Jane Goodall Institute Belgium joins 200 other NGOs and more than one million citizens, businesses, scientists, and other stakeholders to call on EU leaders to adopt a strong Nature Restoration Law that allows us to truly tackle global climate and biodiversity emergencies and protects Europe’s citizens, economy, and nature.
We witnessed an unprecedented opposition to the EU Nature Restoration Regulation that led to weakening and even almost losing the legal text. In the phase of the final negotiations, we call upon national governments, Members of the European Parliament and the European Commission to get back on the right track by safeguarding the following key elements in the EU Nature Restoration Regulation:
- Ensure that all terrestrial and marine habitats are covered by quantified, time-bound and enforceable targets in and outside Natura 2000 areas
- Ensure non-deterioration of ecosystems to safeguard investments and long-term benefits, fully in line with Europe`s commitments for climate and biodiversity
- Include restoration of agricultural ecosystems, complemented by dedicated targets for the restoration of drained peatlands. Restoring agricultural ecosystems is crucial for resilience of food systems and the agricultural sector. Peatland restoration plays a key role in climate change mitigation and adaptation.
- Include strong indicators for the restoration of forest ecosystems, scientifically valid for all forest types
- Ensure implementable marine targets with clear safeguards, so that the Common Fisheries Policy does not block marine restoration
- Ensure dedicated and additional funding to finance restoration measures
- Ensure clear public participation and access to justice provisions
- Ensure the Law can enter into force immediately, without preconditions for the timely and steady implementation of the restoration targets
More details in our joint statement.
Text: Mari Saarteinen / JGIB
Hero image: Margaret Polinder