Underpinning the <scp>EU</scp> Nature Restoration Regulation: five success factors for effective measures in the Member States
Elisabeth Marquard, Moritz Hermsdorf, Henriette Dahms, Katharina Schleicher, Sebastian Strunz, Mechthild Baron, Markus Salomon, Hannah‐Lea Schmid, Sophie Wiegand, Claudia Hornberg, Nina Farwig, Volkmar Wolters, Jürgen Bauhus, Peter H. Feindt, Wolfgang Köck, Josef Settele
Abstract
In August 2024, the Nature Restoration Regulation came into force in the European Union (EU). This landmark legislation on ecosystem restoration may significantly improve the state of European's biodiversity and could profoundly contribute to implementing the Kunming‐Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. To realize this potential, the EU Member States need to underpin the objectives of the Nature Restoration Regulation with effective measures. Here, we highlight five factors for the success of national nature restoration policies: increased acceptance of nature restoration and landscape change; agreed quantitative and qualified national restoration targets; improved coordination of nature restoration with other land uses; supportive organizational and legal framework conditions; and increased attractiveness of nature restoration to land users and land owners. Drawing on recommendations developed for the German context by three national policy advisory bodies, we suggest that these factors also hold relevance for advancing nature restoration policies in other EU Member States.