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EFNCP welcomes European Parliament position on EU 2020 biodiversity strategy

The European Parliament has voted in favour of the attached motion for a resolution on the EU2020 Biodiversity Strategy. There are plenty of good messages, including references to HNV farming and to the need for much improved RDPs.

The resolution gives strong support to the strategy proposed by the Commission, including all its targets and actions; but it also emphasises that some actions may have to be strengthened and specified more clearly, and that more concrete measures should be deployed in order to ensure effective implementation of the strategy.

It stresses the urgent need for action, and the need to give higher political priority to biodiversity in order to meet the EU’s 2020 headline target for biodiversity and global biodiversity commitments.

Under the agriculture heading, the resolution calls for a strengthening of Pillar II and for drastic improvements in all Member States to the environmental focus of that Pillar and to the effectiveness of its agri-environmental measures, including through minimum mandatory spending on environmental measures – such as agri-environmental measures, Natura 2000 and forest environment measures – and support for High Nature Value and organic farming.

It encourages the Commission and Member States to explore the phenomenon of land abandonment in some parts of Europe supporting the targeted maintenance of biodiversity and avoiding desertification whilst providing new socio-economic opportunities for rural development. A proposal to see abandonment as a potential opportunity to rewild large parts of the landscape as major wilderness areas was removed. Instead, the resolution highlights the importance for biodiversity of halting and reversing land abandonment, and advocates increased support for small and medium-scale farming, family-based farming and extensive farming, which promote proper conservation of natural resources.

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European Forum on Nature Conservation and Pastoralism
Online: http://www.efncp.org/news/news20120424.php
Date: 2024/03/28
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