Nature Restoration Act: Council gives final green light

The Council formally adopted a nature restoration regulation, the first of its kind. The aim of this law is to introduce measures to restore at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030 and all ecosystems requiring restoration by 2050.

It sets specific, legally binding goals and obligations for nature restoration in each of the ecosystems mentioned – from terrestrial to marine, freshwater and urban ecosystems.

The regulation aims to mitigate climate change and the effects of natural disasters. It will help the EU meet its international obligations to protect the environment and restore Europe’s nature.

“I am pleased with the positive vote on the Nature Restoration Act, which was agreed between the European Parliament and the Council almost a year ago. It’s the result of hard work that paid off. There is no time for a break in environmental protection. Today, the Council of the EU decides to restore nature in Europe, thereby protecting its biodiversity and the living environment of European citizens. It is our responsibility not only to respond to the urgency of Europe’s biodiversity collapse, but also to enable the European Union to meet its international obligations. The European delegation will be able to go to the next COP with its head held high.” − Alain Maron, Minister for Climate Change, Environment, Energy and Participatory Democracy in the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region

Restoration of land and marine ecosystems

New regulations will help with this restore degraded ecosystems Member States’ land and marine habitats, achieving the EU’s overarching climate change mitigation and adaptation goals and increasing food security.

The regulation requires Member States to establish and implement measures aimed at: together restoring at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030 as an EU target.

The regulation covers a range of terrestrial, coastal and freshwater, forest, agricultural and urban ecosystems, including wetlands, grasslands, forests, rivers and lakes, as well as marine ecosystems, including seagrass, sponge and coral beds.

By 2030, Member States will give priority Nature 2000 places when implementing restoration measures.

In habitats considered as poor conditionas set out in the Regulation, Member States will take action to restore:

• at least 30% by 2030
• at least 60% by 2040
• at least 90% by 2050

Efforts not to deteriorate

Member States will endeavor to prevent significant deterioration in areas that:

• achieved good condition thanks to renovation
• are habitats for terrestrial and marine habitats listed in the regulation

Pollinator protection

In recent decades, the abundance and diversity of wild pollinators in Europe have declined dramatically. To address this problem, the Regulation introduces specific requirements for measures aimed at: reverse the decline of pollinators by 2030 at the latest.

Ecosystem-specific measures

The regulation sets out detailed requirements for various types of ecosystems, including agricultural land, forests and urban ecosystems.

Member States will introduce measures to improve two of these three indicators: the population of commercial butterflies, the stock of organic carbon in mineral soils of agricultural fields and the share of agricultural land with a high diversity of landscape features. Increasing forest bird populations and ensuring there is no net loss municipal greenery spaces and tree canopy cover by the end of 2030 are also key measures under this new law.

Member States will introduce measures to restore drained peatlands and at least assist with planting three billion additional trees by 2030 at EU level. To turn back at least 25,000 km of rivers into freely flowing rivers by 2030, Member States will take action to remove artificial barriers hindering the connectivity of surface waters.

National reconstruction plans

Under the new rules, Member States must plan ahead and submit applications national reconstruction plans Commission, showing how they will achieve their goals. They must also monitor and report on their progress against EU-wide biodiversity indicators.

Next steps

The regulation will now be published in the Official Journal of the EU and will enter into force. Becomes directly applicable in all Member States.

By 2033, the Commission will review the application of the Regulation and its impact on the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, as well as its wider socio-economic impacts.

Background

On June 22, 2022, the European Commission proposed a law on restoring nature as part of the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, which is part of the European Green Deal. More than 80% of habitats in Europe are in poor condition. So far, efforts to protect and preserve nature have not been able to reverse this disturbing trend.

Therefore, for the first time in history, the regulation provides for the adoption of measures not only to protect but also to restore nature. The regulation will help the EU meet its international obligations, in particular the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework agreed at the 2022 UN Conference on Biodiversity (COP15).