The EU’s cryosphere biodiversity blind spot | Science

The Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences (2025-2034) has begun (1), but international and regional guidelines for the management of glacial ecosystems are lacking. In the European Union (EU), the only legislative tool that recognizes glaciers as a protected habitat is the EU Habitats Directive (2), but even this does not fully take into account glacier biodiversity and its complexity (3). The lack of legally mandated biodiversity monitoring in these environments is unacceptable in the face of irreversible loss.