Towards a taxonomically unbiased EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030

Through the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) and the LIFE projects financial investments, Europe has been the world’s experimental arena for biological conservation. With an estimated budget of €20 billion/year, the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 has set an ambitious goal of reaching 30% Protected Areas and ensure no deterioration in conservation trends and status of all protected species. We analyzed LIFE projects focused on animals from 1992 to 2018 and we found that investment towards vertebrates has been six times higher than that for invertebrates (€970 vs €150 million), with birds and mammals alone accounting for 72% species and 75% total budget. Budget allocation is primarily explained by species’ popularity. We propose a roadmap to achieve unbiased conservation targets for 2030 and beyond.