Actually, the biodiversity in Europe should be preserved through ambitious nature protection regulations. Actually.

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Everyone wants an intact environment on vacation, but in everyday life economic factors are more important than nature conservation.

Photo: Rainer Weisflog / imago images

There is no lack of regulation.

There have been ambitious nature conservation regulations and biodiversity strategies in the EU for almost 30 years.

Unfortunately, very few countries adhere to it.

Instead of protecting habitats for animal and plant species, in reality excavators and agricultural machinery are often used.

Because that does not change, the state of most of the protected habitats is "inadequate" and many animal populations continued to decline, according to a report by the EU Environment Agency EEA, which was presented in Copenhagen on Monday.

Accordingly, despite some efforts, the Member States are still treading on the spot in protecting biodiversity.

Many countries do not implement nature conservation directives and environmental regulations sufficiently.

A majority of the EU-wide protected species such as the sucker falcon and the red fish as well as habitats such as green spaces and dunes would therefore face an uncertain future if something did not change quickly.

Gloomy prospects for living space

The condition of 63 percent of the almost 1400 species are deficient or bad.

In terms of habitats, things are even more gloomy: there the status is insufficient for 81 percent and good for only 15 percent.

Forests still show the best trends, while meadows, dunes and moors deteriorate significantly.

According to the EEA report, some species and habitats in the EU are able to maintain their conservation status, while the majority continue to have a poor to poor status.

Among the 463 wild bird species in the EU, the proportion "in good condition" has continued to decrease, with only 47 percent of the stocks considered harmless.

Like other EU countries, Germany has also reported more natural areas and species in poor to worse than good condition, said EEA expert Carlos De Oliveira Romao.

In around a third of breeding birds in this country, the population is decreasing, while the proportion of stable populations has increased from 24 to 31 percent.

There are improvements in whooper swans, nuthatches and gray geese.

At least two projects helped to successfully reintroduce the allis shad in the Rhine.

It was only at the beginning of October that a current report by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) reported that almost a third of all mammal species in Germany are endangered.

The authors had determined the population situation and the extent of the endangerment for 97 native mammals in Germany.

Conclusion: The condition of many animal populations has deteriorated over the past ten to fifteen years.

The problem is intensive agriculture and forestry

The EEA report is the most comprehensive data collection ever undertaken in Europe on the state of nature.

It covers the period 2013 to 2018 and is based on information from EU countries on species and habitat protection.

The EEA primarily blames intensive agriculture and forestry for the poor state of the environment.

They displace many animal and plant species.

The spread of settlements also destroys special habitats such as dune landscapes and rocky areas.

There would also be environmental pollution, such as garbage.

"Our assessment shows that protecting the health and resilience of nature in Europe and human well-being requires fundamental changes," said EEA Director General Hans Bruyninckx.

The way food is produced and consumed, forests are managed and used, and cities are built must fundamentally change.

Goals for 2020 missed

The EU Commission headed by Ursula von der Leyen issued the new EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 in May.

At least 30 percent of the land and sea area in the EU should therefore be placed under protection by 2030 - currently it is around 18 percent within the framework of the European Natura 2000 network.

Such areas may be used, but with restrictions.

A third of the protected area should be specially protected and left virtually natural.

Damaged areas should be preserved and restored.

However, the goals of the 2020 biodiversity strategy were not met.

"We have failed to achieve our stated goal of stopping and reversing the loss of biodiversity in the EU," said Micheal O'Briain, deputy head of the Commission's nature conservation department.

But there is hope: The new EU Commission has now made it clear that we are dealing with both a climate and a biodiversity crisis.

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sug / dpa