Nature Restoration Law adopted by Parliament

On Tuesday the Nature Restoration Law was approved by the Parliament during the Plenary Vote in Strassbourg. The only step left before publication of the new law is the endorsement of the text by the Council.

The regulation sets targets to improve the condition of natural ecosystems, among which forest areas. 20% of land area must show increasing trends in a specified set of biodiversity indicators.

In anticipation to the Plenary vote, EUSTAFOR communicated its take-away messages on the NRL:

1. Restoration should be about the future, not the past
   The text is focused on securing conditions with the past as reference, when habitats were confronted with fewer pressures, including the impact of climate change. Instead, the focus should be on securing the existence of habitats in new, climate change triggered conditions.
2. The 2030 target remains inconsistent with actual restoration needs
   The 2030 target still refers to the EU area and not the area in need of restoration. The target is set to cover millions of ha, regardless of actual needs, requires extensive human resources and huge costs to be covered from not well-identified sources.
   
3. The gaps assessment is a positive addition but might come too little too late
   Assessing funding gaps 12 months after the law’s entry into force is a positive signal but it might come as too little too late! Such assessment should have been done prior to the proposal’s adoption.
4. The required expertise and land availability needs are not well considered
   Without proper expertise and land availability for restoration and re-establishment of certain ecosystems, the implementation of the law will not be possible. Yet, land availability and necessary human resources are not addressed at all by the provisional agreement.

Once the new law has been approved, it will be up to the member state to write well thought-out National Restoration Plans for successful implementation.