Expanding and strengthening protected areas in the European Union
The European Commission and several EU countries committed to the global target to protect at least 30 percent of the ocean by 2030. The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 says that 10 percent should be fully protected, and the EU should establish legally binding restoration targets.
However, despite these commitments Europe lags many parts of the world in establishing and managing MPAs effectively. A recent Oceana study, for example, shows that destructive, bottom trawling is allowed in 86% of areas designated for seabed habitat protections. Another study showed that more than half of all protected areas lack management plans. In addition, there is wide disparity among Member States, with countries like Germany reporting 45% protection and Portugal at 4%.
Becht Foundation, alongside other funders, is supporting a coalition of NGOs including Oceana, Seas at Risk, ClientEarth and others, to get the EU to adopt a legally binding target to fully protect 10% of its waters by 2030, resulting in over 500,000 km2 of no-take zones in Europe; and the EU commitment to the 30×30 target is delivered in the form of effectively protected areas where bottom trawling is prohibited, rather than the “paper parks” which currently dominate EU MPAs.
