The EU just passed a groundbreaking nature conservation law

How will the legislation work?

What makes the Nature Restoration Law so special is that it is the first continent-wide legislation of its kind. It sets binding targets for EU member states, obligating them to rehabilitate local natural habitats – 80 percent of which are currently in poor condition.

Looking towards a greener and more sustainable future, the law prioritizes areas with the greatest potential to capture and store carbon, including wetlands, rivers, forests, grasslands, urban and marine ecosystems.

When setting targets, a number of positive outcomes were kept in mind, including increasing biodiversity, enhancing water and air quality, pollinating crops, improving food security. It will also aim to mitigate the impacts of natural disasters, such as drought and floods.

Under the new legislation, EU member states will focus on restoring Natura 2000 protected areas, covering Europe’s most valuable and threatened species and habitats. As for restoration, targets are set at 30 percent improvement by 2030, 60 percent by 2040, and 90 percent by 2050 for areas in poor condition.

Specific measures include restoring pollinator populations, planting three billion new trees by 2030, and ensuring no net loss of urban green spaces and tree canopy cover. Additionally, human-made barriers will be removed from rivers to restore 25,000 kilometers of free-flowing rivers by the end of the decade.

This holistic approach is part of the EU’s broader Biodiversity Strategy, aimed at helping Europe meet the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C.

“The #NatureRestoration Law will just lead to more protected areas!”

“It will negatively impact Europe’s food security and threaten farmers’ livelihoods!”

We understand these concerns – but they are simply wrong. Allow us to clarify how it really works!

A thread 👇🧵 pic.twitter.com/BT1AxZj4xv

— EU Environment (@EU_ENV) June 14, 2023

How did the law come into effect?

The law was first proposed by the European Commission in June 2022.

It gained momentum at COP15 – yes, more than ten COP events ago – in Montreal, Canada, where nations committed to restoring 30 percent of the world’s degraded ecosystems by 2030.

Despite these commitments, the European People’s Party (EPP) pushed back on the law being passed. The group argued that the proposed environmental legislation could threaten farmers’ livelihoods, reduce food production, disrupt supply chains, and raise consumer food prices.

Even with revisions to the legislation, policymakers faced renewed opposition from farmers across Europe last year. They argued that the EU’s environmental regulations exacerbated their already strained industry.

These tensions were central to elections in the EU, causing a surge in support for right-wing parties. As a result, when it was time for EU environment ministers to vote, Finland, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Sweden rejected the law.

Belgium abstained from voting, but it was Austria that ultimately voted in favour of the law, securing its enactment.

The law’s approval will soon be published in the EU’s Official Journal, becoming directly applicable in all member states. From this point, it is expected to attract significant investment in nature and biodiversity, from both public and private investors.

We’ll have to wait to until 2033 to see how much progress has been made, as this is when The European Commission will review the law’s impacts for the very first time.