Where do we stand on the highly controversial EU renaturation law?
The EU-wide Nature Restoration Law took the next hurdle last Thursday. After intensive negotiations, Parliament, the Commission and the European Council agreed on a highly controversial law to restore nature. The final vote is expected to take place in February. According to the EU, 80 percent of European ecosystems are in a poor state, ten percent of bee and butterfly species are threatened with extinction and 70 percent of soils are in an unhealthy state. This should change.
The EU Restoration Act contains new, legally binding targets for the restoration of terrestrial and marine ecosystems, such as forests, protected areas in poor condition, urban and agricultural ecosystems, as well as for the restoration of rivers and the protection of pollinators. It is the central building block for implementing the EU Biodiversity Strategy and the centerpiece of the EU Green Deal. According to a European Council declaration, measures to restore nature are to be implemented on at least 30 percent of the EU's land and sea areas by 2030. The target is 60 percent by 2040 and as much as 90 percent by 2050.
Achieve the 30×30 target
"The renaturation law opens the door for Europe to achieve the 30×30 target for the conservation of natural biodiversity agreed at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) . At the UN conference in Montreal in December 2022, the signatory states agreed to protect at least 30 percent of the world's land and sea areas by 2030," writes the Marine Conservation Foundation.
The draft law includes, for example, measures to protect butterflies and bees, the planting of hedges and trees on agricultural land as well as soil protection and improvement measures.
Compromise heavily watered down
The draft law was heavily criticized by the agricultural sector in particular. The Christian Democrats tried in vain to scrap the law altogether in the summer and succeeded in weakening many of the provisions during the negotiations. For example, farmers are no longer obliged to make a certain percentage of their land available for environmentally friendly measures. This is particularly unfortunate because it also affects drained moors, which contribute to greenhouse gas emissions instead of binding them.
Why we urgently need it
The climate crisis and species extinction can only be solved across borders, which is why an EU-wide law is important and right. The restoration of moors, healthy forests, floodplains and rough pastures promotes both: the reintroduction of endangered animal and plant species and improved carbon storage. Intact ecosystems help us to better absorb natural disasters and also reduce the risk of them occurring in the first place.
Criticism from environmental organizations
The environmental protection organization WWF Austria welcomes the current political agreement on the planned EU renaturation law, but criticizes several loopholes in the future implementation: "It is good that there is an agreement, but the current compromise has been severely watered down. This will make it more difficult to achieve the extremely important goals," says WWF biodiversity spokesperson Joschka Brangs on the outcome of the trilogue negotiations between the Commission, Council and Parliament.
Although the final draft again contains measures in agriculture and for the rewetting of moors, overall it is far from what would be necessary from a scientific point of view to protect nature, stop the extinction of species and mitigate the climate crisis.
"Time is of the essence, because we humans are dependent on an intact and diverse natural environment: It not only protects our climate and adaptation to the climate crisis, but also ensures our long-term food security," emphasizes Brangs.
The next steps
The 27 EU member states must now approve the trilogue result. A decisive vote is then due to take place in the EU Parliament's Environment Committee (ENVI Committee) at the end of November, where conservative forces could once again attempt to derail the law.
The new EU renaturation law is expected to be finally adopted by the European Parliament in December 2023, or possibly not until February 2024, provided it successfully passes the ENVI vote.
Our pro.earth.conclusion:
We know about the incredible healing powers of our planet. How quickly nature can recover. If we let it. We therefore very much hope that this law will be adopted in the vote in February and implemented by the individual member states as soon as possible!
