Going with the flow

EU COUNTRIES FINALLY APPROVE LANDMARK NATURE LAW

Today, 17th June 2024, after months of deliberations and blocks in the road (quite literally from tractor driving farmers) the European Union's Nature Restoration Law has finally been approved. A last-minute position change from Austria, paved the way for the first green law to pass since European Parliament elections this month. Backed by environment ministers of EU countries at a meeting in Luxembourg, the law requires member states to introduce measures to restore nature on their land and sea.

The goal is not only to restore Europe's damaged ecosystems and boost biodiversity but also to harness the power of nature to clean water and air, pollinate crops, improve food security, and prevent and reduce the impact of natural disasters like floods.

To achieve the objectives set out under the new law, which sets binding targets and obligations for member states to restore 20% of the EU's degraded land and sea ecosystems by 2030 and all ecosystems by 2050, those areas which are deemed to be in poor condition will need to be restored by at least 30% by 2030, 60% by 2040 and 90% by 2050. The law also focuses on those with the most potential to capture and store carbon which includes restoring wetlands, rivers, forests, grasslands, urban and marine ecosystems and the species they host and calls for protection measures for important areas including some marine habitats to prevent further degradation.

Although the final text watered down many of the requirements for the farming sector, by introducing an 'emergency brake' so 'under exceptional circumstances' that threaten food security targets affecting agriculture can be suspended, there are specific measures laid out to restore Europe's declining pollinator populations, and protection for certain species of butterflies and birds, as well as stipulations to help plant at least three billion new trees by 2030. Human-made barriers will also be removed from rivers with a goal of restoring 25,000 km to free-flowing conditions by the end of the decade.

Footnote: The European Commission estimates up to 8.9% of land in the Republic of Ireland may be affected by these new commitments.