Purpose and scope. The EU Nature Restoration Regulation (NRR; Regulation (EU) 2024/1991) sets legally binding
targets to restore degraded ecosystems on land and at sea. This commentary synthesises scientific evidence and
policy options to support implementation across Member States, drawing on previous EASAC work on biodiversity,
soils, forests, agriculture, bioenergy, water, and wildfires. It emphasises restoration as a cost-effective strategy for
climate mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity recovery, water security, and disaster-risk reduction.

Why restoration matters. Europe faces intertwined crises: biodiversity decline, climate impacts (droughts, floods,
heat), soil degradation, and weakening natural carbon sinks—especially in forests and peatlands. Ecosystem
services (nature’s contributions to people) underpin food and water security, health, and prosperity, yet are largely
non-market public goods and thus under-provided. The NRR aims to correct this by setting targets, requiring
national restoration plans (NRPs), and aligning with the Biodiversity Strategy, Green Deal, CAP, Water and Marine
Directives, and the Forest Strategy.

Targets, plans, and economics. Headline goals include restoring at least 20% of EU land and sea by 2030
and progressively more degraded habitats to 2050; specific targets address peatland rewetting, forest condition
indicators, agricultural ecosystem features, free-flowing rivers, and urban green–blue infrastructure. Commission
assessments indicate multi-fold net benefits (public health, avoided damages, resilience, recreation, carbon) far
exceeding costs, but financing must bridge the gap between who pays and who benefits.
 

Evidence base: biodiversity and ecosystem services. Biodiversity enhances multiple ecosystem functions across
scales (pollination, pest control, nutrient cycling, soil formation, water regulation). Declines in insects and birds,
high land-use intensity, and ‘extinction debts’ threaten agricultural stability and broader resilience. Accounting
shows substantial annual value in EU ecosystem services, especially forests, water purification, and nature-based
recreation.


Ecosystem-specific guidance
• Agricultural landscapes. Regenerative agriculture offers a goal-based pathway to rebuild soil organic matter,
biodiversity, water retention, and climate resilience while sustaining yields. Priorities: diversified rotations/
intercropping, cover and perennial crops, reduced tillage, agroforestry, landscape elements, and integrated
pest management (IPM). Pay for measured outcomes (soil carbon, biodiversity, water), enable landscape-scale
coordination, strengthen advisory systems, and align value chains.
• Forests. The forest carbon sink is weakening owing to harvest pressure and climate-amplified disturbances.
Adopt close-to-nature silviculture, mixed-species and mixed-age stands, protect and connect habitats, and
manage fuels and mosaics to reduce extreme wildfires. Reform bioenergy incentives towards true wastes/
residues and cascade of use; rebuild stocks to meet Land use, land-use change, and forestry (LULUCF)
trajectories.
• Peatlands. Rewet and restore drained peatlands (including paludiculture) to cut emissions, lower wildfire risk,
improve water retention, and recover biodiversity.


The Nature Restoration Regulation can become a cornerstone of Europe’s climate and biodiversity strategy if it

  1. recognises and finances nature’s strategic assets, valuing measurable public-good outcomes;
  2. delivers cross-sectoral policy coherence and governance, aligning incentives and institutions; and
  3. mainstreams preventive restoration, investing ahead of crisis to secure resilience, fair transition and autonomy.

Together, these actions shift restoration from a compliance task to a strategic investment in Europe’s security,
prosperity, and ecological stability.