Wildlife moves: some species migrate, many more move significant distances to find food, mates or homes. It doesn’t matter to a bird or butterfly whether it finds itself in France, Spain or the UK – but it does matter that they can find what they need wherever they are. Over 35 years ago, an inspirational piece of legislation was agreed across Europe – the Wild Birds Directive. This powerful piece of legislation, together with the Habitats Directive passed a decade later, has provided the foundations for nature conservation across the EU, including here in the UK. Together, they are called the Nature Directives, and their success in conserving species and habitats is backed up by science.
One of the main objectives of these laws was to protect Europe’s most valuable wildlife habitats by identifying these amazing places and protecting them from damage. This blog has often featured the positive role these laws have played in saving nature in the UK – and with the places they protect from the Cairngorms to the Suffolk Coast.
Lancashire's Forest of Bowland - a wildlife-rich landscape protected as a Special Protection Area by the EU's Birds Directive.
In protecting wildlife, the Nature Directives steer development to less damaging locations, and where this is impossible may mean plans have to be adapted or compensation provided. For some, these requirements give nature too strong a voice and they perceive the Nature Directives as placing an unnecessary burden on developers.
We don’t agree.
Most other European environmental legislation is actually about improvements for human benefit; clean air, water and beaches – and very important they are too. We see the Nature Directives as an inspirational statement of society’s belief that nature deserves protecting for its own sake. The Nature Directives do not constrain economic growth, but rather the benefits of protecting special places for nature outweigh their cost eight-fold.
The Nature Directives have always attracted attention ever since they came into force. But in recent years, their effectiveness has led to a growing chorus of complaint which has found a home in the pressure for ever more deregulation and economic growth. In the last month, the Nature Directives have become the subject of a formal review process initiated by the European Commission. Known as ‘REFIT’ – or Regulatory Fitness Check – this process will take over a year to conclude. Once the report is submitted, the Commission will decide whether or not to open the two Directives up for amendment.
In the current climate, there is no doubt what the consequences of the Directives being opened would be. In his welcome letter to Karmenu Vella, the new Environment Commissioner, Jean-Claude Juncker (President of the European Commission) asked him to review the Nature Directives with a view to ‘merging them into a more modern piece of legislation’. This is thinly-veiled political speak for weakening the protection they afford to nature across Europe, and provides the clearest political indication yet of the likely consequences of amending the Directives.
Evidence alone will not protect the Nature Directives from being weakened. We need to show that across Europe people still believe in strong protection of nature for nature’s sake. The RSPB, together with other wildlife organisations, is developing a campaign to defend the Nature Directives, and we will need your help. We are building a community of people from the UK, and across the EU, ready and willing to show their support for nature.
For now - do Vote for Nature - and vote for Bob! Our current campaign is storming along and thank you if you have already voted.
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