Sunce, together with over 200 civil society organizations across the European Union, calls on national governments, members of the European Parliament, and the European Commission to adopt the Nature Restoration Law which will have sufficient legal force to combat the climate crisis and biodiversity loss. We no longer have time to make mild declarations and expressions of concern but strong regulations that will put words into practice and enable the survival of both nature and people on this planet.
Be the voice of reason and support the adoption of the Nature Restoration Law!
We are witnessing a mass extinction of biodiversity and climate change, which threaten the very basis of our life as we know it. The science is very clear on this issue. Past efforts to resolve these crises and restore our relationship with nature have been largely insufficient. Unsurprisingly, increasingly frequent droughts, floods, and forest fires, as we have seen again this summer, are making the effects of these crises increasingly visible across Europe. Clearly, we need effective restoration measures on a large scale.
The EU Nature Restoration Law is a unique opportunity of the decade to change the path from continuous decline to regeneration, in which we are gearing towards a safe and resilient future of life in harmony with nature. Restoring nature means bringing back our greatest ally in the fight against climate change, restoring our own health and well-being, and restoring our livelihoods and economies. Restoring nature is one of the best investments our society can make. Still, the time is running out.
In recent months, we have seen unprecedented opposition to the Nature Restoration Law, which has led to an unacceptable weakening and almost the rejection of legal text. We therefore strongly urge national governments, Members of the European Parliament, and the European Commission to get back on track by safeguarding the following key elements in the EU Nature Restoration Law:
- Ensure that all terrestrial and marine habitats are covered by quantified, time-limited, and enforceable targets within and beyond Natura 2000 areas.
- Ensure that ecosystem degradation is halted in order to protect investments and long-term benefits, fully in line with Europe’s commitments to climate and biodiversity.
- Include the restoration of agricultural ecosystems, complemented by concrete goals for the restoration of drained peatlands. Restoring agricultural ecosystems is essential for the resilience of food systems and the agricultural sector. Peatland restoration plays a key role in climate change mitigation and adaptation.
- Include indicators for the restoration of forest ecosystems, scientifically valid for all types of forests.
- Ensure enforceable targets for the sea, with clear measures, so that the Common Fisheries Policy does not block the restoration of the marine ecosystem.
- Provide dedicated and additional funding to finance restoration measures.
- Ensure clear provisions for public participation and access to justice.
- Ensure that the Law can enter into force immediately, without the preconditions for the timely and continuous implementation of the renewal objectives.
Sunce continuously emphasizes that we need to bring nature back into our lives and achieve a balance between our activities and preserving the biodiversity of life on Earth. Our campaign Sea Full of Life aims to educate citizens about the importance of protected areas in the sea and the long-term benefits for the community. Our employees have written a series of articles on the subject that you can find here -> LINK.
We can no longer afford to delay actions, dilute ambitions, or limit the scope of the Law. It would just be more expensive and time-consuming to address the consequences of our inaction. It would put our future and the future of all other beings on the line. We need to make it successful now, we need to make nature restoration possible #RestoreNature.
For more information, visit restorenature.eu.