BirdLife Austria: There is no alternative to restoring nature

2023-06-19 05:31:05

Nature Restoration Law must continue to be consistently pursued in the EU Council of Environment Ministers

Vienna (OTS) – Preserving our nature and restoring degraded habitats, along with climate change, are among the greatest challenges of our generation. At tomorrow’s EU Council of Environment Ministers, the nature conservation organization BirdLife Austria is appealing to Federal Minister Leonore Gewessler and the Austrian federal states to continue advancing the consultations on the urgently needed EU Restoration Ordinance (“Nature Restoration Law”). For a sustainable future for future generations.

In particular, moors, swamps, wild rivers and meadows, the few old natural forests left in Austria and traditional rural habitats such as colorful flower meadows, animal pastures and orchards deserve our greatest attention and should be restored, demands BirdLife. Only in this way will future generations be able to experience the natural landscapes with a lively and diverse flora and fauna. Restoring nature is not an option, it is our obligation!

All of this is in line with the “European Green Deal” and the biodiversity strategies of the EU and Austria and is also supported by over 3,300 scientists across the EU [1] and over 800,000 citizens [2] required.

The common path to more nature-friendly agriculture, forestry and water management is possible and must be continued together, even if it is not always easy. BirdLife calls on the federal states responsible for nature conservation in Austria and the Austrian EU parliamentarians, especially those of the ÖVP, to proceed quickly with constructive proposals instead of rejecting the law. The planned law is a great opportunity that we must seize.

[1] https://www.ots.at/redirect/idiv

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