Biodiversity offers a web of life, as the preamble of the strategy mentions, between all living beings. Nature offers all elements that supports life on Earth. Societies depend on nature and COVID-19 pandemic has been raising awareness on the links between people’s health and the health of ecosystems. It is showing the need for sustainable supply chains and consumption patterns that do not exceed planetary boundaries. Biodiversity is also crucial for safeguarding EU and global food security. Investing in nature protection and restoration will also be critical for Europe’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.
Yet, nature is in a state of crisis. The five main direct drivers of biodiversity loss – changes in land and sea use, overexploitation, climate change, pollution, and invasive alien species – are making nature disappear quickly.
Therefore, the European Commission adopted on May 20th, the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.
The new EU-wide strategy consists of two main components: protect (at least 30% of land and 30% of sea in Europe) and restore degraded ecosystems at land and sea across the whole of Europe, also providing immediate business and investment opportunities for restoring the EU’s economy.
Find a brief description of the strategy here.
Photo: European Commission
