The environmental protection organization WWF and the current scientist of the year, Franz Essl, locate a refusal to work on the part of the Austrian federal states in the EU plans to strengthen nature conservation. According to information from the NGO, Austria did not meet the deadline for submitting national proposals, which ran until the end of February, and has not reported anything to date. According to critics, this would block further coordination between EU member states.
“Austria in particular has an urgent need for action in biodiversity protection, since more than 80 percent of our FFH-protected (Fauna-Flora-Habitat-Guideline, note) species and habitat types are not in a good condition,” WWF expert Josef Wardrobe and researcher Essl each saw a need to catch up. The federal states should therefore contribute constructively, it said in a broadcast today.
According to the experts, the preservation of biodiversity is necessary because it is the basis of our livelihood. Essl warned that there was a risk that food could no longer be produced in sufficient quantities and of high quality in the future.
Protect 30 percent of land area by 2030
According to EU plans, 30 percent of the land area should also be effectively protected by protected areas by 2030. A third of these areas – ten percent of the land area – should receive strict protection, informed the WWF.
All protected areas should have effective and effective management by 2030. In addition, the conservation status of at least 30 percent of the EU-protected habitat types and species in Austria should be improved through targeted measures by 2030 or at least show a positive trend.
