As the first week of the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP29 comes to an end, it is important to highlight biodiversity as an important topic and the impact of the cement industry on this sustainability indicator. Last week, CEMBUREAU, the organization that represents the cement sector in Europe, held a webinar on how quarries have become a home for endangered European species. This space provided the opportunity to discuss the protection initiatives of the cement sector in rehabilitating old quarries and increasing biodiversity through the regeneration of flora and fauna in active quarries.
Dr Carolyn Jewell, Senior Manager for Biodiversity and Natural Resources at CRH, highlighted to the audience the most recent findings of the European Environment Agency on habitats and species in Europe. The moderator mentioned that the European Union currently protects 1,389 species of flora and fauna, as well as 233 types of habitats. However, according to EU Habitats, only 15 percent of habitats and 27 percent of species are in a “good” conservation status. In contrast, 81 percent of habitats and 63 percent of species are in a “poor” or “bad” conservation status in Europe.
The European Cement Association has been a pioneer in these initiatives by launching its Biodiversity Roadmap in 2022. This roadmap not only offered a vision of biodiversity in relation to limestone and aggregate quarries, but also a shared vision of what the cement industry can achieve by 2030.
Policies and legislation related to nature in Europe have been in place for around 40 years, starting with the Birds Directive of 1979 and the Habitats Directive of 1992. These two laws have been key to protecting biodiversity and have recently been strengthened by the Nature Restoration Act of 2024, which seeks to restore ecosystems, habitats, and species across the European Union. In addition, these policies prohibit illegal hunting and protect nesting sites during breeding.
CEMBUREAU initiatives have facilitated the creation of 2,700 protected sites, around 700,000 km2 of land cover. Now, approximately 500 birds and more than 1,000 non-avian species are protected, many of these birds inhabit limestone quarries.
Since May 2020, the EU has proposed a 2030 biodiversity strategy to enhance, protect and restore nature. BS2030 seeks to legally protect 30 percent of the European Union’s land and 30 percent of its oceans, thereby protecting one-third of primary and ancient forests and 30 percent of species and habitats.
The Nature Restoration Act also supports all these initiatives. This act was approved in June 2024 by the council and put into effect in August 2024, with sectoral objectives and targets that will result in 20 percent of the European Union’s land and ocean surface being covered with restoration measures.
The “red lists” are another important resource for the preservation and restoration of biodiversity. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) creates policies, collects information, creates scientific tools, and develops standards related to the preservation of biodiversity. This year marks the 60th anniversary of its Threatened Species Red List. The Global Red List covers the list of species facing extinction. This list currently records 160,000 species and has a goal of recording 260,000 species and reassessing 142,000 species by 2030. Current estimates are that 46,300 species are threatened with extinction. The categories are organized from species of least concern, near threatened, vulnerable to endangered and critically endangered. There are also a European Red List and National Red Lists, where perspectives on the same species can vary.
To promote biodiversity at quarries and operational sites, the cement industry collaborates with universities and conservation organizations such as the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) in Germany. A notable example is the introduction of the water buffalo at Cemex’s Immelborn quarry, also in Germany. Although it may seem unusual, this initiative has generated an increase in habitats for species such as amphibians, low land meadows, inland salt marshes and has promoted the presence of animals such as the yellow-bellied toad, the warty newt, and the Eurasian otter. Projects such as this demonstrate the industry’s long-term commitment to conservation.
Source: cemnet.com