THE EU BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY FOR 2030: BUILDING NATURE RESILIENCE IN THE WAKE OF THE POST PANDEMIC COVID-19 SOCIOECONOMIC RECOVERY

Abstract

Scientists strongly emphasize that the nature protection will be crucial in the wake of the post pandemic COVID-19 socio-economic recovery as the jump-start of the economy of so-called “new normality” should not result in further environmental degradation. The paper discusses the European Union Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 (hereinafter referred to as BS) whose adoption has been announced in the European Green Deal document (hereinafter referred to as EGD) as, inter alia, the basis for building biodiversity resilience. As a comprehensive strategy aiming to foster the transition of the European Union into a green and digital economy, the EGD has included among its main objectives preservation of ecosystems and biodiversity. Special emphasis is put on the BS which has been adopted in the middle of the pandemic COVID-19 and which aims, inter alia, to enhance environment resilience. The EU ambition is to ensure that the world ecosystems are restored, resilient, and adequately protected by 2050. From this perspective, the EU biodiversity strategy is focused on strengthening nature protection. One of its purposes is to create political and legal tools for building environment resilience, particularly desirable in time of the “new” socioenvironmental normality, following the pandemic crisis. The paper comprises three parts: The introductory issues are followed by the legalsystemic approach to EGD, BS, and the 8th General Union Environment Action Programme until 2030 (hereinafter referred to as the 8th EAP).. The third part addresses biodiversity building resilience from the EGD, BS and the 8th EAP. At the end some complementary remarks de lege lata and de lege ferenda are offered.