Guest blog from Daniel Hering, MERLIN project co-ordinator and University of Duisburg-Essen
The Nature Restoration Law and the Sustainable Use Regulation are currently under intense political debate and it remains unsure if they will be passed, modified, delayed or abandoned. The ENVI committee of the European Parliament will discuss the Nature Restoration Law at 15th of June and if committee will vote against it, the discussion on the Nature Restoration Law will be over.
If successful, both regulations will be cornerstones of future food security, human health and biodiversity conservation. For the first time, the Nature Restoration Law sets binding targets for the restoration of e.g. marine and urban ecosystems, drained peatlands, floodplains and forests.
Unfortunately, the current debate is driven by misinformation that are likely to terminate both regulations.
Against this background, a group of scientists (led by Guy Pe’er, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Germany) has compiled a letter listing main claims of opponents of both regulations and contrasted them with scientific evidence. In particular, the letter addresses the questions, if the regulations are likely to reduce agricultural production, to harm marine fisheries, to cut jobs, to be a burden to the society and if it will be too risky in times of war. Scientific evidence suggests that all these claims are incorrect.
All scientists are invited to download the letter and to add their signatures: https://umfrage.uni-leipzig.de/index.php/837218?lang=en
As the decisive discussion on the NRL will already take place at 15th of June, signatures are required well before this date.