The importance of nature
The vast majority of people love nature. Some are passionately in love with it, while others are happy to have a passive relationship with it. In recent years, we have come to know so much more about the power of nature for human well-being. We are more creative when in nature. We feel better in nature. If you remember that feeling as a child of going to a lake or seaside, crossing over the last hill or turning the last corner before the water appears, the sight of the water brought a jump of excitement to your young heart. This excitement wasn’t just about the pending playtime; the sheer sight of water was amazing. It is now known that simply viewing water or a landscape can reduce stress and elicit a positive response.
Nature also plays a critical role in our daily lives. What we eat, wear, build and play with have all come from the natural world around us. Even the fossil fuel industry, which has caused so many of today’s problems, is just ancient nature compressed and stored for thousands, millions, or even billions of years. The crops and animals we grow are nature, and they rely on nature to thrive. Soil is nature, water is nature.
Nature is everywhere, and we can’t extract ourselves from it (even if we want to). The fact we rarely talk about is that we humans are nature too. We rarely think about ourselves as being part of the natural world. Even the language we use to describe the natural world reflects this. It’s “it” versus “us.” The most avid nature lovers could probably be the biggest perpetrators of this language crime.
Our Disconnect from Nature
Our human ancestry saw nature differently. Folklore and myths tell us tales about gods and legends not of this world. But really, the legendary tales reflect natural life forces they knew they were reliant on to live. They worshiped these gods, which is worshiping nature.
Without nature, we and the world don’t exist. We are all one big natural entity. So if that is the case, why oh why is there a law called the Nature Restoration Law (NRL) recently signed by the European Parliament? Well, it can be boiled down to one simple fact: humans have done a Brexit-style exit from nature. Since the industrial revolution, economic prosperity and growth have led to a battle with nature. This fight against a helpless opponent breaks nearly every symbiotic relationship we have had with this friend of previous eras.
We have extracted, demolished, and abused our natural world, and the consequences have been dramatic. Today we are facing unprecedented losses of biodiversity, the majority of which are a direct result of human activity. This must now start to be reversed, and that is what the Nature Restoration Law is here to ensure we do.
Introducing the Nature Restoration Law
The Nature Restoration Law (NRL) is a proposed piece of legislation by the European Union (EU) aimed at reversing biodiversity loss and restoring degraded ecosystems across Europe. It is part of the EU’s broader environmental strategy under the European Green Deal. The law seeks to establish legally binding targets for the restoration of ecosystems, with specific goals and timelines.
Impacts of the Nature Restoration Law
How will this affect you on a daily basis? Well, the answer to this is varied depending on who you are, where you are, and what you do. If you are a farmer, it will likely have a direct impact on your farm. As a farmer, you are one of the major custodians of nature, and you will be asked to measure the nature on your farm and take action based on your baseline. But this may not be a threat to your business but an opportunity. Part of the NRL is to provide funding and support for measures to restore nature on your farm.
One key aspect to watch for is if you farm on drained peatlands. These are highlighted by the law as key areas of restoration. The law states a goal of restoring 20% of these habitats by 2030. For agriculture, it is critical that farmers understand the impact of taking land out of production for the NRL. This impact will be monetary and must be compensated.
If you like fishing on the many lakes and rivers across the EU, then the effect on your pastime will likely be positive. The law specifies the restoration of at least 25,000 kilometers of free-flowing rivers by 2030 by removing barriers and restoring natural river processes. Barriers on rivers have contributed to biodiversity loss for well over 100 years now. Removing them will contribute to easier movement of various species, specifically salmon.
Urban Areas and Green Spaces
If you are a citizen living in a large city, fret not, as the law covers urban environments also. A specific line from the law: “Increasing green spaces and biodiversity in urban areas to enhance the quality of life, improve air quality, and provide urban dwellers with access to nature” says it all. Although agriculture takes a lot of blame for biodiversity loss, it’s a skewed argument. Sure, agriculture has drained peatlands, removed hedges, and changed the composition of grasslands and crops. The scale of this disruption to nature is not near the impact the building of towns and cities has had on land use change.
Cities and the associated infrastructure cover smaller areas than agriculture, but when an industrial estate is built, it results in the complete destruction of the ecosystem that was there before it. Urban spaces may be smaller but the impact of developments are drastically greater than agriculture (i.e. larger spaces with lower impact). This law will have a really positive impact on the new era of city and town planning.
One of the key aspects of the law is public participation. The law encourages the involvement of local communities, indigenous peoples, and other stakeholders in the restoration process. This inclusive approach ensures that restoration efforts are sustainable and socially equitable. Looking back to agriculture, this again can be viewed as an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to drive the change, be at the forefront of it, and ensure you and your community can not just get the monetary benefit but the associated benefits from nature.
Conclusion
This law will be controversial in its implementation. People will fight change, we always do. Others will embrace change, we always do. But we must not lose sight of the core reason for this law. Nature and humans have lost our way. We have gone on different paths. This law tilts those paths towards each other so that we can meet and unite again in the future. Nature will embrace this change and is happy to reunite. Without this law, would humans be?
