Dr. Humberto Delgado Rosa:

The regulation proposal is not at all a one-size-fits-all proposal. It is rather the contrary. The regulation proposal brings in the types of habitats to be considered in a certain timescale but after that, the size is to be defined by the member state. The member state knows better how, where and what to restore. Why did we bring forward the regulation? Why are we proposing binding targets? It is, very simply, because the voluntary approaches of the past failed. The Deputy knows the biodiversity strategy to 2020 called for voluntary national restoration plans. As far as I remember, only one member state, Finland, came with its own national restoration plans.

Given the situation with regard to biodiversity globally in the EU, continuing to bet on a voluntary approach would fail. The new deal for nature that was obtained in Montreal in December, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, has several quantified targets that bind the parties, including the countries that are part of the convention, such as Ireland. The deal includes a target of 30% of restoration of degraded ecosystems to 2030. We are moving with the trend on addressing restoration on a more quantified and, in this case, binding manner.