Today a collection of nature charities will be meeting with relevant EU government representatives to discuss a new paper which identifies the actions needed to save wildlife in the EU and the future of the European Nature Directives.
As part of the European Commissions Smart Regulation policy, a Regulatory Fitness and Performance Programme (REFIT) has been initiated on EU legislation. This included an assessment on the EU Birds and Habitats Directives to determine whether the current legislation is fit for purpose and if changes need to be made. Wildlife organisations across Europe have joined forces to put together a key list of actions that Europe needs to implement if the current alarming situation of nature loss is to be reversed.
Matt Shardlow, CEO of Buglife said “This is an important time for invertebrates. It’s estimated that they make up 97% of all animal life, and now is the time for legislation in Europe to be strengthened, not weakened. We need a European Pollinator initiative to save bees and other pollinators, we need to make sure that the red lists of endangered species are up to date and we need better implementation of directives to protect rivers and wetlands.”
The protection and restoration of nature in the European Union is of crucial importance. Protected areas in the EU are estimated to be worth 200-300 billion euros a year to the EU economy including many benefits such as food, clean air, water and climate change mitigation. These environmental organisations will be taking the lead and championing the European Nature Directives direct to the European Commission to ask for reinforcement, not dilution.
