Allow sustainable use in protected nature

Days before Christmas The Global Framework Convention on Biodiversity was adopted at the UN COP15 meeting in Canada. It has been decided that 30 percent of the Earth’s surface should be protected by 2030.

The stance taken by nearly 190 countries represents an expected increase in ambitions to protect nature. The European Union Parliament has already taken a position calling for 30 percent of the Earth’s land and seas to be protected by 2030. This new target could be set against the previously used Nagoya plan, which called for 17 percent of land and freshwater areas to be protected. By 2020

As always when it comes to international obligations, there is great uncertainty about how it will affect individual countries and industries. But one thing that is clear is that these goals will certainly be felt for Swedish agriculture – they can either strengthen or weaken competitiveness.

However, a more important decision than the one made in Canada for agriculture is how the concept of protected nature is interpreted going forward. Because it can be counted in many ways.

One Report from LRF (2020) It showed that Sweden values ​​protected nature more strictly than other EU countries. At the time of the report, the Environmental Protection Agency and other authorities said only 14.5 percent of Sweden’s surface was protected. At the same time, the United Kingdom indicated that 29 percent of the area is protected and Germany 37 percent.

However, the fact that Sweden performed so poorly has more to do with computational models than reality. In Sweden, the authorities only counted formally protected areas such as nature reserves and national parks. Areas where human use is often restricted or in some cases strictly defined. Great Britain and Germany, on the other hand, cover large areas where cultivation is permitted.

When biodiversity is the goal, there are also reasons to allow agriculture in protected nature. Some species are directly dependent on humans and their animals.

Without livestock, the species-rich grasslands and pastures would regrow, with devastating consequences for the entire ecosystem. Herbs, butterflies and birds depend on the open landscape with grazing animals from Swedish farms.

When new If the UN target on biodiversity is to be realized, sustainable agriculture in protected nature must be desirable in many cases. Forestry patterns that support the diversity of protected nature should also be developed.

Protecting the richness of species in Swedish nature is a job done in cooperation with farmers – not always by banning large areas of agriculture and forestry.