The Biodiversity Strategy is the centre-piece of the EU’s plan to halt the decline in animal and insect populations, hit hard by decades of pollution, chemical use and the encroachment of man into wild areas.
A recent assessment by the EU Commission found that 60 per cent of wildlife in the EU is threatened or is in decline, and almost 80 per cent of habitats are suffering degradation or destruction.
The Commission argues radical action is necessary not just to protect wildlife, but also preserve the health of natural systems that sustain the economy, such as productive soils and clean water. Restoring nature will involve not only preserving existing habits, but reshaping farming and land use practices to coax nature back.
Frans Timmermans, the Dutch politician leading Europe’s green policy agenda, said biodiversity loss presents “a clear and present danger to humanity”. “The coronavirus crisis has shown how vulnerable we all are, and how important it is to restore the balance between human activity and nature,” he said. The Biodiversity Strategy will “point to a new and better balance of nature, food systems and biodiversity; to protect our people’s health and well-being, and at the same time to increase the EU’s competitiveness and resilience.”
Key pledges
- Plant three billion more trees by 2030
- Reduce the use of chemical pesticides by 50 per cent by 2030, cut fertiliser use by 20 per cent
- At least a quarter of EU farmland must be organic by 2030
- Farmers will be required to leave “buffer strips” of hedgerows and meadows for wildlife
- At least 25,000km of free flowing rivers are restored, by removing barriers and re-instating flood plains
- Formal protection for at least 30 per cent of land and 30 per cent of seas by 2030 (up from 26 per cent of land and 11 per cent of seas currently)