EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030: Promotion of corporate commitment, expansion of protected areas and organic farming

European Business & Biodiversity Campaign - News

EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030: Promotion of corporate commitment, expansion of protected areas and organic farming

With its recently published strategy on biodiversity, the EU Commission has set ambitious targets.

© Wolfgang Borchers / Pixabay
Author: Global Nature Fund
 
Together with the new strategy "From Farm to Fork" for a fair, healthy and environmentally friendly food system, the following is to be achieved by 2030:
  • a legally binding protection of at least 30 percent of land and sea areas in the EU, including strict protection of at least one third of these areas.

  • a 20 percent reduction in the use of fertilisers.

  • landscape features with great diversity such as hedges or ponds on at least 10 percent of agricultural land.

  • the extension of organic farming to at least 25 percent of the EU's agricultural land.

  • the reduction of the use of chemical pesticides by 50 percent.

  • The Commission wants to bring about a profound change towards the preservation and restoration of ecosystems, inter alia by providing 20 billion euros per year for nature conservation.

Business for Biodiversity

Corporate commitment to biodiversity is to be further increased and the value of natural capital integrated into government and corporate decision-making processes. In addition, nature-based solutions are to be promoted - especially with a view to implementing climate policy.

In the biodiversity strategy, the Commission explicitly refers to its initiative on corporate governance which will be presented in 2021. The aim is to ensure that companies not only take human rights aspects into account, but also perform environmental due diligence and audits along the value chain. The quality and scope of information on biodiversity will also be improved in the forthcoming review of companies' reporting obligations under the directive on the disclosure of non-financial Information.

As expected, criticism of the strategy came from the farmers' association, while environmental associations gave a positive assessment of the objective. There are, however, doubts as to whether the objectives are actually being implemented and whether the common agricultural policy is geared to these objectives.

The targets are not yet binding, the EU Parliament and the EU Council still have to give their approval.

Download the EU strategy paper
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