The agreement on the Nature Restoration Law has been described as “positive news” for Ireland by Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan.
Discussions between the European Commission, the parliament and the EU Council concluded and the final text on the law was agreed last night (Thursday, November 9).
EU countries must restore at least 30% of habitat areas in poor condition by 2030, 60% by 2040, and 90% by 2050 under the Nature Restoration Law.
Welcoming the conclusion of the trilogue negotiations, the Green Party minister said: “Ireland has supported the Nature Restoration Law since the outset.
“We have argued strongly and in good faith for a text that addresses the urgent needs of nature and ensures that society is empowered to meet the challenge.
“This advocacy has been echoed by many thousands of citizens, both at home and across Europe, who have spoken up for the natural world and made their voices heard.”
Nature Restoration Law
Nature restoration can only be delivered with the full support of the farming, forestry and fishing communities who own and manage our land and seas, Minister Noonan said.
The most urgent task now, he said, is to find “common ground” in which a new way of doing things can take root to ensure that people and the natural world feel the benefits, he said.
The Nature Restoration Law, however, is not yet implemented and there are “crucial steps” still to be taken, the minister, who said he is “bolstered” by the progress to date, added.
“It is now widely understood that people and the economy need healthy nature and I am more certain than ever that the Irish people want us to take action.
“Ireland is now on a journey to restore its relationship with the natural world. The law will be the bottom line for Ireland’s ambition, and in this regard, the sky is the limit,” Minister Noonan said.
Although ambition has been “weakened” from the original vision of the law, it is now a step closer to supporting Ireland’s efforts to save nature, the Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) said.
The IWT is calling on member states, MEPs and the public to continue supporting the law in its final stages, which is the first ever binding EU law to restore 20% of EU land and sea by 2030.
Restoration of damaged and degraded habitats is “essential” to save nature and secure the benefits nature provides such as crop pollination, flood prevention and soil health, the IWT said.
“It is a relief to know that a deal has been struck, although a much weakened version will not be enough to combat the biodiversity and climate crisis we are facing,” IWT marine advocacy officer, Grace Carr said.
EU farmers
Meanwhile, Copa-Cogeca, the umbrella group of farmers and agri-co-ops in the EU, has sharply criticised the agreement, describing it as “totally unrealistic” for farmers and forest owners.
The European farming community is “dismayed and greatly concerned” by the agreement which, Copa-Cogeca said, will “rekindle the heated debate” in Brussels.
By including agricultural ecosystems into the text, the law will include many “unrealistic and unbudgeted provisions” that will take their “toll on Europe’s farmers and foresters”, the group said.