Life

RSPB makes public plea for nature through EU laws

Groups that work to protect our environment are sending out a urgent plea for the public’s help to safeguard places and species throughout the EU

Lough Neagh comes under EU Directives aimed at protecting habitats and species
Lough Neagh comes under EU Directives aimed at protecting habitats and species Lough Neagh comes under EU Directives aimed at protecting habitats and species

MOST people won’t have ever heard of the Nature Directives – the laws which protect Europe’s most specials places and species – but there is no doubt you have benefited from them.

The Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive are the cornerstone of nature protection across the European Union, designating sites as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for the benefit of people and wildlife.

Some of Northern Ireland’s most iconic areas are under directives protection, including Lough Neagh – a wetland of international importance which is home to threatened species like whooper swans. Upper Lough Erne also has SPA status as it supports regionally important numbers of Greenland white-fronted geese and the cliffs of Rathlin Island are protected as they are inhabited by peregrine falcons, not to mention huge numbers of seabirds and Northern Ireland’s only family of choughs.

The special places that are covered by the Nature Directives are also havens for people – from local folk who take a Sunday stroll at nearby beauty spots to tourists from around the globe who flock to the north to experience its unspoilt landscapes.

Worryingly, this protection is now under threat as the Nature Directives are due for review. Last November European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker wrote to the Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vela and asked him to "carry out an in-depth evaluation" of the Birds and Habitats Directives and "assess the potential for merging them into a more modern piece of legislation".

RSPB NI and many other environmental groups across the EU fear that some politicians want to weaken the directives in the mistaken belief that less protection for wildlife is good for business. In fact the opening up of the directives would be disastrous for local companies as they provide certainty and a level playing field.

We believe that while the directives are not perfect, they are the best tool we have to address the declines in biodiversity at a time when nature is in real trouble. That’s why the RSPB and other environmental organisations across the EU are asking people to respond to the European Commission’s online public consultation.

The RSPB will be working hard to convince European leaders through weight of numbers that the directives are worth protecting. Please consider taking our short and easy action at www.rspb.org.uk/defendnature and spread the word on social with #defendnature.

:: Article written for The Irish News by Amy Colvin of RSPB NI.