Nature waterfall lake – Photo by Rachel Claire on Pexels
(LUXEMBOURG) – The EU Council gave the final green light Monday to measures which aim to restore at least 20 per cent of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030, and all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050.
The Nature Restoration Law sets specific, legally binding targets and obligations for nature restoration in each of the listed ecosystems – from terrestrial to marine, freshwater and urban ecosystems. Aims are to mitigate climate change and the effects of natural disasters, help restore degraded ecosystems, and also enhance food security.
The regulation requires member states to establish and implement measures to restore at least 20 per cent of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030. It 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 and sponge and coral beds.
Until 2030, member states will prioritise Natura 2000 sites when implementing the restoration measures. On habitats deemed in poor condition, as listed in the regulation, member states will take measures to restore:
- at least 30% by 2030
- at least 60% by 2040
- at least 90% by 2050
The regulation also sets out specific requirements for different types of ecosystems, including agricultural land, forests and urban ecosystems.
Member states will put measures aiming to enhance two out of these three indicators: grassland butterflies’ population, stock of organic carbon in cropland mineral soils and share of agricultural land with high-diversity landscape features. Increasing forest birds’ population and making sure there is no net loss on urban green spaces and tree canopy cover until end of 2030 are also key measures of this new law.
They will put in place measures aiming to restore drained peatlands and help plant at least three billion additional trees by 2030 at the EU level. In order to turn at least 25 000 km of rivers into free-flowing rivers by 2030, member states will take measures to remove man-made barriers to the connectivity of surface waters.
Under the new rules, EU member states must submit national restoration plans to the Commission, showing how they will deliver on the targets. They must also monitor and report on their progress, based on EU-wide biodiversity indicators.
The regulation will now be published in the EU’s Official Journal and enter into force. It will become directly applicable in all member states. The Commission, for its part, must, by 2033, review the application of the regulation and its impacts on the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, as well as its wider socio-economic effects.
Nature restoration (background information)
Biodiversity: how the EU protects nature (background information)
