Anne Teller

Senior Expert

Directorate - General Environment of the European Commission

Could you tell us about your main responsibilities at DG Environment of the European Commission?

I am Senior expert in the Directorate-General Environment of the European Commission. My main task is to improve the knowledge and evidence base for EU biodiversity policy. An important contribution was the delivery of the first EU wide ecosystem assessment in October 2020 that I coordinated together with the Joint Research Centre and the European Environment Agency. This landmark report will substantially inform the final evaluation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 and provide a baseline for monitoring progress on the 2030 commitments.

What are the main challenges in your role?

The main challenge is to try to connect two different worlds – science and policy. The two domains are extremely interesting but work very differently in terms of approaches, priorities, timelines, etc. I often see myself as a go-between trying to facilitate finding acceptable solutions for both.

We have been working towards halting biodiversity loss for over three decades now with ambitious targets and frameworks, yet biodiversity is still declining. How could biodiversity platforms, such as the Belgian Biodiversity Platform, help to turn the tide?

Biodiversity and the relationships with ecosystems and ecosystem services is complex and difficult to understand. Communication beyond the science and policy realms is certainly an important aspect that the Platform could help to further develop. Storylines which resonate with people and steer action are crucial. The examples of plastic waste or declining insect populations show that when there is public awareness, policy action follows.
 
The Belgian Platform has made a lot of efforts to build communities of practice around key topics, such as health or ecosystem services, by bringing a wider community closer in an innovative way. For instance, the BEES Christmas Markets have been very successful and have brought in considerable attention. This is why the European Commission was happy to participate in the co-organisation of a MAES (Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services) Christmas Market at the Belgian Royal Academy of Sciences in 2015.

How do you assess the performance of the BBPf as a national science-policy interface for biodiversity? What type of activities (or initiatives) supported by the BBPf have you been engaged in yourself?

The Platform has organised a lot of relevant activities in which I have been involved, such as the ECA network(i.e. network of national organisations engaging in IPBES) and its Pan-European Stakeholder Consultations (PESC-meetings), in support of awareness and capacity building around the work of IPBES, and the BiodivERsA/Biodiversity Partnership, coordinating research programmes between EU and its Member States and Associated Countries. I have also channeled requests, for instance for science support to policy during the review of the global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services from the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, through Eklipse. There are always lessons to be learned for both sides and we should continue this science and policy coaching.