According to the first of several opinion polls on environmental issues commissioned by EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas, most Europeans believe that biodiversity loss is a “serious problem.”

More than 25,000 people were polled in the November 2007 Eurobarometer survey. Most respondents opined that biodiversity loss is a global issue, and a majority agreed that Europe has a moral obligation to stop it.

“Given this strength of public support, it is surprising that protecting biodiversity is not higher on the political agenda,” Dimas wrote in his blog in January.

The survey results, however, also revealed poor general awareness of EU environment policies. Few, for example, are familiar with the Natura 2000 network of protected sites, which is the cornerstone of the bloc’s biodiversity policy. This is a particularly worrisome revelation for the environment commissioner, given that the network comprises 20 percent of the EU’s total land area.

Dimas said the commission plans to launch a “major communication campaign” next year.