Ecologistas en Acción believes that the new Ministry of the Environment should consider the biodiversity conservation as a high-priority issue, due to the serious process of biodiversity loss that Spain is facing, and they also show their preoccupation for the subordination of the General Direction of Natural Environment and Forest Policy to the Secretariat General of Rural Areas, inside the Ministry of the Environment.
After the creation of the new Ministry of the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs, Ecologistas en Acción considers that the biodiversity should be one of the main priorities of the ministry at the present term. The protection of biodiversity is one of the most forgotten environmental priorities that were established at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The successive Spanish Governments have delayed its protection, due to the totally unsustainable development model that has been intensified during the last 15 years, owing to the city-planning development, the construction of infrastructures, the over-exploitation of the ground, over-hunting and over-fishing, the dramatic transformation of coasts and rivers and the lack of protection to sensible areas such as seas and mountains. All this, without forgetting about the evident impact that the climate change is already having on natural areas and species.
As an immediate temporary commitment, the Heads of Government of the EU, including the Prime Minister of Spain, signed in June 2001, in Gothenburg, the commitment to halt the biodiversity loss before 2010 (commitment that coincided with the Spanish Presidency of the European Union in the first semester of 2010). Nevertheless, nearly anything has been done in Spain to reach this commitment.
In this sense, Ecologistas en Acción shows its preoccupation for the new organization chart of the Ministry of the Environment, where is included a General Direction of Natural Environment and Forest Policy, deteriorated in comparison to the previous Main directorate of Biodiversity, and which depends on the Secretariat General of Rural Areas, with the risk of prevailing the agrarian priorities over the conservation of biodiversity.
For this reason, Ecologistas en Acción calls on the Minister of the Environment, Elena Espinosa, to do as much as she can for the conservation of biodiversity, and to prevail the conservation of biodiversity over the sectorial policies, defending it when necessary from the actions of other ministries or even the very Ministry of the Environment. Ecologistas en Acción considers that before the end of 2009, at least the following measures should be taken:
Duplicate the economic and human resources for the protection of biodiversity.
Condition the accomplishment the infrastructures of the Strategic Infrastructure and Transport Plan (PEIT) to a global study of the impacts on biodiversity and to the accomplishment of the strategic evaluations of each and every sectorial plan.
Pass the National Strategic Plan of Natural Heritage and Biodiversity, and to include the guidelines of the Network Natura 2000.
Declare two new National Parks to complete the National Park Network, especially of marine systems.
Adopt measures to halt the biodiversity loss that Spanish companies are causing in other regions of the world.
Harmonize the policies of conservation of biodiversity and management of natural and rural areas between the Regional Communities and the State.
