Climate change and wildlife are top priorities in new Junta biodiversity strategy

Tackling climate change and conserving wildlife are the top priorities set out in a new Junta de Andalucía biodiversity strategy.

The regional government has created the new strategy which sets out what it wants to focus on and achieve by 2030. It branched off the previous 2011 strategy, with the aim of updating it and responding to new environmental challenges.

Adapting to future scenarios that would be the result of climate change and drought was a main focus.

The strategy referenced the latest report on the State of Nature in the EU, which found that Andalucia was one of the regions at greatest risk in Europe as a result of climate change.

It also concluded that European biodiversity was in decline due to multiple factors, such as changes in land use or in the marine environment, overexploitation of natural resources, climate change, pollution and the presence of pests.

"Andalucia is no exception to this process of progressive deterioration, which is why the Andalusian government considers it necessary to act in advance," said the Andalucian Director of Biodiversity, Juan Ramón Pérez.

The strategy would include measures to prioritise wildlife conservation amid the growth of renewable energy developments.

It would also focus on taking action against exotic and invasive animals, set out clear hunting rules and update guidelines against the use of poison.

Pérez told SUR that the strategy was built off the premise that land which was used, shared and cared for was the best guarantee for its preservation.

“We must make the conservation of the rich and diverse biodiversity that Andalucia treasures for its geographical position and natural heritage compatible with human activity,” he said.

“Historically the presence of man and the use of the natural environment have shaped landscapes and marked their environmental features, establishing a close relationship between the two that we want to strengthen.”

The drafting of the new strategy, expected to be approved this year, will include participation from organisations and institutions, and the general public, and will be debated in the Andalusian Biodiversity Council.