Commission publishes guidelines to support EU forests

Article summary

The European Commission has introduced two sets of guidelines to support the New Forest Strategy, which forms part of the framework for the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, and contributes to the EU's commitments under the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (UN Convention on Biological Diversity). The guidelines aim to strengthen the protection, restoration and resilience of EU forests to enable them to adapt to climate change, as well as improving the quantity and quality. The ‘guidelines on Biodiversity-Friendly Afforestation, Reforestation and Tree Planting’ provides guidance to support biodiversity friendly reforestation, afforestation and tree-planting projects. The ‘guidelines for Defining, Mapping, Monitoring and Strictly Protecting EU Primary and Old-Growth Forests’ provides practical guidance to national policy, allowing decision-makers to protect the remaining primary and old-growth forest in the EU.