EU plans to protect 30% of land and seas by 2030 for biodiversity

(Climate Change News, 21 May 2020) At least 30% of EU land and seas will be protected by 2030 to halt the decline of plant and animal species and restore carbon sinks to address climate change, under European Commission plans.

The proposed biodiversity strategy, initially due to be released late March and delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, was published on Wednesday.

The document outlines a 10-year vision to restore and protect the union’s ecosystems with a budget of at least €20 billion a year.

It lays out measures to transform the agriculture sector – one of the EU’s largest drivers of biodiversity loss – by promoting agroecology practices and making a quarter of all EU agricultural land organic in the next decade.

The Commission said the strategy would be “a central element” of the EU’s recovery efforts to Covid-19, which is believed to have been transmitted to humans by animals.

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Climate Change News, 21 May 2020: EU plans to protect 30% of land and seas by 2030 for biodiversity