of 30% of the EU’s land area but does not
address road fragmentation ( 9 ). The plan
will allocate billions of euros for planting
trees and restoring degraded environments
but leave natural ecosystems vulnerable to
new roads and land-
consuming projects. This conflict is par-
ticularly pronounced in biodiversity-rich
European countries such as Spain and
Greece, which are facing a rapid expan-
sion of renewable energy infrastructures in
ecologically sensitive zones ( 10 , 11 ).
Europe is a densely populated con-
tinent that still holds large tracts of
natural unfragmented lands ( 12 ). The EU
should adopt a roadless policy ( 5 ) similar
to the Greek legislation. Roadless areas
should be integrated into the criteria for
expansion, interconnection, and strict
protection of parts of the Natura 2000
network, and roadless areas should be
considered proactive restoration targets
( 9 ). The Greek model could provide an
efficient, straightforward, and cost-
effective approach to tackle both climate
change and the biodiversity crisis in
the EU.Vassiliki Kati1,2*, Nuria Selva2,3 Per Sjögren-Gulve^2(^1) University of Ioannina, Department of
Biological Applications and Technology, GR-45110
Ioannina, Greece.^2 Society for Conservation
Biology Europe Section, FR-75013 Paris,
France.^3 Institute of Nature Conservation,
Polish Academy of Sciences, 31-120
Kraków, Poland.
*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]
REFERENCES AND NOTES
- Biodiversity Conservation Lab, University of Ioannina,
“Roadless” (2022); https://bc.lab.uoi.gr/en/
research/projects/roadless/. - S. Díaz et al., Science 366 , eaax3100 (2019).
- W. F. Laurance et al., Nature 513 , 229 (2014).
- P. L. Ibisch et al., Science 354 , 1423 (2016).
- V. K a t i et al., Biol. Conserv. 252 , 108828 (2020).
- N. Selva et al., Environ. Manage. 48 , 865 (2011).
- European Union, “Science for environmental
policy. Future brief: No net land take by 2050?”
(2016); https://ec.europa.eu/environment/
integration/research/newsalert/pdf/
no_net_land_take_by_2050_FB14_en.pdf. - European Environmental Agency, “The European
environment-state and outlook 2020: Knowledge for
transition to a sustainable Europe” (2019); http://www.eea.
europa.eu/soer/2020. - European Commission, “EU Biodiversity Strategy for
2030” (2020); https://ec.europa.eu/environment/
nature/biodiversity/strategy/index_en.htm. - D. Serrano et al., Science 370 , 1282 (2020).
- V. Kati et al., Sci. Tot. Environ. 768 , 144471 (2021).
- European Environmental Agency, “Landscape
fragmentation pressure and trends in
Europe” (2021); http://www.eea.europa.eu/
data-and-maps/indicators/mobility-and-
urbanisation-pressure-on-ecosystems-2/
assessment.
10.1126/science.abo2014
Iran’s agricultural waste
Global agricultural waste poses a seri-
ous threat to food security ( 1 ). Each year,
Iran wastes 35 million tons of food in
different harvesting stages ( 2 ), 25 times
more than the annual agricultural waste
produced by developed countries ( 3 ). The
wasted products in Iran could feed 15984 4 MARCH 2022 • VOL 375 ISSUE 6584 science.org SCIENCE
PHOTO: HARITAKIS PAPAIOANNOUGreek roadless policy:
A model for Europe
On 18 January 2022, the Greek govern-
ment banned road construction in six
Natura 2000 roadless mountainous
areas, triggering a broader national
roadless policy ( 1 ). Road sprawl is a key
catalyst of land use change, which is the
greatest threat to biodiversity worldwide
( 2 ). For years, scientists have called for
halting infrastructure expansion, includ-
ing roads, to protect biodiversity ( 3 – 6 ),
with little success. Greece’s policy should
serve as a model for the EU.
Europe is the most road-fragmented
continent ( 4 ). However, the EU has
not yet passed legislation to protect
its natural ecosystems from new road
construction, as the United States did for
its forests in 2001 ( 5 , 6 ). In 2011, the EU
set a goal to eliminate new land conver-
sion to artificial land by 2050 (known
as the “no net land take” milestone) ( 7 ),
but the target was not legally bind-
ing. In the years since, land conversion
to artificial land, soil imperviousness,
landscape fragmentation, and land use
change have increased, and terrestrial
biodiversity has continued to decline
( 8 ). The EU’s 2030 Biodiversity Strategy
commits to legally protect a minimum
Edited by Jennifer Sills
LETTERS
Greece has banned the construction of new roads in some of its mountainous areas, a policy that can proactively protect vulnerable habitats and species.