The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 has been published as one of the paths towards the EU Green Deal and the Global Biodiversity Framework. However, to fulfill its purpose, the Strategy needs to build upon sound scientific knowledge and verifiable facts. Its objectives and targets should be ambitious, but realistic and feasible.
The EU Biodiversity Strategy aims to halt the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the EU and to help stop global biodiversity loss. The European State Forest Association (EUSTAFOR) is firmly convinced that the effective way to safeguard biodiversity is through cooperation and joint efforts, both at global and European levels, and a well-designed EU Strategy could play a major role in upscaling good European experiences. To reach their purpose, the EU conservation targets should be anchored in the European Union’s reality, be reliable and achievable, thus not overburdening forest managers.
To contribute to a future-fit EU Biodiversity Strategy, EUSTAFOR highlighted 5 policy recommendations which take into account the potential consequences of the Strategy on sustainable forest management alongside the multiple objectives and emerging demands on EU state forests:
- Conservation targets should be supported by a solid assessment of the current biodiversity status and trends in the EU.
- Restoration commitment requires properly defined objectives.
- The concepts of “primary” forests and “old-growth” forests need to be clarified.
- New targets need to be realistic, feasible and fairly distributed among various ecosystem types and land uses.
- Strengthening sustainable forest management is a feasible way forward.
When establishing further forestry-related objectives, EUSTAFOR strongly believes that an active role should be taken by Member States, in line with the subsidiarity principle, while ensuring the participation of forest owners and managers, as well as all other relevant actors.
