At the launch, PBL Director-General Hans Mommaas presented the highlights from the report and how the multi-perspective approaches put forward in the report may serve policymakers at EU, national and regional levels. The study explores four ‘perspectives’ on the future of nature in Europe and offers new approaches to the challenges facing nature in Europe today.

We welcome this publication as a first contribution to the debate on nature conservation post 2020,” says Alberto Arroyo Schnell, IUCN Senior Policy Manager.

IUCN noted the importance of continuing to focus on enhancing the implementation of existing European policies and regulations. Such an approach is supported by the recent results of the fitness check of the Birds and Habitats Directives, in line with IUCN’s related position.

Despite the important set of existing policies and regulations for protecting European nature, biodiversity is still being lost, and the corresponding goals are far from being achieved. The report explores a new approach to facing these challenges by tapping into the various perspectives people have on nature, analysing what nature would look like from each of these perspectives, and which type of governance would then be appropriate.