Latitude Nature soutient BirdLife International

286 PME européénnes ont signé une declaration pour la protection de la nature

1. Nature matters to us and our business. We are committed to creating
a sustainable economy, with a high quality of life for us and our children/
future generations, and work in harmony with the planet. Our businesses
are an example of how one can earn a proit and care for nature at the
same time.
2. We are worried about the Commission’s plans to change the nature
laws in the EU. Our good business relies on good nature protection,
including nature protected by EU law. Stable, efective and predictable
legislation is important for us.
3. A common EU market needs common rules, and protecting our common
natural heritage and vital ecosystems requires EU level action to coordinate
and complement the work of our national and local governments.
4. Nature conservation gives an economic opportunity to us. We all
beneit from nature in diferent ways: by adding value to our products
and connecting with consumers, we attract employees and customers
to our locations through their natural beauty, we use natural resources
that depend on healthy ecosystems, we take care of nature as part of our
license to operate and as a way to connect with local communities.
5. We want the European Commission to continue to take action for nature:
a. The Commission should invest in nature conservation in order to maintain
our natural capital. The Commission should make sure that nature areas
receive enough funding for their management and restoration.
b. The Commission should also make sure that the common rules are
applied evenly to everyone, everywhere, instead of changing the rules
for nature conservation.
c Finally, the Commission should acknowledge and support the role
of SMEs in nature conservation, and ensure SMEs are involved in site
management and helped to access the economic and social potential
of our nature sites sustainably.
This declaration is signed by 286 Small and Medium-sized Enterprises from a wide variety of sectors. SMEs (enterprises
with up to 250 people and a turnover of less than EUR 50 million) are an important part of the EU economy. SMEs are of vital
importance to rural areas creating jobs and income in areas where employment and investors are often diicult to find.