Worry about excessive bureaucracy, economic losses and unclear financing
Vienna (OTS) – oecolution austria is concerned about today’s announcement by Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler that she wants to approve the EU renaturation law on her own. “It is extremely problematic for the minister to go it alone with a law that is so unrealistic. The overarching goal of protecting and preserving nature is beyond question, but as is so often the case with EU projects, it turns out that what is well-intentioned does not mean well-done,” says Elisabeth Zehetner, Managing Director of oecolution austria. On the one hand, oecolution criticizes the excessive bureaucracy: “Let us not ignore the fact that there are already numerous regulations and programs that are intended to promote biodiversity. The EU already has 23 laws regulating aspects of biodiversity and an extensive funding program. In Austria, too, we already have important instruments for promoting biodiversity with the biodiversity strategy and the biodiversity fund. If there’s one thing we don’t need, it’s additional bureaucratic hurdles.”
On the other hand, Zehetner is also critical of the effects of the regulation on adaptation measures against climate change: “With its requirements, the regulation even blocks sensible climate adaptation measures, such as the expansion of forests with climate-fit tree species,” says Zehetner. “Why do you want to restore an ecosystem that cannot withstand the climatic changes of the future?” Another point of criticism is the unforeseeable economic challenges that approval of the law would entail. “As the renaturation is currently planned, Austria will be faced with significant economic challenges. If ten percent of the forest area were no longer managed, this could mean the loss of 27,000 jobs and 2.36 billion euros in economic output. In addition, the estimated implementation costs by 2030 are between six and eight billion euros. And the question of who will bear this financial expense is completely unclear,” explains Zehetner.
“The protection of our nature is important to all of us, but doing this with a law that would weaken the location through over-regulation and duplication would be extremely damaging,” concluded Zehetner.
Questions & Contact:
Kathrin Schriefer
Communication
Tel.: +43 676 4629426
Email: Kathrin.Schriefer@oecolution.at
www.oecolution.at