Nature restoration

KEY POINTS

• The regulation was adopted as a key deliverable of the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 (see summary), a part of the European Green Deal.
• It sets quantitative and time-bound restoration targets for ecosystems, building on and complementing obligations set out in the:
  • Birds Directive (see summary);
  • Habitats Directive (see summary);
  • Marine Strategy Framework Directive (see summary);
  • Water Framework Directive (see summary).

Ecosystem-specific restoration targets and obligations for EU Member States

The regulation sets out restoration targets and obligations specific to:

• terrestrial, coastal and freshwater habitat types and habitats of species in these areas;
• marine habitats and habitats of marine species;
• urban ecosystems;
• river connectivity and floodplains;
• pollinators;
• agricultural ecosystems;
• forest ecosystems.

Their implementation should also contribute to the commitment of planting at least 3 billion additional trees by 2030 at the EU level.

For terrestrial, coastal and freshwater habitat types listed in Annex I and for marine habitats listed in Annex II, EU Member States must take measures to:

• improve to good condition areas of habitat types that are not in good condition, with targets for 2030, 2040 and 2050;
• re-establish habitat types in areas where they no longer occur;
• restore areas of habitats of species covered by the Birds Directive or the Habitats Directive and the marine species listed in Annex III to ensure the long-term survival of the species;
• close the knowledge gap about the distribution and condition of those habitats.

In these habitat types, Member States must also:

• put in place measures to ensure that areas subject to restoration continue to improve until good condition is reached, and do not subsequently significantly deteriorate once they have reached good condition or, for habitats of species, sufficient quality;
• endeavour to put in place measures to prevent significant deterioration in areas of habitat types that are already in good condition or that are needed to reach the targets set out in Articles 4(17) and 5(14).

In urban ecosystems, Member States have to ensure:

• that there is no net loss in the total national area of urban green space or of urban tree canopy cover in urban ecosystem areas by 2030;
• an increasing trend in the total national area of urban green space after 2030, and, in each urban ecosystem area, an increasing trend of urban tree canopy cover, until satisfactory levels are achieved.

To restore the natural connectivity of rivers and natural functions of the related floodplains, Member States have to:

• make an inventory of artificial barriers to the connectivity of surface waters and identify barriers to be removed to contribute to the restoration of habitats and habitats of species and to fulfil the EU-level objective of restoring at least 25,000 km of rivers to free-flowing rivers by 2030;
• remove barriers in accordance with their national restoration plan, giving priority to obsolete barriers;
• implement complementary measures to improve the natural functions of the related floodplains by 2050;
• ensure that, once restored, the natural connectivity of rivers and the natural functions of the related floodplains are maintained.

For the restoration of pollinator populations, Member States have to:

• improve pollinator diversity and reverse the decline of pollinator populations by 2030;
• achieve an increasing trend of pollinator populations after 2030 until satisfactory levels are achieved.

In agricultural ecosystems, Member States are required to take measures that aim to:

• achieve an increasing trend at the national level, until satisfactory levels are achieved, of at least two out of the following three indicators:
  • grassland butterfly index,
  • stock of organic carbon in cropland mineral soils,
  • share of agricultural land with high-diversity landscape features;
• ensure that the common farmland bird index reaches specified levels;
• restore drained peatland currently in agricultural use by at least 30 % by 2030 (of which at least a quarter must be rewetted), 40 % by 2040 and 50 % by 2050 (of which at least a third must be rewetted).

In forest ecosystems, Member States have to put in place measures to:

• achieve an increasing trend in the common forest bird index at the national level until satisfactory levels are achieved;
• achieve an increasing trend at the national level, until satisfactory levels are achieved, of at least six out of the following seven indicators:
  • standing deadwood,
  • lying deadwood,
  • share of forests with uneven-aged structure,
  • forest connectivity,
  • stock of organic carbon,
  • share of forests dominated by native tree species,
  • tree species diversity.

The regulation also requires Member States, when implementing the objectives and obligations above, to contribute towards the EU-level commitment of planting 3 billion additional trees by 2030.

Several targets and obligations include the possibility for Member States to apply exemptions and flexibilities.

National restoration plans

• Member States must each submit a national restoration plan to the European Commission and publish the plan, showing how they will deliver on the targets.
• National restoration plans need to be reviewed and revised in 2032 and 2042.

Monitoring and reporting

• Member States have to monitor and report to the Commission, at specified intervals, their progress in implementing the obligations and meeting the targets of the regulation.
• Every six years, the European Environment Agency will provide to the Commission an EU-wide technical overview of the progress towards meeting the targets and the fulfilment of the obligations.
• Every six years, the Commission will report to the European Parliament and to the Council of the European Union on the implementation of the regulation.