Biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation
continue at an alarming rate in the EU and
worldwide. Up to 1 million of the estimated 8
million plant and animal species on Earth are at
risk of extinction — many of them within decades —
according to the UN. In Europe, the European
Commission estimates that more than 80 percent of
the habitats are in “poor” shape. Although the EU
has a legal framework, strategies and action plans
to protect nature and restore habitats and species,
restoration has been small-scale, and the
implementation and enforcement of legislation has
been insufficient. It is in this context that the
European Committee of the Regions welcomes the
European Commission's EU Nature Restoration Law,
especially its first ever legally binding targets
and calls for streamlining biodiversity funding and
provide technical support to cities and regions.
Food and energy security should not jeopardise the
implementation of the Nature Restoration Law and other
environmental legislation, members recalled in an
opinion
on the
EU's Nature Restoration Law
adopted at the plenary session on 9 February.
EU cities and regions reiterate their call to be
involved in the definition of Nature Restoration Plans
together with national governments – stressing they are
the ones implementing restoration measures on the
ground. Likewise, local and regional leaders request
that nature restoration measures are integrated within
National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs), considering
the objectives of Repower EU for greater energy
sovereignty and ensuring that renewable energy projects
do not compete – but rather support- nature restoration
objectives.
Rapporteur
Roby Biwer (LU/PES), member of the Bettembourg city council, said
"COP15 in Montreal historically agreed on a
post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, in which
cities and regions are involved. With the new EU
Nature Restoration Law, the EU is changing the
paradigm, by seeking to manage habitats to
facilitate the restoration of biodiversity that is
suffering increasing loss.
Synergising the climate and biodiversity agendas is
an imperative challenge for this century. However,
our Union will be a global leader only if EU cities
and regions are fully involved in this process. The
success of the Nature Restoration Law largely
depends on implementation and the quality of
measures applied at local and regional level, with
cities and regions well equipped with adequate
financial means and qualified technical assistance.
Large-scale nature restoration now needs to be a
must!"
EU cities and regions urge Member States to take into
account local and regional restoration needs and
priorities and focus on highly vulnerable ecosystems
and threatened species – constantly involving local and
regional communities to deliver on the socio-economic,
geographical and environmental specificities of each
territory. Members emphasize that restoring nature in
urban areas and cities is essential as it provides
ecosystem services and clear biodiversity benefits.
Members stress that the current public funding gap on
biodiversity should be reversed with nature
restoration-targeted financial instruments, easily
accessible for Local and Regional Authorities (LRAs) to
reverse biodiversity loss in their territories
including urban areas. The EU's assembly of cities and
regions calls for earmarked national funding streams in
full alignment with the identified priorities and needs
of LRAs.
The Committee proposes to incentivise private
investments in biodiversity protection and the
restoration of ecosystems by piloting and expanding the
use of market-based instruments, such as impact
investment, payment for ecosystem services (PES) or
land-based carbon removal credits.
Local and regional authorities often lack the resources
and the expertise to effectively design, execute and
monitor restoration actions. The Committee therefore
asks the European Commission to set up a comprehensive
technical support system for cities and regions,
including capacity building programmes, guidance on
accessing funding and on aligning monitoring and
reporting instruments in addition to promoting the
exchange and replication of best practices.
Members recall the Nature Directives implementation gap
and calls for stronger enforcement mechanisms The
Committee proposes a standardised monitoring and
reporting system that allows for streamlined methods to
identifying restoration areas, assessing the status of
ecosystems and setting satisfactory indicator levels
and monitoring targets.
Together with
Frida Nilsson (SE/Renew), Member of Linköping Municipality, Sweden, rapporteur
Roby Biwer (LU/PES)
represented EU cities and regions at the
United Nations conference on biodiversity -
COP15. The CoR joined forces with subnational governments
worldwide securing a stronger recognition and support
for local and regional governments in halting
ecosystems degradation and restoring biodiversity. As a
result, the CoR is explicitly mentioned in the COP15
decision as key partner for supporting the
implementation of the
Plan of Action
on subnational governments to the
Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Background:
The European Commission’s proposal for a Nature
Restoration Law is the first continent-wide,
comprehensive law of its kind. It is a key element of
the
EU Biodiversity Strategy, which calls for binding targets to restore degraded
ecosystems, in particular those with the most potential
to capture and store carbon and to prevent and reduce
the impact of natural disasters.
Contact:
David Crous
Tel. +32 470 88 10 37
david.crous@cor.europa.eu