The European Section of the Society for Conservation Biology (European Section) sent a letter to the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans. The letter highlights the impact of roads on the fragmentation of ecosystems in the EU, expresses the concerns of scientists about the rapid increase of access roads for the construction of Renewable Energy Infrastructures and especially Wind Power Plants. It suggests to the Commission conserving Roadless Areas and using them as a tool of proactive ecosystem restoration in the frame of the European Biodiversity Strategy, integrating fragmentation minimization policies into the implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy and the 8th Environment Action Plan by 2030. In addition, the letter calls on the EU to encourage the Member States without appropriate spatial planning for renewables to select areas already fragmented with low biodiversity value for future renewable projects. Such policies should be included in all relevant sectoral policies under the Europe Green Deal. The letter was sent on March 26, 2021. The relevant BCL research on roadless areas and the related international publication are cited in the above letter to Mr. F. Timmermans.

https://conbio.org/images/content_2014scholarships/SCB-ES_to_EC_Roadless_letter_2021_03_26.pdf