Zoologische Gesellschaft Frankfurt von 1858 e.V.
FZS is an international conservation organisation based in Frankfurt in Germany.
ID: 855962634662-04
Lobbying Activity
Response to Union guidelines for the development of the TEN-T network amended proposal
20 Jul 2022
Please find attached a response from the Save Polesia partnership.
Read full responseResponse to Navigation And Inland Waterway Action and Development in Europe (NAIADES) III Action Plan 2021-2027
15 Jan 2021
There are very few free flowing rivers left in Europe, as most rivers have been extensively modified by dams and channelization and the threat to rivers from infrastructure continues. For example, by plans for construction of the E40 inland navigation route connecting the Baltic Sea with the Black Sea (for more information see https://savepolesia.org/the-threat/).
Freshwater biodiversity is one of the most threatened groups of biodiversity, with many species heading towards extinction in Europe. Inland navigation has historically contributed to the destruction of wetlands, in particular floodplains, and any further destruction of wetlands will lead to further GHG emissions over decades, running counter to the EU’s goal of climate neutrality by 2050.
The European Commission envisages to restore 25 000 km of free flowing rivers as part of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2030. If the EU is to achieve this, no further free flowing rivers should be canalised, dammed or otherwise fragmented. The NAIADES III programme should be compatible with the Biodiversity Strategy.
In addition, as stated in the Roadmap, any future investments must be in line the EU environmental acquis. In particular the Water Framework Directive, the Birds and Habitats Directives and the Environmental Impact Assessment/Startegic Environmental Assessment Directives. Decision making also needs to respect democratic principles and public participation in decision making, as enshrined in the Aarhus Convention. In line with this, the recommendations from the Technical Expert Group on Sustainable Finance on infrastructure for water transport should also be followed (https://ec.europa.eu/info/publications/sustainable-finance-technical-expert-group_en).
Finally, particular attention needs to be paid to competition between inland waterway transport and rail freight transport. The competition between rail and shipping is strong especially over medium distances and the societal costs, including GHG emissions, air pollution and habitat loss, of electric freight transport are lower.
Read full responseMeeting with Roxana Lesovici (Cabinet of Commissioner Adina Vălean)
30 Apr 2020 · Conference Call with Frankfurt Zoological Society on behalf of “Save Polesia” – Inland navigation plans in Poland.
Response to EU 2030 Biodiversity Strategy
20 Jan 2020
Biodiversity loss is one of the most critical environmental threats alongside climate change & the two are strongly linked. The IPBES 2019 global assessment concluded that nature is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history & unless negative trend is stopped, we will not be able to fulfill commitments to address climate change & achieve sustainability.
The European Green Deal provides a very promising policy framework & demonstrates the political will to change current situation & halt biodiversity loss.
The IPCC 2018 report has made it clear that avoiding catastrophic climate warming will require massive cuts in emissions & also massive upscaling of carbon uptake & storage. Preserving & restoring larger natural forests, floodplains & mires are essential Nature Based Solutions to climate crisis & to address the biodiversity crisis.
A number of surveys refer to protected areas as key instrument for preserving biodiversity (Beazley & Baldwin 2019, Wuerthner et al. 2015, Gray et al. 2016, Sala & Rechberger 2018, Coetzee et al. 2014). Species benefit from large & strictly protected areas with few human impacts in terms of adaption, migrations & genetic exchange (Butchard et al. 2012, Baker et al. 2015). At the same time the protection of primary forests with their high long-term average carbon stocks combined with restoration of degraded forests also helps tackling climate change (Federici, S. et al, 2017).
A successful EU-wide biodiversity strategy must address 4 issues:
1. protecting natural forests, floodplains and mires effectively & strictly through enforcing existing legislation,
2. communicating the values of primary natural habitats to citizens, corporate sector & policy makers
3. addressing the long-known drivers (eg. insufficient financial resource allocation) & emerging new threats (eg. illegal logging, burning of solid biomass as carbon zero solution) of losing primary habitats through integrating their strict protection in other EU policies
4. allocating the necessary financing & human capacities for the restoration of primary habitats in order to fill in the resource gaps in Europe (& beyond)
The roadmap describes 5 main objectives, but nationally binding targets are needed as well. The following targets are suggested:
- with reference to the EP special resolution on wilderness from 2009, secure the protection of wilderness in the new 2030 EU biodiversity strategy document with the recognition that wilderness areas might be protected also outside forests (eg. no-take zone in marine protected areas, floodplains & mires)
- immediate and strict protection of the remaining old-growth / primary forests as well as natural floodplain areas and mires in Europe
- increase the size of non-intervention management throughout the existing protected area network including Natura 2000 sites on terrestrial areas with the necessary financial and human resource allocation
- guarantee the protection of water resources for healthy ecosystem through the effective implementation of the Water Framework Directive in EU & its neighborhood countries.
- as a response to the UN decade on ecosystem restoration start effective restoration of healthy ecosystems in order to increase the core areas of existing protected areas, creating new buffers around existing core areas and developing connectivity between protected areas
- decrease Europe’s global biodiversity footprint through (a) transformational change in the consumption pattern and (b) stop any subsidies including infrastructure, energy, agriculture that are harmful for biodiversity
- stop promoting & subsidizing solid biomass (wood) burning as renewable and carbon zero energy solution since it threatens to lead to large scale deforestation
- acknowledge everyone’s right to nature with special attention to youth through increasing the recognition of ecosystem functions services with special attention to good mention & physical health at all age groups
Read full response