The Nature Directives have created a better environment for people in the UK and across the European Union. Looking after our landscapes and countryside, helping wildlife to survive and thrive, and ensuring that they are passed on in good condition to the next generation all increase our enjoyment of <strong>nature</strong> and the benefits that <strong>nature</strong> provides for people. What people want Public demand for environmental protection is growing. A surge in RSPB membership numbers shows the support for <strong>nature</strong> that led to the adoption of the Birds Directive. Today, our membership is higher than ever, at 1.2 million people. For most of us, protecting <strong>nature</strong> is not about material benefit – it is about saving the wildlife we love, or protecting the green spaces and landscapes we grew up with. Many people share the RSPB’s view that <strong>nature</strong> is intrinsically valuable and should be conserved for its own sake. The vast majority of EU citizens see the conservation of biodiversity as first and foremost a moral obligation. vi It is also clear that people understand the need for crossborder action. The Directives were first passed in response to public concern for migratory species, which motivated the European Parliament to express its alarm “at the threat of extinction to our migratory birds”, arguing that birds should be regarded as everyone’s shared responsibility. vii Today, most people value the EU’s role in protecting our natural heritage; more than three-quarters of us think EU environmental law is needed. Environmental protection is seen as a key benefit of EU co-operation and an area where we trust the EU and acknowledge that it has a role to play. viii What people need Not only do people want to live in a natural world full of life, they also need <strong>nature</strong>. Ecosystems in good condition do more for society, both in terms of the enjoyment and wellbeing we feel and the services we derive from <strong>nature</strong>. ix Protected sites, in particular, often provide a wealth of ecosystem services, especially when they are in Favourable Conservation Status. x For example: • Full implementation and management of the Natura 2000 network could directly support 122,000 jobs and contribute €3.05 billion to local economies, helping to provide new sources of income for landowners and managers and diversifying the rural economy xi Some of these benefits are local (such as local air quality improvements), while others are global (like carbon sequestration by Natura 2000, which gives global climate change mitigation benefits). Many are public goods, meaning that they are under-provided by the market – natural services are regarded as “free”, so we do not often attribute a financial value to the benefits they provide. Importantly, the Natura network helps to provide <strong>nature</strong> for everyone. 65% of EU citizens live within 5 km of a Natura 2000 site, and 98% live within 20 km. Accessible <strong>nature</strong> is particularly important close to urban areas, where most people in Europe live. Natura 2000 sites can be found in 32 major cities in Europe and over half of EU capital cities. Together, these sites harbour 40% of threatened habitat types, half the bird species and a quarter of the rare butterflies listed in the Directives. xiv Investing in <strong>nature</strong> is excellent value for money. The cost of managing the Natura 2000 network is around €5.8 billion a year, but the benefits derived are in the order of €200–300 billion a year – equivalent to between 1.7% and 2.5% of EU GDP. For example, there are 1.2–2.2 billion visits to Natura 2000 sites each year, generating recreational benefits worth between €5 and €9 billion per annum. Defra has estimated that there is a benefit to cost ratio of around 9 to 1 for conservation regulations. xv In the UK, the Directives have acted as a catalyst and driver for projects which deliver multiple benefits far in excess of their costs. Key examples include the Alkborough managed realignment project on the Humber Estuary and the Wallasea Island habitat creation project. Both were driven by the need to avoid deterioration and to compensate for losses of intertidal habitat to flood defence developments within SPAs and SACs. xvi Biodiversity is the bedrock of ecosystem services and plays an important role in enhancing ecosystem stability, ensuring long-run sustainability. xvii By enriching biodiversity in the UK and across Europe, the Nature Directives support the services that <strong>nature</strong> provides for people, as well as protecting the wildlife and habitats that so many of us love. • Investing €5.8 billion a year to keep Europe’s natural capital in good conservation status could provide €200–300 billion a year in services and benefits to society and the economy xii • Proximity, quantity and quality of green spaces are related to health. People living near <strong>nature</strong> engage in more physical activity, and psychological wellbeing increases with greater species richness and vegetation. Nature can have a positive impact on mental health, stress, heart rate, concentration, blood pressure, children’s behaviour and learning, and other health factors. xiii 22
Andy Hay (rspb-images.com) “People living near <strong>nature</strong> engage in more physical activity, and psychological wellbeing increases.” 23
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