Europe's new law aimed at restoring healthy land and water environments came into effect last week, after months of controversy and opposition from farmers who fear it will have a negative impact on them.
The conservation law sets a target for the European Union to restore at least 20 percent of the bloc’s land and sea areas by 2030 and all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050 by regrowing forests, re-wetting moors, such as the one in Germany above, and returning rivers to their natural, free-flowing states.
According to EU figures, around 80 percent of habitats are in poor condition. In addition, 10 percent of bee and butterfly species are threatened with extinction and 70 percent of soils are in an unhealthy state.
The law, passed by the European Parliament in February, has seen round after round of farmer protests, especially strong in Belgium. Despite the broad reach of the law, it is up to each country to decide what steps to take and in what timeframe, so it is likely that there will be considerable variation. However, in some cases, it will only be possible to take effective action if countries work together, as on rivers that flow through more than one country.
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