OO. 2.1 Investigate and monitor the effects of activities and processes that threaten components of biodiversity in Belgium and their causes

Much can be done to avert loss of biodiversity if adequate information on potential threats is available. It is necessary to further investigate the impact on biodiversity of human activities and of threats arising from natural causes, as well as relations between those processes and activities in order to take the most appropriate measures to minimise their impacts. Particular attention must be paid to the development and use of new technologies (for instance potentially negative impacts of nanotechnologies on biodiversity, GMOs used in agriculture, forestry and fishery - detailed in Objective 4 - as well as other GMOs developed as bioindicators or bioremediators, such as cattle, domestic animals, decorative plants, etc.), products and processes (for instance, spread of invasive alien species).

Appropriate monitoring will involve taking physical measurements/observations of the chosen biodiversity and activities indicators year on year for comparison with the current status of biodiversity and pressures from threatening activities. This comparison together with a study of the causes of threatening processes will be most useful for an adaptive management of threatening activities. Key questions to be addressed in the monitoring process can be based on the indicative "Framework for designing national-level monitoring programmes and indicators" proposed by the CBD¹⁶ and the EU headline indicators¹⁷ developed by the EEA.