2023-07-13 10:41:32
The Nature Restoration Act survived, but at what cost? On Wednesday July 12, environmental defense organizations said they were enjoying a victory ” modest “. The adoption by the European Parliament of a text aimed at restoring 20% of the lands and seas of the European Union (EU) by 2030 was a relief, the proposal having almost been rejected outright. But this rescue was not made without sacrifices: the legislators declared themselves in favor of a version of the bill even less ambitious than that adopted by the Member States, already largely weakened compared to the initial proposal of the Commission .
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A year ago, this one had put on the table a robust regulatory proposal, containing legally binding targets, to tackle the collapse of biodiversity head-on. But, with the approach of the European elections, the text has become the target of an intense campaign of attacks and disinformation on the part of the right and the far right.
“There was an attempt to derail the Green Deal by rejecting this law and it was averted, this is good news for the general political context, notes Sabien Leemans, in charge of biodiversity issues at the European political office of the World Wide Fund for Nature. But the law of nature paid dearly for it. » “The European Parliament passed the law, but it was trashed by the interests of many of our legislators and we are left with a shell of the law”also deplores Ioannis Agapakis, nature protection lawyer within the ClientEarth organization.
The restoration of agricultural ecosystems ruled out
Among the most flagrant setbacks is the outright removal of all provisions concerning the restoration of agricultural ecosystems. These required Member States to put in place measures to improve indicators relating to grassland butterflies or agricultural birds, and to increase the share of land with high biodiversity. Article 9 of the draft regulations also aimed to restore peatlands that have been drained, with targets of 30% of these areas restored by 2030, and 70% in 2050.
“The disappearance of this article is very problematic because peatlands, which can sequester a lot of carbon, are an important tool in the fight against global warming, explain Sabien Leemans. We also know that the elements of agricultural landscapes such as hedges or waterways are fundamental to protect insects and crops from floods…” Over the past few months, the conservatives of the European People’s Party have repeatedly tried to scare farmers by claiming, wrongly, that this law would lead to a drop in production and the confiscation of certain lands.
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