How can Europe Restore its Nature?
The text was created with materials from the European project "AE-Transect", a part of which is STEP.
On Tuesday 9 January 2024, the European Parliament voted in favour of the Nature Restoration Law (NRL), a globally unique but hotly debated regulation that aims to halt and reverse biodiversity loss in Europe. The NRL requires EU member states to implement restoration measures on at least 20 per cent of land and marine areas by 2030, and in all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050. This includes specific targets to rewet peatlands and to increase pollinator populations.
But will the regulation really achieve its aims, considering a multitude of changes included in the negotiation process?
“The NRL avoids several pitfalls that often obstruct the implementation of European policies and regulations, showing that the Commission learned from past experiences” says Daniel Hering from the University of Duisburg-Essen, first author of the study.
At the same time, national implementation will be crucial for the NRL’s success. “While targets are precisely defined and binding, the steps to achieve them need to be decided by individual European countries and most of them are voluntary” says Josef Settele from Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research UFZ in Halle, one of the study’s authors.
The main role is for farmers, land owners and users. Intensive agriculture is still one of the main reasons for the loss of biodiversity in Europe. Big changes are needed to keep soils healthy, to restore pollinator populations and to increase water storage capacity in the landscape.
The authors conclude that funds provided by the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy need to be used for achieving the NRL’s aims. Overall, the authors provide a positive outlook for the NRL, but warn that ambitious national implementation and cooperation with economic sectors, such as agriculture, will eventually determine the success of nature restoration in Europe.
The NRL is part of the Green Deal and aims to contribute significantly to the attainment of both the EU's climate targets and the international biodiversity agreement of Kunming-Montreal. This global accord stipulates the restoration of a minimum of 30 percent of degraded ecosystems. Given that over 80 percent of habitats in the EU are currently in a state of degradation, the NRL represents a crucial leap forward in addressing this environmental challenge.