About thirty environmental protection organizations celebrated this Monday the approval of the Nature Restoration Law in the European Union, with the positive vote of Portugal, considering it a “historic victory.”
“After a final, hard-fought debate, the Environment Council of the European Union (EU) finally adopted the Nature Restoration Act, marking the final step for this proposal to become law. “This result represents a great victory for nature, climate action, citizens and the future of Europe,” reads a joint statement.
In the statement, Environmental organizations highlight that the member states fulfilled their commitments and, with a majority of 20 countries, representing 66.07% of the population, the law was officially approved.
Portugal, the NGOs claim, “remained on the right side of history”, with the Minister of Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, voting in favor of the Nature Restoration Law and maintaining the position that Portugal had already previously assumed.
“After years of intense campaigning and many ups and downs, we are delighted that this law is now a reality; this day will go down in history as a turning point for nature and society,” they say.
The organizations now expect countries to implement the legislation “correctly and without delay”, in close collaboration with all stakeholders.
This is also considered “a timely result” to present in the next Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16), to be held at the end of the yearwhich shows that Europe is willing to “take the lead in solving the climate and biodiversity crises.”
“It is also a very clear message to the new Parliament and the new EU Commission, so that they do not forget to keep biodiversity at the forefront of their agenda,” they underline, recalling the commitment of civil society in the process, with more more of a million signatures and messages from citizens, repeated appeals from more than 6,000 scientists, 100 companies, youth organizations and various sectors in defense of the law and the European Green Deal.
The declaration was signed by organizations such as the Associação Natureza Portugal/World Wildlife Fund (ANP|WWF), the Portuguese Confederation of Associations for the Defense of the Environment (CPADA), the FAPAS-Portuguese Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity, the Territorial Planning and Environment Study Group (GEOTA), League for the Protection of Nature (LPN), OIKOS, Sciaena, Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds (SPEA), Zero-Associação Sistema Terrestre Sustentável and Quercus -National Association for Nature Conservation.
Source: Observadora
