Thursday, December 02, 2021
Species-rich land neglected
EU Commission sues Germany
Hay and mountain meadows are the habitat of numerous animal species and are important for maintaining biodiversity. Despite multiple requests from the EU, Germany does not care enough about the existence of the important grasslands. The result: a lawsuit by the European Commission.
According to the EU Commission, Germany has not done enough to protect species-rich grassland. That is why the Brussels authority is suing the Federal Republic of Germany before the European Court of Justice, according to a communication. In particular, Germany neglected hay meadows and mountain meadows in so-called Natura 2000 areas. Because of unsustainable agriculture, the meadows in protected areas have shrunk or disappeared completely, according to the commission.
Natura 2000 is an EU network of areas that play an important role in the conservation of endangered or typical habitats and animal species. Hay meadows and mountain meadows are vital for bees, butterflies and pollinating insects, the commission wrote. However, these grasslands are in an “unfavorable state of conservation”. Despite repeated requests, the federal government did not do enough to protect them.
The Naturschutzbund welcomed the lawsuit. “Today’s announcement by the EU Commission is a clear appeal to the future government and the federal states to take nature conservation seriously,” said Nabu President Jörg-Andreas Krüger. The federal and state governments have watched the disappearance of species-rich meadows inactive, even though they are protected by the EU. The EU Commission had already sued Germany in February for violating applicable nature conservation law for years. At the time, the authority complained, among other things, that Germany had failed to designate a large number of areas as protected areas as prescribed.