The discussions reflected a broader shift in perspective: recognising EU overseas regions not as peripheral beneficiaries of environmental policy, but as strategic partners delivering tangible contributions to Europe's biodiversity and climate commitments.

“Biodiversity is fundamental to life on Earth, and the wellbeing of people and economies depends on healthy ecosystems. As we recognise the achievements of locally-led conservation, we must also ensure it is fully integrated into long-term socio-economic planning and sustained investment frameworks that secure nature and prosperity together,” said Trevor Sandwith, Director of the Centre for Conservation Action, IUCN. 

Building on more than a decade of EU support for biodiversity in overseas regions, BESTLIFE2030 has supported more than 200 locally led conservation projects, strengthening protected areas, restoring ecosystems and building local conservation capacity across Europe's overseas territories.

This event formed part of a broader 2026 engagement process linking regional leadership, EU policymaking and international biodiversity diplomacy. The process began at the OCTA Ministerial Conference and OCTs–EU Forum in Aruba in April 2026, where overseas regions and territories reinforced their role as strategic biodiversity and climate partners. It continued in Brussels through discussions focused on EU policy and financing priorities, before moving to Yerevan during COP17 of the Convention on Biological Diversity, where the contribution of islands and overseas territories will be positioned within global biodiversity implementation efforts.

Throughout the event, Members of the European Parliament recognised Europe's overseas regions and territories as strategic assets for achieving the EU's biodiversity and climate objectives. They underlined that the next Multiannual Financial Framework should reflect this strategic importance through sustained, dedicated investment in biodiversity action across the ORs and OCTs.

Key messages emerging from the event underlined that biodiversity underpins prosperity and is not only about wildlife conservation, but about the foundations of resilient economies and societies. Participants stressed that people and local communities are at the heart of effective conservation, with locally led approaches proving essential to delivering results on the ground. EU overseas regions were highlighted not as peripheral territories, but as central to Europe’s biodiversity and climate ambitions. Speakers also emphasised that while long-term and sustained investment is needed to maximise impact, initiatives such as BESTLIFE2030 are already delivering tangible and concrete benefits for both nature and local communities.

The event was co-organised by the European Bureau for Conservation and Development (EBCD) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), in collaboration with partners supporting biodiversity implementation in EU overseas regions.