Nature conservation and agriculture the focus of a two-day BMU Presidency conference
Sustainable and ecological land use is the basic prerequisite for the preservation of valuable cultural landscapes and hence of Europe's biological diversity. This was stressed today in Bonn by Parliamentary State Secretary Astrid Klug at the opening of the conference "Nature Conservation, Agriculture and Rural Development – where is the EU headed?" The two-day conference hosted by the Federal Environment Ministry is taking place in the framework of the German EU Presidency.
"If we want to achieve the international goal of halting the continuing loss of biological diversity by 2010," said Astrid Klug, "we still need to make substantial efforts in many sectors. The EU's agricultural policy continues to have a large influence on the form of land use and thus also a decisive influence on our environment."
High level representatives from ministries in the EU Member States responsible for nature conservation are taking part in the Conference, as well as experts from administrative bodies, the scientific community and associations. Discussions will be held on the impacts of EU agricultural policy on nature and landscape, as well as possible ways of achieving a nature friendly further development. The discussions will also examine the opportunities and potential for agriculture and rural regions which offer a link between nature conservation and agricultural policy.
"At European, national and regional level, policy must set clear and reliable framework conditions and offer appropriate incentives for a nature friendly, environmentally sound development. The expansion of EU rural development policy, i.e. the second pillar of EU agricultural policy, would be a decisive step towards this," Astrid Klug stressed.