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Introduction

The concept of ”Sustainable Development” continues to be on the agenda
on a global scale with its effects and implications. The discussions about the
concept, which were included in the official agenda in 1987 under the slogan
”Our Common Future” (UN-Brundtland Report, 1987), gained momentum with
the Rio Conference in 1992. This international conference has had important
outputs that can guide sustainable development (”Agenda 21-Local Agenda
21“; “Action on Forests“; ”UN Framework Convention on Climate Change-
The Kyoto Protocol“; ”Convention on Biological Diversity”).
Developments on this issue continued with the “Millennium Development
Goals” set at the United Nations Millennium Summit (UN) (2000). In line with
these goals, vital issues were addressed such as harmonizing the principles
of sustainable development with national legislation, protecting natural and
cultural resources, improving the biodiversity, doubling the access to drinking
water. Then, “World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg”
in 2002 and “Rio+20” conference in 2012 were held in order to realize the
Rio Conference and Millenium Development Goals. An outcome document
called “The Future We Want” was agreed at the end of the “Rio+20 United
Nations Conference on Sustainable Development” to guide the sustainable
development, and finally the “UN Sustainable Development Goals (Agenda
2030) were adopted in New York, USA in 2015. Following targets are proposed
in this regard; Goal 11: “Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”;
Goal 13: “Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts”; Goal
14: “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources”;
Goal 15: “Preserve, improve and promote the land ecosystems, sustainably
manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt
biodiversity loss” (Republic of Türkiye the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2022).
The steps taken on a global scale towards sustainable development, which
are briefly mentioned above, ensured that vital issues such as a sustainable
city, climate change, drought management, and biodiversity conservation
were included in the sustainable development agenda.
Two important moves are prominent in bringing the issue to the agenda
on a European scale. The first one is the “Natura 2000” move, which focuses
on protecting and developing Europe’s biodiversity, and second one is
the “Green Deal” move, a new growth strategy, which aims to transform
Europe into a fair and prosperous society with a modern, resource-efficient
and competitive economy, free from net greenhouse gas emissions and
economic growth is separated from resource use. Natura 2000 is a follow-up
of the “Birds Directive” (1979) (Sundseth and Creed, 2008; COM, 2013). The
European Union (EU) aims to protect and develop its natural capital with the
”EU Green Deal”, while protecting the health and well-being of citizens from
environmental risks and impacts with a fair and inclusive approach (URL-1).

218 Journal of Environment, Urbanization and Climate