IFLA Europe, the European Region of the International Federation of Landscape Architects, welcomes European Council’s adoption of Nature Restoration Law. This legislation aims to address the pressing issue of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation across Europe. By setting legally binding targets for the restoration of degraded ecosystems, the law seeks to enhance the resilience of natural habitats, promote biodiversity, and contribute to the mitigation of climate change.
The Nature Restoration Law is a significant step towards achieving the EU’s biodiversity strategy for 2030, which includes ambitious goals such as the restoration of 30% of Europe’s degraded ecosystems. It mandates member states to develop and implement restoration plans for a variety of ecosystems, including forests, wetlands, peatlands, and marine environments. The law also emphasises the importance of integrating nature restoration into other sectors, such as agriculture, forestry, and urban planning.
“The Nature Recovery Law is acknowledging the importance of restoration of our natural systems and the need to secure the conservation, development, and management of our landscapes to ensure climate resilience, as an extension of the European Green Deal and the new European Bauhaus Declaration.” stated Katerina Gkoltsiou, IFLA Europe President.
Landscape architects possess the expertise needed to design and manage landscapes that enhance ecological integrity and provide sustainable benefits to society. Their involvement is essential in creating multifunctional landscapes that support biodiversity, improve climate resilience, and enhance the quality of life for European citizens.
The adoption of the Nature Restoration Law marks a pivotal moment in Europe’s efforts to combat environmental degradation and foster a more sustainable and biodiverse future. IFLA Europe’s support underscores the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in achieving the ambitious restoration targets set forth by the legislation.
The adoption of Nature Restoration laws implies the following:
Restoring land and sea ecosystems
The new rules will help to restore degraded ecosystems across member states’ land and sea habitats, achieve the EU’s overarching objectives on climate mitigation and adaptation, and enhance food security.
The regulation requires member states to establish and implement measures to jointly restore, as an EU target, at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030.
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 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:
Member states will make efforts to prevent significant deterioration of areas that:
In recent decades, the abundance and diversity of wild insect pollinators in Europe have declined dramatically. To address this, the regulation introduces specific requirements for measures to reverse the decline of pollinator populations by 2030 at the latest.
The regulation sets out specific requirements for different types of ecosystems, including agricultural land, forests and urban ecosystems.
- at least 30% by 2030
- at least 60% by 2040
- at least 90% by 2050
Ecosystem-specific measures
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.
Member states 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.
National restoration plans
Under the new rules, member states must plan ahead and 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.
Next steps
By 2033, the Commission will review the application of the regulation and its impacts on the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, as well as its wider socio-economic effects.
For more information about the session and press conference, please visit https://newsroom.consilium.europa.eu/events/20240617-environment-council-june-2024?gallery=Press+Conference
