Nature restoration - Parliament adopts law to restore 20% of EU’s land and sea
On 27 February, the European Parliament approved the Nature Restoration Law, marking a significant step towards restoring Europe's ecosystems. This Law targets the EU to restore at least 20% of its land and sea areas by 2030 and commits to restoring all necessary ecosystems by 2050.
Restoring European nature is vital for our future well-being, especially considering increasing climate change-related threats like droughts, wildfires, and floods. Nature is crucial in mitigating climate change and enabling economies to adapt to its impacts.
Therefore, EU countries must restore at least 30% of habitats covered by the new law - from forests, grasslands, and wetlands to rivers, lakes, and coral beds - from poor to good condition by 2030. This percentage is set to increase to 60% by 2040 and 90% by 2050.
Additionally, until 2030, priority should be given to Natura 2000 areas—a network of protected areas covering Europe's most valuable and threatened species and habitats, both on land and at sea. Once restored to good condition, Member States must ensure their ongoing preservation by submitting and regularly updating national restoration plans.
The Nature Restoration Law received approval with 329 votes in favour, 275 against, and 24 abstentions. With over 80% of European habitats in poor condition, the EU Nature Restoration Law aims to restore degraded ecosystems across all Member States, thereby contributing to achieving the EU's climate and biodiversity objectives while enhancing food security .
The Nature Restoration Law must be adopted by the Council before being published in the EU Official Journal.
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