Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2024 on nature restoration and amending Regulation (EU) 2022/869. The newly implemented Nature Restoration Regulation enters into force aiming to restore European Degraded ecosystems

On Sunday, August 18th, the Nature Restoration Regulation entered into force, setting binding targets to restore degraded ecosystems, with an emphasis on those most capable of capturing and storing carbon, and reducing the impact of natural disasters.

The comprehensive implementation of the Nature Restoration Law is vital for restoring the EU’s biodiversity, halting further biodiversity loss, achieving climate neutrality by 2050, adapting to climate change, and ensuring food security for EU citizens. This law also supports other European goals, such as water security, and plays a crucial role in helping the EU and its Member States meet international biodiversity commitments under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

The law initiates a continuous and sustained recovery process for nature across the EU’s land and sea, promoting more sustainable economic development and agricultural practices while aligning with the growth of renewable energy. By 2030, Member States are tasked with implementing restoration measures on at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas, to expand these efforts to all ecosystems needing restoration by 2050.

Additionally, the law mandates restoration measures to improve the condition of key habitats on land and at sea, maintain and increase urban green spaces and tree canopy cover post-2030, and restore at least 25,000 km of rivers to free-flowing status by 2030. It will also help reverse the decline of pollinators, enhance biodiversity in agricultural and forest ecosystems, and contribute to the goal of planting at least three billion additional trees across the EU by 2030.

Restoration targets vary across ecosystems, and Member States are responsible for determining the specific measures they will implement within their territories. To achieve this, each Member State will develop a national restoration plan outlining the restoration needs and actions necessary to meet the obligations and targets set by the law. These plans will be tailored to the national context and take into account the diversity of different regions.