Hands Off Nature!
To the European Commission, especially to President Ursula von der Leyen and Commissioner Jessika Roswall.
Petition
We call on the European Commission to maintain strong EU protections for Europe’s wildlife, habitats and biodiversity by:
- Maintaining and strengthening the protections established by the Birds Directive and Habitats Directive.
- Not reducing safeguards for protected species, habitats and sites.
- Not making it easier for economic activities to cause damage to protected nature.
Europe’s nature laws have helped protect species and ecosystems for decades. Instead of discussing changes to weaken these rules, we need more investments to protect the nature we depend on.
Why is this important?
From brown bears and cormorants to wolves, seals and countless other species, Europe’s wildlife is under pressure. 80% of protected habitats are already in poor condition, while biodiversity continues to decline across the continent. [1]
Our nature laws were made to protect the animals, forests, rivers and wild places that make Europe home. But now, European leaders are bending to big corporations and proposing changes that could weaken and even erase these hard-won protections completely. [2] Paving the road for mining, construction and other damaging projects to destroy the habitats that these animals call home.
Healthy nature helps provide clean water, healthy soils, pollination and other services that we all depend on. And when habitats are damaged, recovering them can take decades. Sometimes they are lost forever.
But all is not set in stone. During the coming weeks, Commissioner Roswall and her team will be setting out a roadmap for the future of Europe’s nature. Right now, they have a choice: let mining and construction companies irreversibly damage ecosystems and their profits, or stand up for the nature we all depend on.
To make sure they choose the correct path, 970,000 people have already signed the Hands Off Nature petition. [3] It’s backed by more than 200 organisations across the continent, all fighting to defend Europe’s nature laws and our future.
Sign now and help us reach 1 million voices to protect our Nature.
References:
- https://chateurope.eu/en/80-of-europes-natural-habitats-in-poor-shape-report/ ; https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/publications/state-of-nature-in-the-eu-2020
- https://corporateeurope.org/en/2026/05/permission-pollute
- https://handsoffnature.eu/
In partnership with:
