IUCN WCPA Europe - Technical note to the EU discussion on strict protection
IUCN and WCPA Europe support the target to strictly protect at least a third of the EU’s protected areas. We recognise that there may be variations in the way that the concept of ‘strict protection’ is currently interpreted in different countries. However, we urge countries to respect the qualifying components of the EU-definition i.e. that the purpose of strict protection is to “restore the integrity of biodiversity-rich natural areas with their underlying ecological structure and supporting natural environmental processes.” in which “natural processes are therefore left essentially undisturbed from human pressures”. We emphasise the need to ensure that strictly protected areas are left undisturbed from human pressures, and that areas are carefully managed, taking a landscape and seascape approach, to ensure that threats, whether from inside or outside the boundaries, are eliminated or maximally reduced.
The document presents the group’s suggested way forward for interpreting the concept of strict protection on EU level. Member State-level interpretation and case-by-case decisions on what is defined as strict protection could lead to confusion and make the monitoring of the 10% target of the EU Biodiversity Strategy nearly impossible. The lack of consistency in the implementation of protected area category II (National Parks) across EU member states demonstrates how confusing different national level interpretations can be. While there is a need for flexibility, for example to allow for restoration and/or rewilding activities to enlarge strictly protected areas, a single EU-wide definition is paramount.
The UN Decade Ecosystem Restoration Hub connects the UN Decade restoration community in a digital…
The UN Decade Ecosystem Restoration Hub connects the UN Decade restoration community in a digital…
The UN Decade Ecosystem Restoration Hub connects the UN Decade restoration community in a digital…