Photo by ulrichstill
(BRUSSELS) – An action plan to improve the protection of nature and biodiversity in the EU, unveiled by the Commission Thursday, is aimed at helping European regions reap economic benefits from nature protection.
The Plan consists of 15 actions to be carried out by 2019 to rapidly improve the implementation of the Birds and Habitats Directives, which are the EU’s flagship nature policies.
The Directives establish the largest coordinated network of biodiversity-rich protected areas in the world (Natura 2000 network), covering more 18% of land and 6% of sea in the EU.
The protected areas alone contribute between 1.7 and 2.5% to EU GDP through the provision of ecosystem services such as carbon storage, water purification, pollination and tourism.
The Action Plan adopted by the Commission seeks to improve the management of these areas, connecting nature protection and socio-economic activities more broadly, and engaging with national authorities, stakeholders and young people.
The plan follows a comprehensive review by the Commission of the directives, which it concludes are “fit for purpose”. “This is a valuable example of how Better Regulation enhances the protection of the EU’s high environmental standards, said Frans Timmermans, the EU executive’s First Vice-President for Better Regulation.
“We are laying a solid foundation for reconciling biodiversity protection and economic activities, including investment in our natural capital,” said Commissioner Jyrki Katainen.
The Nature Directives (Birds Directive (1979) and Habitats Directive (1992)) are the cornerstone of the EU’s biodiversity policy. They were subject to a ‘Fitness Check’ which provided an overall performance evaluation of their effectiveness and efficiency as part of the Commission’s Regulatory Fitness and Performance (REFIT) programme.
While the Commission’s conclusions confirmed the value of the Nature Directives, it said that “achievement of their objectives and realisation of their full potential will depend upon substantial improvement in their implementation both in relation to effectiveness and efficiency, working in partnership with different stakeholder communities in the Member States and across the EU to deliver practical results on the ground.”
Action Plan for nature, people and the economy
