73 Amendments of Martin HOJSÍK related to 2019/2157(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas forests and other wooded land cover at least 43 % of the EU’s territory, and some Member States have more than half of their territories covered by forests and are heavily invested in forestry; half of the Natura 2000 network is made by forest areas, though this covers around 20% of the total forest surface of the EU. Forest areas are crucial for regulating the water cycle, absorbing CO2 and providing close-to-nature recreation possibilities.
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Underlines that there is no specific legal basis for a common EU forest policy; points out, however, future European Forest Strategy needs to be fully aligned with the European Green Deal and with an ambitious EU Biodiversity Strategy; adheres to the decision and recognition by the European Court of Justice1a of forest ecosystems as an inherent part of EU natural heritage on which the EU has competence to act, and thus respects both competences of Member States and the European Union; points out that many EU policies have an impact on forests and the forest- based sector and require coherence and stronger cross- sectoral coordination; _________________ 1aJudgment of the Court of 25 February 1999. European Parliament v Council of the European Union. Joined cases C- 164/97 and C-165/97, ECLI:EU:C:1999:99
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas forests and other wooded land cover at least 43 % of the EU’s territory, and some Member States have more than half of their territories covered by forests and are heavily invested in forestry; whereas about 60 % of EU forests are privately owned, most of which by small-scale owners with less than 3 ha of forest;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas forests are circular ecosystems founded on full recycling of matter and nutrients within, whereas any form of active management is based on exploitation of resources from this ecosystem, which inevitably and negatively affects its functioning, structure and biodiversity;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas the tradition of forest management in Europe developed and operated in relatively cold climate, whereas current challenges are new challenges for forest managers and cannot be tackled without knowledge of forest ecology, including understanding of large-scale processes of adaptation of forests to natural disturbances;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that European forest-based industries can help decarbonise Europe by replacing CO2-intensive raw materials and fossil energy with forest-based alternatives such as sustainably produced biogas and biofuel, and therefore help in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and the European Green Deal; recognises, however, the challenges resulting from the increasing demand for wood including the degradation of critical wildlife habitat and carbon stored in forests and calls on the Commission to address these adequately in the future strategy while facilitating reaching climate neutrality by 2050;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Recital A c (new)
Recital A c (new)
Ac. whereas the concept of close-to- nature forestry allows for sustainable use of forest, including for selective logging of valuable species for specialized use, and at the same time keeps better balance between provisioning and other ecosystem services;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas more than 3 million people in the EU are employed by the EU forest sector and these jobs are dependent on resilient forest ecosystems in the long- term;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas more than 3 million people in the EU are employed by the EU forest sector, making it an important pillar of rural economies;
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas the global demand of authentic wild nature is growing, and public support for strict protection of forest ecosystems has increased significantly;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion
Recital B c (new)
Recital B c (new)
Bc. whereas illegal logging is ongoing also in the EU5a _________________ 5aexamples Romania, Sweden, Poland https://ec.europa.eu/environment/forests/p df/Briefing%20note%20May- June%202019_Final.pdf and https://ec.europa.eu/environment/forests/p df/Briefing_Note_April_- _May_2018_Public_version.pdf
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Recital B d (new)
Recital B d (new)
Bd. whereas the current regime of bioenergy subsidies goes against the cascading use principle enshrined in the current EU forest strategy by creating a competitive advantage for bioenergy over material uses despite this use being further down in the cascade1a; _________________ 1abioenergy in accordance with this principle is down the line just above disposal. Wood is used in the following order of priorities: wood-based products, extending their service life, re-use, recycling, bio-energy and disposal
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas Europe’s forests are of immense value in terms of climate mitigation, since they absorb and store 10 % of EU carbon emissions; whereas the short-term effect of logged forest on climate is negative 1a whatever the use of logged wood, and potential future re- growth of logged site is of no use in the critical time we have left to act; _________________ 1a G. Englund,; S.-O. Holm;B.-G. Jonsson, D. van der Spoel, 2019: The climate benefit of reduced forest harvesting is enormous
Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas Europe’s forests are of immense value in terms of climate mitigation, since they absorb and store 10 % of EU carbon emissions; whereas they store about 2.5 times more C in soils than in tree biomass 1a , highlights therefore the importance of complex forest ecosystems for the terrestrial carbon cycling in Europe; _________________ 1aBrunoDe Vos et al., Benchmark values for forest soil carbon stocks in Europe: Results from a large scale forest soil survey, Geoderma, Volumes 251–252, August 2015,Pages 33-46
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that forest-based industry is a key driving force behind theRecognises the importance of sustainable forest-based industry for circular bioeconomy; encourages the Member States to support safe, sustainable and recyclable and, bio-based products through public procurement and investment support; notes, however, that it should lead to increase of forest carbon sinks not only in wood but also soils best achieved through non-intervention areas and sustainable forest management in managed forests;
Amendment 42 #
Draft opinion
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas soil quality plays a crucial role in the provision of ecosystem services such as water filtration and storage and hence flood and drought protection, CO2- sequestration, biodiversity and the growth of biomass; whereas the improvement of soil quality, for instance in some regions by converting coniferous forest to permanent deciduous forest, is an economically challenging process that takes decades;
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas high extinction rates of specialized forest species often observed in managed forests contradict the idea of sustainability of such management and calls into question the compatibility of active management and forest conservation for cases where full scale of forest biodiversity, and in particular the most threatened species, are the subject of conservation goals;
Amendment 48 #
Draft opinion
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas European forests have a key role to play in flood management: 4.5 per cent of European forests are considered floodplain forests which have a significant role in water retention;
Amendment 49 #
Draft opinion
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas forests disturbed by fires and logging have seen soil loss as high as 26.6 per cent. This makes soil less fertile and decreases agricultural productivity in surrounding areas. The soil in mature forests stores significantly more carbon than soils from areas that have been clear-cut;
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
C b. whereas intact ecosystems have greater capability to overcome environmental stressors, including changes to climate, than degraded ones as they have inherent properties that enable them to maximize their adaptive capacity, whereas they sustain large-scale ecological processes, such as natural disturbance regimes, which maintain disturbance adapted species and evolutionary lineages that are uniquely adapted to survive major seasonal temperature changes and landscape-level disturbances over time, such as large fires and insect infestations2a; _________________ 2aJames E. Watson et al, 2018: The exceptional value of intact forest ecosystems. In Nature Ecology& Evolution
Amendment 52 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Encourages the sustainable use of wood as an environmentally friendly raw material; underlines that wood-based products and wood construction can provide an effective way of increasing carbon storage;
Amendment 53 #
Draft opinion
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas diverse natural ecosystems are an insurance policy against climate change. Scientists have found that forests with many tree species grow at a faster rate, store more carbon and are more resistant to pests and diseases;
Amendment 53 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Acknowledges the occurrence of illegal logging and recognises that almost all primary old growth forest has been lost; urges the Commission to act on both accounts and protect the remaining old growth forest; regrets the decline in forest biodiversity as stated in the State of Nature 2020 for Europe; calls on Commission and Member States to act and enforce the Birds and Habitats Directives to reverse this trend;
Amendment 59 #
Draft opinion
Recital C c (new)
Recital C c (new)
Cc. whereas the provisions of the LULUCF Regulation3a recognize that a carbon pool of deadwood in the forest is analogous to the long-lived harvested wood products as its carbon does not undergo instantaneous oxidisation, whereas deadwood constitutes crucial microhabitats on which number of species, including protected species, are dependent; _________________ 3aRegulation (EU) 2018/841 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018
Amendment 62 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Member States to ensure the timely and adequate implementation of the revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED II)1 ; Commission to modify Renewable Energy Directive (RED II)1 on basis of scientifically sound knowledge and to follow the ‘cascading use principle’ to prioritise the most efficient use of wood; stresses that burning wood for energy must only occur at the end of the cascade; _________________ 1Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources, OJ L 328, 21.12.2018, p. 82.
