The European Parliament will vote in a few weeks on the final version of the Nature Restoration Law (LRN), a global regulation that has been the subject of intense debate. Its aim is to stop biodiversity loss in Europe.. An international team of scientists, led by the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany and joined by two Spanish researchers, analyzed the future of this new regulation.
The LRN requires European Union (EU) member states to implement restoration measures on at least 20% of land and sea areas by 2030 and on all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050.. This includes specific goals such as: rewet peat bogs And increasing pollinator populations.
Although encountered bureaucratic difficultiesThe future law has already overcome many hurdles: it was approved by the European Parliament’s Environment Committee after Parliament and Council delegations deliberated on the final text.
The question is whether the LRN can achieve its goals. The study’s authors, who include scientists leading major European projects on nature restoration and biodiversity, both terrestrial and marine, analyzed the data. Experience with other European environmental directives and policies and LRN’s prospects for success, as well as obstacles to overcome.
“The new standard could be a cornerstone of Europe’s goals to restore biodiversity and ecosystem services in the coming years and show global leadership while addressing environmental crises continues,” says the report published in the journal ‘Science’.
political pressures
The draft law, which is the first in the world, was subject to a different regulation. political pressuresand scientists contributed extensively to the discussion. “The LRN avoids various obstacles that often hinder the implementation of European policies and regulations, which shows that the Commission has learned from past experience,” says the study’s first author, Daniel Hering from the University of Duisburg-Essen.
“Although the regulations ambitious goals and deadlines With clear application steps, The real key to the success of the LRN will lie in its implementation at the national level.“European countries will have to decide on the steps to be taken to achieve the targets, many of which are voluntary,” explains study co-author Josef Settele of the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ) in Halle, Germany.
A. clue According to the authors of the study, in law enforcement Cooperation of landowners in nature restorationespecially farmers. “Intensive agriculture still a major factor in biodiversity loss in Europe“says biologist and study co-author Guy Pe’er.
“But goals for agriculture and nature restoration can be coordinated, with opportunities for both,” he adds. Because Agriculture directly benefits from healthy soils, pollinator populations, and increased water storage capacity in the environment.These are all goals of the LRN.
Ángel Borja from the Basque technology center AZTI, which participated in the research, also emphasizes:European seas will benefit from restorationTo contribute to achieving a good environmental status, as required by the European Marine Strategy Directive. “This will make the services that the marine ecosystem provides us more useful to humans,” he says.
Decarbonize coastal protection
The other Spanish author of the study, Agustín Sánchez-Arcilla, director of the Marine Engineering Laboratory at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunyta-BarcelonaTech (UPC), said that the restoration goals of this law “provide numerous benefits for a wide range of users, and I am particularly interested in the coastal zone because decarbonizing coastal protection “This benefits those same communities.”
This restoration effortAccording to Sánchez-Arcilla, this will help align the goals of short-term coastal interventions “with coastal protection objectives in the medium and long term, reduce risks to both socioeconomic activities and natural systems, and integrate techniques, financing and adaptation plans.” warning systems This allows decisions to be made in accordance with restoration objectives”.
The researchers concluded that European funds should be used to achieve the LRN’s goals; This is a statement that needs to be discussed intensively among users of the natural environment in science and practice.
Although the authors have a generally positive view of LRN, “ambitious national implementation“and one”Cooperation with economic sectors such as agriculture and fisheriesThis will determine the success of nature restoration in Europe.”
LRN is part of: European Green Deal and aims to contribute significantly to the EU climate targets and the Kunming-Montreal international biodiversity agreements, which envisage the restoration of at least 30% of degraded ecosystems. “With 80% of EU habitats degraded, the LRN represents a crucial step in solving these environmental challenges.“, point to the authors.
Reference report: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adk1658
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