The European Commission has launched an online public consultation on the development of legally binding EU nature restoration targets.
As a key element of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, restoring Europe’s damaged ecosystems will help to increase biodiversity, mitigate and adapt to climate change and prevent and reduce the impacts of natural disasters.
“Human activities have significantly altered three-quarters of the Earth’s lands and two-thirds of oceans in recent decades, destabilising our climate and our natural life support systems,” said Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius. “Restoring natural ecosystems is a triple win for nature, climate and people. It will help solve the biodiversity crisis, tackle climate change and reduce the risks of future pandemics. It can also stimulate recovery in a post-pandemic world, creating jobs and sustainable growth.
The European Commission is preparing an impact assessment to support the development of EU nature restoration targets and to assess their potential environmental, social and economic impacts. The Commission is also consulting on another biodiversity policy initiative: the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 which set the EU biodiversity policy framework for the period 2011-2020, currently undergoing an evaluation, looking into its effectiveness, efficiency, coherence with other policies, relevance and EU added value.
Lessons learnt will be considered in the implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, in order to improve the design and delivery of key actions – including the proposal for binding EU restoration targets.