Amendment 65 #
Draft opinion
Recital C d (new)
Recital C d (new)
Cd. whereas forests are part of EU natural capital, on which the EU has competence to act 1a ; _________________ 1aTFEU Art 191 , such legal interpretation confirmed by court judgement of Joined Cases C-164/97 and C-165/97
Amendment 67 #
Draft opinion
Recital C e (new)
Recital C e (new)
Ce. whereas in order to preserve the full scale of forest biodiversity and functionality, together with the need for mitigation of and adaptation to climate change, a proportion of forest areas to be set aside any form of active human intervention is crucially needed;
Amendment 69 #
Draft opinion
Recital C f (new)
Recital C f (new)
Cf. whereas subsidies to bioenergy lead to worsening of the ratio of use of wood between material vs energy use, and at the same time to artificial increase in the supply of biomass1a, thus lowering the capacity of forests to sequester carbon; _________________ 1aas in JRC report (2018) ''Indeed, targets for renewable energy set by the EU have resulted in a surge in the consumption of woody biomass.'' estimates for energy use of wood: 42% (2005), 43% (2010), 48% currently, while energy uses likely underreported
Amendment 69 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses that there is a continued need for sustained support for forest- related research and innovation throughout the forest value chain, including safe wood- based products to be used as plastic substitute packaging materials, smart and clothing fibres and medicines; stresses that the prioritisation of wood-based alternatives must take into account the whole life cycle of products and their environmental performance;
Amendment 71 #
Draft opinion
Recital C g (new)
Recital C g (new)
Cg. whereas subsidies for various renewable energy sources help kickstart the sector, whereas solar and eolic energy sector and technologies can sustain themselves without subsidies after initial scaling up, whereas this is not true for bioenergy and this sector runs only thanks to subsidies;
Amendment 73 #
Draft opinion
Recital C h (new)
Recital C h (new)
Ch. whereas new climate change adaptation and mitigation options arise, among them proforestation1a; _________________ 1aproforestation - growing existing forests intact to their ecological potential, as in William R. Moomaw, 2019: Intact Forests in the United States: Proforestation Mitigates Climate Change and Serves the Greatest Good. In Frontiers in Forests and Global Change
Amendment 75 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls for adequate funding for Horizon Europe and for the strengthening of links between research, industry and society through specific instruments such as European Partnerships; believes that research in forestry and forest restoration has potential to deliver positive results in terms of climate change mitigation, growth of sustainable businesses, employment, maintaining long-term forest health and biodiversity protection;
Amendment 79 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the decision from the Commission to introduce a new forest strategy; stresses the need for the forest strategy to fully observe the principle of subsidiarityrecognize both competences of EU member states and the European Union in the area of protection of forests; emphasises, in this regard, the need for a holistic and consistent forest sStrategy that enhances the multifunctional role of forests and the forest-based sector in the EU and that promotes the far- reaching societal, economic and environmental benefits of forests; underlines the urgent need to prevent and managunderstand and manage accordingly the natural disturbances; highlights that the forest strategy should not be subordinate to any other sectoral strategybe built on an EU Biodiversity Strategy as laid down in the European Green Deal Communication;
Amendment 84 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Notes work under the EU Action Plan on Financing Sustainable Growth1a including EU taxonomy for sustainable activities, in the area of forestry and other economic activities related to forests; _________________ 1a Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, the European Central Bank, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: Action Plan: Financing Sustainable Growth (COM/2018/097 final)
Amendment 92 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Underlines the urgent need to honour the pledge of the Commission to zero tolerance to non-compliance with environmental legislation, stresses that number of infringement cases currently open against the Member states1a address irreplaceable values of European forest ecosystems and urges the Commission to swiftly engage and act in these; _________________ 1a e.g. Case 2018/4076 against Slovakia, Case 2020/2033 against Romania
Amendment 94 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses the need forto apply non- intervention principle in a certain proportion of European forest areas arising from climate and biodiversity crisis, to replace intensive management practices by long-term sustainable forest management, and the regional, environmental, social, cultural and economic importance of forests.
Amendment 100 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Urges the Commission to prioritize effective enforcement of the Nature legislation as part of the future Strategies, including the use of its prerogative to ask for a decision ordering interim measures and compel compliance through imposition of sanctions and penalty payments when there is a risk of irreparable damage to invaluable and irreplaceable natural values;
Amendment 109 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that according to scientific research, sustainably managed forests6a there is a reduction in forest carbon stocks as a result of increased wood harve a higher CO2 absorption capacity than unmanaged forestssting, and the long periods required (decades to centuries) before the initial increase in emissions is reabsorbed.; urges, therefore, that the new forest strategy should promote sustainable forest management; recognises the positive impact of sustainable forest management, in particular non-intervention management, on European forest biodiversity; notes that forest protection and production do notcan act in contradiction, but canould in fact be complementary to one another;atible with one another and have positive result also for climate when principles of nature-based solutions are adopted7a; _________________ 6aEuropean Academies Science Advisory Council, February 2019: Forest bioenergy, carbon capture and storage, and carbon dioxide removal: an update 7aEEA, December 2019: The European environment - state and outlook 2020
