After a summer of record-breaking heatwaves and devastating wildfires – with Spain declaring a national emergency and France activating its largest peacetime evacuation – the importance of restoring resilient ecosystems has become impossible to ignore. Healthy, well-restored ecosystems are among Europe’s strongest defences against these pressures, buffering the effects of drought, fire and flooding over the long term. To help Member States build that resilience, Biodiversa+, Water JPI and partners are publishing a series of policy briefs that translate a decade of restoration research and recommendations into practical, phased guidance for implementing the EU Nature Restoration Regulation (NRR).
Key messages
-> Europe urgently needs resilient ecosystems: As Europe faces increasingly frequent heatwaves, droughts and wildfires, restoring healthy ecosystems has become an urgent priority, not only for biodiversity, but also for climate adaptation, water security, human health and long-term prosperity.
-> The window for EU-wide action is here: Draft National Restoration Plans are due by 1 September 2026, final plans will be adopted in 2027, and the first revision will not take place until 2032. Decisions made today will influence nature restoration across Europe for years to come.
-> We know what works. Now it is time to implement what science has discovered: The Biodiversa+ policy briefs synthesize the latest scientific evidence and practical experience into practical guidance to help Member States translate the Nature Restoration Regulation into effective action.
The series comprises eight briefs covering both specific ecosystems and the enabling conditions restoration depends on — from seed supply to finance — and offers an evidence-based roadmap to allow Member States to implement the Nature Restoration Regulation effectively.
The briefings provide an overview of some of the challenges facing Member States. As climate extremes intensify, they show, for example, how Nature-based Solutions can reduce stormwater pressures and flooding in urban catchments, and how climate-risk screening can keep restoration effective as conditions change.
They also highlight that fewer than one in ten national restoration policies currently address the unintended health or social consequences of restoration, despite the well-established link between land-use change and emerging infectious diseases, and that private financing of nature restoration in Europe remains marginal outside protected areas, despite an estimated €65 billion annual investment need.
According to Rainer Sodtke, Biodiversa+ Co-chair, “The science of nature restoration has never been more well-established or actionable. These briefs take the European research, policy recommendations and practical experience developed in recent years and turn them into guidance that policymakers can use. With the Nature Restoration Regulation now entering its critical phase, Member States have access to practical, evidence-based guidance on creating effective plans. We urge them to use it.”
Biodiversa+ and its network of 81 partner organisations across 39 countries are calling on Member States and their national implementation authorities to use the briefs as a practical guide for reviewing and strengthening their plans.
Read the policy briefs: https://www.biodiversa.eu/restoration/