On August 18, the regulation for the restoration of nature comes into force. As stated in a Commission announcement, this is another step towards reversing the trend of biodiversity loss, achieving climate neutrality and improving Europe's preparedness and resilience against the effects of climate change.
This regulation will help the EU and its Member States achieve the restoration target they committed to in the Kunming-Montreal agreement on biodiversity at COP15 in December 2022, and is a key element of the European Green Deal, as well as the EU Biodiversity Strategy.
It is reported that the Nature Restoration Regulation puts in place a continuous and sustainable process of nature restoration in the EU's land and sea areas. At EU level the target has been set for Member States to introduce restoration measures for at least 20% of land areas and 20% of EU seas by 2030. These measures should be in place by 2050 for all ecosystems in need of restoration.
In particular, it adds, different restoration targets will apply to different ecosystems, such as peatlands, forests, agricultural lands, marine areas and freshwater systems, but also cities, where the presence of trees and greenery will help clean up the air and reducing temperatures. It is up to the Member States to decide which specific measures to apply in their territory. They will draw up their national recovery plans in an open and transparent manner, adapting recovery needs and measures to the national context.
The Commission will support national authorities in drawing up their plans. The drafts, which will set the milestones for 2030, 2040 and 2050, should be submitted to the Commission within 2 years of the entry into force of the regulation.
With these measures and targets, the new regulation will help restore the EU's biodiversity and halt its loss, which, despite current efforts, continues at an alarming rate. Today, more than 80% of assessments show that the conservation status of European habitat types is moderate or poor, while the status of many habitat types is further deteriorating.
At the same time, successful examples of restoration projects across Europe demonstrate their multiple social and economic benefits, as well as the fact that biodiversity is key to Europe's resilience , in the face of challenges such as water scarcity, threats to food security or zoonotic diseases, the announcement concludes.
Source: CYPE