Amendment 119 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Stresses that under some circumstances there are trade-offs between protecting the climate and protecting biodiversity in the bio-economy sector and particularly in forestry, which plays a central role in the transition towards a climate-neutral economy; expresses its concern that this trade-off has not been sufficiently addressed in recent policy discussions; calls on all stakeholders to develop a coherent approach to bring together biodiversity protection and climate protection in a thriving forest-based sector and bio- economy;
Amendment 127 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Stresses that according to research4a old-growth forests and forest grew old continue to accumulate carbon, contrary to the view that they are carbon neutral or even sources of CO2; _________________ 4a S.Luyssaert et al., 2008: Old-growth forests as global carbon sinks. In Nature
Amendment 129 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. recalls that about 60 % of EU forests are privately owned and that about two-thirds of private forest owners own less than 3 ha of forest; stresses that all measures must duly take this into account and hence must be designed in a way that they are accessible to and can be practically implemented by small-scale forest owners; recalls that the Commission has identified administrative burden and forest ownership structure as limiting factors for the uptake of certain measures1a; _________________ 1a COM(2018) 811 final, p.3
Amendment 131 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Reiterates the fact that conservation of high-carbon ecosystems, including forests, represents a response option with immediate impact on climate change, unlike afforestation, reforestation and restoration which take more time to deliver8a, calls for policy actions in the EU to be guided by this principle; _________________ 8aIPCC, 2019: Climate Change and Land Report-Summary for Policymakers
Amendment 136 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2c. Stresses that the continuing decline in biodiversity has had negative consequences for the delivery of many ecosystem services over the last decades, whereas these declines have occurred in part because of the intensive agriculture and forestry practices, whereas the continuing decline in regulating services can have detrimental consequences for quality of life 12a; _________________ 12aIPBES(2018): Summary for policymakers of the regional assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services for Europe and Central Asia of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and EcosystemServices. M. Fischer, M. Rounsevell, A. Torre-Marin Rando, A. Mader, A. Church,M. Elbakidze, V. Elias, T. Hahn. P.A. Harrison, J. Hauck, B. Martín-López, I. Ring,C. Sandström, I. Sousa Pinto, P. Visconti, N.E. Zimmermann and M. Christie(eds.). IPBES secretariat, Bonn, Germany. available at: https://ipbes.net/sites/default/files/ipbes_6 _15_add.4_eca_english.pdf
Amendment 139 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 d (new)
Paragraph 2 d (new)
2d. Calls for Member States to ensure that forests above 10 hectares have forest management plans comprising carbon storage and biodiversity considerations and where applicable comply with Natura 2000 objectives;
Amendment 153 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Emphasises the important role forests can play in substituting to some extent fossil- based materials with bio-based products; believes that the new forest strategy should reflect the importance of the role played by European forests and the EU’s circular bio- economy in reaching climate neutrality by 2050 and that measures to this end should be included;
Amendment 155 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Takes note of the progress made on valuing ecosystem services under the Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES) initiative; stresses, however, that there currently is no adequate remuneration for the provision of ecosystem services such as the sequestration of CO2, fostering biodiversity or soil improvement and that foresters who focus on converting their forests accordingly currently might be managing their forests at a loss-making despite the provision of substantial ecosystem services; calls on the Commission and Member States to explore options to incentivize and remunerate climate-, biodiversity- and other ecosystem services appropriately in order to allow for an economically viable forest conversion;
Amendment 158 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Recalls the letter of more than 700 scientists calling for a scientifically-sound revision of the Renewable Energy Directive, in particular excluding certain types of woody biomass from counting towards the target and from the eligibility to receive support;
Amendment 162 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Amendment 168 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Amendment 171 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 d (new)
Paragraph 3 d (new)
3d. Stresses particular importance of the Carpathian region and notes that EU accession to Carpathian convention would be of relevance to provide support to the region which holds irreplaceable natural values in continental Europe;
Amendment 172 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 e (new)
Paragraph 3 e (new)
Amendment 173 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 f (new)
Paragraph 3 f (new)
3f. Highlights the value and the potential of newly established and traditional extensive agroforestry systems for agricultural production, diversification, including for the purpose of bioeconomy, carbon sequestration, prevention of desertification and potential to decrease pressure on forest ecosystems; regrets that the rules of the reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy have systematically led to their degradation and in many cases have hampered their restoration, regeneration and rejuvenation; notes with concern the current large-scale die-off of iconic Mediterranean high-nature value agroforestry system and urgently calls for change of the rules in order to facilitate regeneration and restoration of existing agroforestry systems, and establishment of new ones;
Amendment 174 #
3g. Requires that the Commission develop a common and sufficiently detailed definition of close-to-nature forestry, building on the ongoing experiences of integrating biodiversity considerations into forest management;
