I’ll admit it. I did spend part of Friday evening watching as the counter clicked upwards. It could have seemed inevitable that over half a million of us across the European Union would sign up to defend the laws that protect nature – but of course there was nothing inevitable about it. The final count stood at 520325; a number that dwarfs the previous largest consultation run in this way by the European Commission.
So just for a moment let’s just step back and acknowledge the achievement. To each and every one of you who added your name – thank you! It’s huge – and represents a lot of work and commitment across the EU.
OK – I know it’s not every day that we get all misty eyed about legal frameworks. Normally such things should be working efficiently in the background. The reason the European Union’s Nature Directives have been thrust into the spotlight is because they are being ‘reviewed’ in a process called REFIT. You can catch up on the full story here.
Gathering evidence for the review has now closed and sitting alongside the huge number of us adding our voice is a considerable body of evidence submitted (by over 100 organisation here in the UK) to back the case that rather than reviewing the laws themselves – they should be properly implemented.
You can read, here, some of the evidence published recently which shows that when properly implemented these laws make a real difference for the wildlife we care about.
So our concern remains that pressure to weaken the Directives is driven by the very effectiveness we celebrate!
Morecamabe Bay - one of Europe's finest wildlife sites (and sights) Photo by Mike Malpas
If nature is to recover, if commitments to restore the fortunes of wildlife are to mean anything then the Nature Directives need to be the foundation from which we start – this is no time to rip up the rule book.
In the autumn we will start to get a sense of how much the European Commission are listening – they would be ill advised to ignore the body of proof and the unprecedented level of engagement with their consultation – but for now step forward and take a bow, together we have made a very loud and powerful statement at a time when nature needs the laws that safeguard it more than ever. Keep following the campaign - you can sign up to be a campaign champion here.
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