The new EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030

Tuesday, May 26 , 2020 3919

The European Commission has adopted on 20 May 2020 the new EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and an associated Action Plan for protecting nature and reversing the degradation of ecosystems.

In the post-COVID 19 context, the Biodiversity Strategy aims to build our societies’ resilience to future threats such as climate change impacts, forest fires, food insecurity or disease outbreaks, including by protecting wildlife and fighting illegal wildlife trade.

 

 

The new Biodiversity Strategy tackles the key drivers of biodiversity loss, such as unsustainable use of land and sea, overexploitation of natural resources, pollution, and invasive alien species.

Adopted in the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, the strategy is a central element of the EU's recovery plan, crucial to preventing and building resilience to future outbreaks and providing immediate business and investment opportunities for restoring the EU's economy.

It also aims to make biodiversity considerations an integral part of EU's overall economic growth strategy.

The strategy proposes to, among others, establish binding targets to restore damaged ecosystems and rivers, improve the health of EU protected habitats and species, bring back pollinators to agricultural land, reduce pollution, green our cities, enhance organic farming and other biodiversity-friendly farming practices, and improve the health of European forests.

 

The strategy brings forward concrete steps to put Europe's biodiversity on the path to recovery by 2030, including transforming at least 30% of Europe's lands and seas into effectively managed protected areas and bringing back at least 10% of agricultural area under high-diversity landscape features.

The actions foreseen in nature protection, sustainable use and restoration will bring economic benefits to local communities, creating sustainable jobs and growth. Funding of EUR 20 billion/year will be unlocked for biodiversity through various sources, including EU funds, national and private funding.

 

The Commission invites now the European Parliament and the Council to endorse this  strategy and its commitments.All citizens and stakeholders are invited too to engage in a broad public debate.

You can find more information on the EU Commission following this direct link: https://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/biodiversity/strategy/index_en.htm

 

UEF just gave its opinion with the forest sector stakeholders, signing the joint statement about EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030, avallable using this direct link: http://european-foresters.eu/news/298

 

The UEF Presidency

 

Related documents:
Biodiversity strategy 2030 Eng.pdf