BUND criticizes Saxony's stance on the EU nature conservation plan

The Association for Environmental and Nature Conservation (BUND) in Saxony has sharply criticized the Saxon Ministry of the Environment's stance on the EU Restoration Regulation. The environmental association accuses the state government of blocking necessary steps against species extinction and biodiversity loss. The background to this is the regulation on the restoration of damaged ecosystems, which provides for renaturation measures on at least 20 percent of land and marine areas in the EU by 2030.

In mid-May, the Saxon Environment Minister Georg-Ludwig von Breitenbuch criticized the regulation as being impractical. Although the essence of the concern could be understood, he expressed doubts about its implementation. "We are committed to reducing bureaucracy and streamlining procedures everywhere. However, the Restoration Ordinance is the opposite," said the CDU politician. The regulation must be revised or withdrawn.

BUND contradicts environment minister

BUND strongly disagreed with this assessment. "Such statements misjudge the long-term ecological and economic realities," criticized its chairman, Felix Ekardt. The regulation is an overdue step towards combating species extinction, but in his opinion it is not enough. Instead, a far-reaching change in agriculture is needed - towards fewer pesticides, less animal husbandry and more ecological resilience. "Agriculture in particular is already suffering from crop failures as a result of extreme weather conditions," emphasized Ekardt.

The consequences of unchecked species extinction would also cause far greater economic damage than preventive nature conservation. According to the association, it had already filed a constitutional complaint with the Federal Constitutional Court in October 2024 - with the aim of having the previous nature conservation laws declared inadequate.

EU target: renaturation of all damaged ecosystems by 2050

The EU regulation has been in force since August 2024 and is binding for all member states. In addition to the rewetting of peatlands, all degraded ecosystems in the EU are to be restored by 2050.