Nature Restoration Law

February 29, 2024

European Union lawmakers approved the bloc’s Nature Restoration Law.
The new law sets a target for the EU to restore at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030 and all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050.
- It aims to reverse the decline of Europe’s natural habitats, 81% of which are classed as being in poor health.
The law also sets specific targets such as peatlands that can soak up CO2 emissions and help curb climate change.
- Other ecosystems explicitly covered by the law include forests, grasslands, and wetlands, as well as rivers, lakes, and coral beds.
Member states must restore at least 30% of habitats specifically covered by the new law from a poor to a good condition by 2030. That target would increase to 60% by 2040, and 90% by 2050.