On Wednesday 9 June Parliament adopted the resolution “EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030”. Emma Berglund, Forest Director, thinks the holistic perspective is missing.
“Our initial analysis of the European Parliament resolution on the EU 2030 Biodiversity Strategy is that it lacks an overall holistic policy perspective, focusing only on biodiversity and not taking enough consideration to interactions with other policy areas”, says Emma Berglund, Forest Director at the Swedish Forest Industries Federation.
To reach the objectives of the European Green Deal, Emma Berglund points out that a broader approach is needed.
“The Strategy takes its starting point from the global biodiversity crisis, without acknowledging that European forests are in better condition. This risks leading to unnecessary, costly and counterproductive measures.”
According to Emma Berglund the EU Habitats Directive does not give an adequate understanding of the state of Europe’s forests. She refers to the new Swedish report “Biodiversity in the forests – species, environmental work and statistics”
“Unfortunately the Parliament neglects to use available information, for example from the State of Europe’s Forests 2020 report, which provides the best current available data on status and trends in Europe’s forests.”
The resolution also shows that there are differing views in the European Parliament on the role of forests and the forest-based sector in contributing to overall societal objectives.
“Some parts on the multifunctional role of forests and need for active forest management for contributing to both biodiversity and the circular bioeconomy were improved compared to the earlier version of the report. But other parts still aim at taking a narrow approach to forests, focusing only on their role for biodiversity and carbon storage.”
