The information below are related to the campaign prior the adoption of the law to #RestoreNature!
WHY DO WE NEED TO RESTORE NATURE?
Biodiversity & Climate
It helps biodiversity: bringing back local flora and fauna.
It tackles the climate crisis: natural habitats store carbon.
Natural disasters
It protects us from natural disasters: forests and wetlands reduce flooding.
Health & Local economy
It improves our health: access to nature benefits our well-being.
It boosts the local economy by strengthening food provision and sustainable practices.
We are heading towards a mass biodiversity extinction and climate breakdown, threatening the very basis of life as we know it. The science is very clear on this.
Efforts so far have been largely inadequate to address these crises and to restore our relationship with nature.
On any given day, marine life in the Baltic Sea has to navigate increasingly
acidic waters, while also dodging trawling nets and abandoned fishing gear, sea bed disturbances and extraction activities, noisy and heavily polluting ships, marine infrastructure, invasive species, overfishing, eutrophication, construction, tourism, and hazardous substances including plastics.
On top of this,
the Baltic Sea is dealing with new challenges
linked to human-induced climate change and extreme weather.
Nature is essential to our survival.
To prevent the increasing fires across the continent. To resist the floods destroying European homes and livelihoods. To generate healthy ecosystems to produce food in the long-term. Nature is our biggest ally in the fight against the climate crisis. And we need nature for our mental well-being and health.
Luckily, all hope is not lost!
The
EU Nature Restoration Regulation is the unique opportunity of this decade to change the pathway
from continuous deterioration to regeneration. What makes this opportunity unique is that this law will legally oblige EU countries to restore a set amount of nature. If they fail, they can be held accountable, and taken to court.
JOIN OUR CALL TO BRING NATURE BACK
TO THE BALTIC SEA REGION AND EUROPE!
30 years later - What started of as a fiction has now become reality
This CCB´s postcard was published and printed in 1990s. Thirty years later a collapsed Baltic cod population is the most alarming indication yet, signalling the very real need to change how we manage the entire ecosystem where we continue to fish, build and extract.
With strong political will and cooperation, we can deliver that change - if we act now.
WHAT NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS, MEMBERS OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION MUST DO TO
#RESTORENATURE
01
Ensure that all terrestrial and marine habitats are covered by quantified, time-bound and enforceable targets in and outside Natura 2000 areas.
02
Ensure
non-deterioration
of ecosystems to safeguard investments and long-term benefits, fully in line with Europe`s commitments for climate and biodiversity.
03
Include restoration of agricultural ecosystems, complemented by dedicated targets for the restoration of drained peatlands.
Restoring agricultural ecosystems is crucial for resilience of food systems and the agricultural sector. Peatland restoration plays a key role in climate change mitigation and adaptation.
04
Include strong indicators for the restoration of forest ecosystems, scientifically valid for all forest types.
05
Ensure implementable marine targets with clear safeguards, so that the Common Fisheries Policy does not block marine restoration.
06
Ensure dedicated and additional funding to finance restoration measures.
07
Ensure clear public participation and access to justice provisions.
08
Ensure the Law can enter into force immediately, without
preconditions for the timely and steady implementation of the restoration targets.
The full joint statement (updated in September 2023), signed by 200 civil society organization, is available here and on restorenature.eu.
HOW CAN
YOU
HELP?
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The law to #RestoreNature is another fundamental way to restore and protect the Baltic Sea Region.
The updated plan to achieve a Good of Environmental Status of the Baltic Sea is called Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) and it was adopted by Ministers of Environment and Senior Government Officials from all Contracting Parties of the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM) and the Commissioner for Environment of the European Union in 2021.
We continue to act to ensure the implementation of concrete measures.
Do you want to know more and do you want to help us?