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Bring back nature

Healthy ecosystems

Our ecosystems are in poor health. Climate change is but one reason, other drivers are harmful practices in our agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors.

We need to change these practices to protect and restore nature.

EU action to bring back nature

We are losing nature faster than ever. Scientists believe that we are living through the sixth mass extinction, and first mass extinction since humans occupied the Earth.

But we depend on nature. The planet can survive mass extinction, we cannot.

Luckily, nature has an incredible capacity to bounce back. We know how to protect and restore nature. We also know how to reconcile nature protection and our needs as humans. We need to act strongly, and now!

Help us to bring back nature

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OUR KEY DEMANDS

    • Protect at least 30 percent of the EU’s land and sea area, and set aside at least 10 percent as strictly protected areas.
    • Restore 30 percent of drained wetlands, regardless of whether they have been drained for agricultural production, forests or peat extraction.
    • Promote ecological forestry practices. Such approaches are already practised on an estimated 22 to 30 percent of the EU’s forested area.
    • Stop destructive fishing practices in EU-protected areas. The EU can no longer tolerate practices like bottom trawling, scraping all sea life from the bottom of the seabed, in its marine protected areas.

OUR CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES

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Opinion |

EU GMO rules are under attack

Benoît Biteau Eleonora Evi Claude Gruffat Martin Häusling Tilly Metz Michèle Rivasi Thomas Waitz Sarah Wiener
Opinion by Benoît Biteau & Eleonora Evi & Claude Gruffat & Martin Häusling & Tilly Metz & Michèle Rivasi & Thomas Waitz & Sarah Wiener
The European Commission is trying to weaken the EU’s regulations on genetically modified organisms (GMOs). It plans to exclude some GMOs from the regulations. Like this, agricultural corporations could market them without GMO authorisation, traceability or labelling.
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Credit : Andres Oliveira - Dreamstime
Picture with money and growing plants
Study |

Nature as an asset class: the new EU financial market on biodiversity destruction

This report by Frédéric Hache aims to explain the concept of ‘natural capital’ as a new framing of nature in which it is considered as a list of services benefiting humans. It also explains what biodiversity offset markets are, how they were developed and how they could look in the European context. Finally, it explores alternatives to th…
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Letter |

An ecological approach to connectivity

Ahead of the publication of the Path to the Digital Decade Policy Programme, Greens/EFA want to raise the Commission's attention on the importance for the digital transition to promote the green transition. It is essential that the European Commission adopt measures that will include an ecological approach to connectivity, make an efficie…
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Event |

European Ideas Lab

The European Ideas Lab brings together changemakers from all over Europe: activists, civil society organisations, citizens’ movements, artists, Green innovators with the same objective to bring a positive change in society. This edition will take place in a hybrid form in Milan and online 30 September – 2 October 2021.
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Forest/ CC0 timotheus-frobel
Forest/ CC0 timotheus-frobel
Press release |

New Forest Strategy gives hope for both biodiversity and climate goals

Today, the European Commission has announced its new Forest Strategy until 2030. The strategy is part of the Fit for 55/European Green Deal package published by the Commission on Wednesday of this week. This is a step forward in the EU's approach to forests, which previously, have mainly been seen as a source of raw materials and energy. …
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©joachim-pressl
Danube River
Event |

Let it flow - Remove barriers, restore river ecosystems

Our rivers are in a bad state. According to the latest EEA's State of the Water (https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/state-of-water), only 44% are in a good or high ecological state. Apart from chemical pollution (airborne or from waste water) or through nutrient deposition (from agriculture)...
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Deforestation in the Amazon/ Ana_Cotta S.O.S Amazônia/ Flickr CC BY 2.0
Deforestation in the Amazon/ Ana_Cotta S.O.S Amazônia/ Flickr CC BY 2.0
Opinion |

Our groceries shouldn’t cost the earth: How EU consumption causes the destruction of the rainforest

Marie Toussaint
Opinion by Marie Toussaint
A new EU law to stop Europe's complicity in global deforestation is in the pipeline. Time is running out. We need a strong law that effectively bans products linked to the destruction of forests and other ecosystems. The rainforest can’t wait any longer, writes Marie Toussaint MEP.
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Photo by Gozha Net on Unsplash
Tractor
Press release |

CAP: Agreement falls far short of Green Deal goals

Negotiations were concluded on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the years 2023 to 2027. The agreement by representatives of the European Parliament, Council and Commission falls far short of the promises of the Green Deal to use less pesticides, protect the environment, climate and biodiversity and to promote organic farming. The …
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© Thomas Mounsey
Global Warming Metaphor Thomas Mounsey
Press release |

European Climate Law: Not enough to meet Paris climate targets

MEPs will vote on the first ever European Climate Law. The main tenet of the European Climate Law is the target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030. This calculation, however, includes carbon sinks such as forests and wetlands. If these natural CO2 reservoirs are deducted, the climate target shrinks to only 52.8%. The climat…
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Forest/ CC0 timotheus-frobel
Forest/ CC0 timotheus-frobel
Opinion |

The EU must protect its forests, not destroy them

Anna Deparnay-Grunenberg Martin Häusling Ville Niinistö Marie Toussaint
Opinion by Anna Deparnay-Grunenberg & Martin Häusling & Ville Niinistö & Marie Toussaint
As the European Union is grappling to respond to the twin crises of climate and biodiversity breakdown, one thing has become clear: we need healthy forests to protect and restore nature and the global climate.