On 12 July, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) approved one of the key laws for protection of nature – the nature restoration law, after months of heated debate.
On 12 July, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) approved one of the key laws for protection of nature – the nature restoration law, after months of heated debate.
Nature in the EU is currently in severe decline, which can be attributed to factors such as climate change, pollution, invasive species, habitat loss and unsustainable exploitation of the land and the sea.
Healthy ecosystems are important for biodiversity, agricultural productivity and resilience to climate change. The objective of the restoration law is to restore our ecosystems by working to reverse the decline and increasing biodiversity.
Prior to the voting, an open letter signed by 6000 scientists had expressed concern about the argumentation against both the Sustainable Use Regulation and the Nature Restoration Law and urged policymakers to continue the legislative procedure. While opposing parties wanted to drop the bill, it was narrowly passed – with 336 votes in favour of the amended law, 300 against, and 13 abstentions – after being watered down on several points.
The final text will be determined by the European Parliament, Commission and Council after a round of trilogue negotiations.