One year on from the launch of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, the report supports efforts to put Europe’s biodiversity on a path to recovery, and will feed into the process of identifying priority ecosystems in need of restoration. The summary will help inform a legislative proposal for a nature restoration law, which the Commission will put forward by the end of 2021 as part of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. The public consultation on this subject showed broad support for reinforcing legal protections and restoring natural ecosystems.
In the foreword to the report, Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans writes: “Healthy, thriving and resilient nature is at the core of healthy lifestyles, thriving economies and resilient societies. However, Europe’s ecosystems are under increasing pressure, putting us all at risk. Ecosystem restoration will be essential to deliver win-win solutions for climate, biodiversity and human wellbeing by 2030.”
Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, responsible for the Joint Research Centre, Mariya Gabriel said: "Science has a crucial role to play in protecting biodiversity and safeguarding precious ecosystems. Led by scientists at the Joint Research Centre, this guide provides valuable input to help ensure that the policies needed to achieve these goals are based on the best available evidence.”
With one million species at risk of extinction and three quarters of the Earth’s surface altered by human influence, conserving what’s left of nature is not enough. We also need to build back the ecosystems that have been heavily damaged. Restoring Europe’s ecosystems will help to increase biodiversity, mitigate and adapt to climate change, and prevent and reduce the impacts of natural disasters.
The assessment reveals that the condition of all Europe’s ecosystems – from forests to agricultural lands, urban areas, wetlands, rivers, lakes and seas – needs to improve significantly in order to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.