At the EU Presidency conference “Transformative governance for food systems and biodiversity”, IPBES in Denmark focused on the Nexus report’s messages and findings, as well as the link between biodiversity and the future food production.
On December 3rd, IPBES Denmark participated in the EU Presidency Conference “Transformative governance for food systems and biodiversity” at the University of Copenhagen. The conference was held in conjunction with Denmark taking over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2025, and brought together policy makers, researchers and key stakeholders from across the EU to explore new pathways towards a just and green food system.
IPBES in Denmark participated as co-organizer of the conference, and on the day, IPBES perspectives were put on the agenda, first through an opening speech on the Nexus report by Paula Harrison, IPBES co-chair and lead author of the global Nexus report, and later through the session “Biodiversity: Global and European strategies and regulations” hosted by IPBES in Denmark.
The Nexus Report provided the framework for sustainable food systems
On the 3rd of December the conference opened with an opening session in which selected speakers delivered presentations that framed the day’s programme. In her talk, Paula Harrison outlined the key points and messages from the Global Nexus Report (IPBES 2024).
Drawing on the report, she explained how climate change, biodiversity loss, food production, water quality and health are not separate issues, but deeply interconnected global crises that all affect one another.
We cannot solve the climate, food and biodiversity crises in isolation. They are inextricably linked and require integrated, transformative solutions.
– Paula Harrison
Harrison concluded her presentation by pointing out that if current negative trends continue, it will lead to significant consequences for all the so-called nexus elements. Conversely, holistic solutions that address the challenges collectively can create positive future scenarios with improvements across all affected areas.
Later in the day, she reiterated this message when she participated in the session “Biodiversity: Global and European strategies and regulations”, organized by IPBES in Denmark. She was joined by Carsten Rahbek, Professor at the University of Copenhagen and Chair of IPBES in Denmark, and Alexandra Vakrou, Head of Unit at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV), both of whom endorsed the messages of the Nexus Report.
The Nexus report can be read here: IPBES reports – IPBES in DENMARK
Focus on solutions and challenges in global, European and national contexts
The session “Biodiversity: Global and European strategies and regulations” focused on how biodiversity can be integrated into transformative governance across global, European and national levels. The participants discussed both existing biodiversity policies and strategies, as well as the barriers and opportunities that can influence their practical implementation.
Professor Carsten Rahbek emphasised that over the past 10–15 years, significant progress has been made in integrating biodiversity into political and societal decision-making.Biodiversity is no longer seen solely as nature and species conservation, but as something closely linked to agriculture, fisheries and other sectors. At the same time, using Denmark’s Green Tripartite as an example, he pointed out that there remains a significant gap between political ambitions and a genuine understanding of the underlying connections and their impact:
So if we take the Danish example, we have the triparty. I hear that some people are praising that suddenly Denmark is doing a lot of things, but they are missing that the way we subsidize agriculture and our fishery is actually causing tremendous problems. So the problems in Denmark are gigantic, and then we are doing a little bit.
– Carsten Rahbek
Overall, Rahbek’s point highlights that, although there are many good intentions and initiatives, their effects on biodiversity remain limited. There is therefore a need for biologically realistic measures that take greater account of the concrete connections between political decisions and their actual consequences in nature.
Alexandra Vakrou similarly highlighted the challenges of translating ambitious political goals into concrete action at the European level. She referred, among other things, to the EU Nature Restoration Regulation, which obliges Member States to restore degraded terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The regulation stipulates that at least 20% of the EU’s land and marine areas must be restored by 2030, with the aim of enhancing biodiversity, mitigating climate change, and supporting food security across agricultural, forest, urban, and marine ecosystems.
With reference to this regulation, Vakrou pointed out that although there are concrete and ambitious legislative frameworks for improving biodiversity, the transition faces significant resistance. The criticism has been directed, among other things, at the fact that the actors involved feel that there are too many instruments and initiatives in play at the same time, and that the level of ambition is set at what many consider to be too high.
So I think we now have the big challenge ahead of us: how to implement it. And how to implement it in a meaningful way, and I think it is not just about the meaningful way, but also about the realistic way.
– Alexandra Vakrou
Hereby, she emphasised that the main challenge going forward will be to ensure implementation that is both realistic and meaningful; an implementation that does not compromise on the necessary ambitions, but at the same time achieves a broad involvement of the actors who will translate the policy into concrete and effective results.
In closing, Paula Harrison summarized the key points of the session with this central message:
The time for siloed thinking is over. Solutions and options for actions already exist for accounting for all nexus elements: biodiversity, food production, water, health and climate change. What we need is bold integrated action.
– Paula Harrison
Both Paula Harrison’s presentation from the opening session and the IPBES in Denmark session, “Biodiversity: Global and European strategies and regulations”, were recorded. They can be viewed or replayed here: Video recordings from the conference – University of Copenhagen
