Drought impact on ecosystems in Europe

Drought impact on ecosystems in Europe: Monitoring drought impact is a precondition for effective measures to adapt or increase the resilience of ecosystems, as foreseen by the EU Biodiversity strategy 2030. Between 2000 and 2019, the EEA-39 region was affected by severe droughts with an annual productivity loss of 3% in impacted areas. The last decade saw the most intense drought years; notably the years 2013 and 2016-2019 showed strong impacts on vegetation productivity. Drought impacts on forests were worst, with 5% annual productivity loss followed by croplands (4% annual decrease) and heathlands/shrubs (3.1% decrease).