Amendment 176 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes that research and technology have come a long way since the forest strategy was introduced in 2013; stresses the importance of encouraging further research in forestry and bio-based products and and that science is now unequivocal that parts of the bio-based economy were and are a false solution, in particular when it comes to bioenergy; stresses the importance of encouraging further research in forestry and bio-based products and incorporating scientific findings into policy to turn bioeconomy into a no regret and success story, believes that EU funds for research should be further directed towards this; stresses that more research and funding would make a positive contribution to climate change mitigation, sustainable economic growth and employment, especially in rural areas;
Amendment 179 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes that research and technology have come a long way since the forest strategy was introduced in 2013; stresses the importance of encouraging further research in forestry and bio-based products, particularly regarding the substitution of fossil-based raw materials and energies, and believes that EU funds for research should be further directed towards this; stresses that more research and funding would make a positive contribution to climate change mitigation, sustainable economic growth and employment, especially in rural areas;
Amendment 186 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls for the introduction of a coordinated electronic timber tracking and tracing system and for support for the development of automated tools for the timber circulation analysis and monitoring at all stages of its transformation and integration with related government and commercial record keeping, reporting, permits issuance, agreements registration systems;
Amendment 189 #
4a. Calls for the continued funding for research in soils and their role in forests climate change resilience and adaption, biodiversity protection and enhancement as well as the provision of other ecosystem services;
Amendment 191 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to create economic and policy instruments that will allow more forest to grow to their ecological potential and absorb carbon dioxide;
Amendment 195 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Proposes updating rules of reporting and accounting for LULUCF in order to incentivise choice of non- intervention in the accounting category of managed forest land in areas of old- growth forests, e.g. by excluding respective removals from the limitations posed by the Regulation;
Amendment 198 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4c. Considers that strictly protected areas in non- intervention management regime should be part of the EU Forest Strategy and of local development strategies based on low impact natural tourism and provisioning of non- productive ecosystem services;
Amendment 199 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 d (new)
Paragraph 4 d (new)
4d. Calls for the Commission to uphold the principle of do no harm laid down in the Green Deal Communication and to revise all relevant legislation to reflect the up-to-date science in relation to forest ecosystems, different carbon pools and their true value for the climate change mitigation and adaptation, including the crucial role of their biodiversity for this adaptation;
Amendment 202 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 f (new)
Paragraph 4 f (new)
4f. Reiterates that woody biomass should be used in accordance with cascading use principle, giving priority to material use, re-use and recycling, in line with circular economy principles, over other uses;
Amendment 209 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Expresses its concern over the health condition and resilience of forests in many parts of Europe; highlights the need to strengthen and make full use of EU mechanisms to tackle the transboundary pressures, including those man-induced, on forests from the spread of invasive alien species, pests, and diseases, excessive or illegal logging.
Amendment 225 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Notes that accomplishing a unified information system on EU forests is a long-lasting, and not fully achieved endeavour up to now. Stresses that for addressing present data gaps, synergies between authorities and relevant organizations need to be sought, going beyond project-bound limitations. This includes data availability, harmonized methodologies as well as supporting financial and capacity resources;
Amendment 230 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Highlights the role of forests in increasing resilience towards adverse impacts from climate change; Points out the need for concrete and effective actions in climate adaptation strategies and plans, incorporating the synergies between mitigation and adaptation;
Amendment 232 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Calls for strict protection of EU's primary and old-growth forests as part of the EU Forest Strategy;
Amendment 239 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Notes that the implementation of adapted forest management plans takes place on Member State level and requires increased cooperation between forest and environmental authorities, NGOs, the local communities and forest owners;
Amendment 241 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Reiterates the call of the European Parliament1a for an EU-wide legally binding target to restore degraded habitats by 2030, including natural forests; _________________ 1aEuropean Parliament resolution of 16 January 2020 on the 15th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (2019/2824(RSP))
Amendment 248 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Amendment 251 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5c. Highlights the importance of the environmental defenders in common efforts to protect and restore EU forest. We call for zero tolerance on attacks or harassment against them;
Amendment 254 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 d (new)
Paragraph 5 d (new)
5d. Stresses the need for the European Union to do more to stop the clear-cutting and illegal logging and enforce EU rules that prohibit the degradation of old- growth forests. Highlights the need for EU to follow through on the illegal logging cases through organisms such EPPO or OLAF;
Amendment 259 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 e (new)
Paragraph 5 e (new)
5e. Stresses that tree planting schemes must be an adjunct to restoring natural forests as the wrong tree in the wrong place can intensify forest fires and actually release more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Notes that forest- restoration schemes must increase their carbon sequestration potential to meet global climate commitments;