Press release: 19 October 2020

Stronger laws key to protect nature in the EU and globally – ClientEarth lawyers

Environmental lawyers at ClientEarth have reacted today to EEA’s new report, “State of Nature in the EU”, saying that better policy implementation and enforcement is not only crucial to save wildlife and habitats in the EU, but is also essential for global nature conservation and protection.

Reacting to the report, ClientEarth’s Head of Wildlife and Habitats Anna Heslop said: “In the EU we have the legal tools to safeguard nature, but they mean nothing if they aren’t put into practice or if those responsible for upholding them are not held to account.

“Better implementation and enforcement of nature laws provides both the means to address the pressures facing the natural world and the solutions needed to protect and conserve our environment.

“But to truly enable nature to thrive, we not only need strongly upheld laws that protect nature within the EU’s borders, but also outside them. The upcoming Conference of the Convention on Biological Diversity next year provides the opportunity for decision-makers in the EU and internationally not only to set ambitious targets to protect nature worldwide, but also to create the framework to ensure they are met.”

ENDS

About ClientEarth

ClientEarth is a charity that uses the power of the law to protect people and the planet. We are international lawyers finding practical solutions for the world’s biggest environmental challenges. We are fighting climate change, protecting oceans and wildlife, making forest governance stronger, greening energy, making business more responsible and pushing for government transparency. We believe the law is a tool for positive change. From our offices in London, Brussels, Warsaw, Berlin and Beijing, we work on laws throughout their lifetime, from the earliest stages to implementation. And when those laws are broken, we go to court to enforce them.