Making adaptation and resilience a priority in nature restoration plans
Biodiversity and nature in the EU are in steep decline, along with the ecosystem services and benefits it provides, whilst our land and seas are facing rapidly increasing changes and extremes from climate change. European politicians have recognised this by supporting the proposed EU Nature Restoration Law. This law requires Member States to put in place restoration measures in at least 20% of the EU’s land areas and 20% of its seas by 2030. The proposal has been formally adopted by the European Parliament and the EU Council on 27 February. The focus now shifts to Member States to draft their National Restoration Plans, showing how they will implement and fund the restoration and reach the targets. The preparation and implementation of the restoration plans will largely determine whether the law’s ambitious targets can be achieved.
The prosperity of our societies intrinsically depends on the health of ecosystems and their capacity to deliver ecosystem services: agricultural goods, provision of raw materials for the industry, contribution to various aspects of overall human health and well-being, to name a few.
Not only are natural ecosystems vital for the services they provide, they are also our insurance against increasing climate-related risks. Nature restoration can reduce climate-change-related risks by reducing human exposure to climate hazards and the vulnerability of ecosystems and biodiversity to their impacts. Nature restoration also helps to build capacity to adapt to these impacts and can in some cases reduce the frequency and intensity of climate-related risks.
Nature restoration has the potential to reduce forest fire risk, increase resilience to extreme heat and regulate micro-climates in cities, and increase ecosystem resilience to droughts and erosion which is vital to guarantee food security. This session will focus on what member states need to consider when drafting their Nature Restoration Plans. Member States will be facing the challenge of ensuring policy coherence and synergies with national and EU commitments, while addressing remaining knowledge gaps regarding habitats and species condition.
The strengthening of participatory process and the inclusion of land and water managers in the decision-making process will be key to ensure commitment to achieving targets. The question of funding availability and leveraging opportunities for the private sector will also be a key aspect for the success of the Law. Based on these parameters, a robust framework for monitoring and reporting will be needed to ensure that Member States are on track.
Moderated by Evelyn Underwood – Head of Biodiversity and Ecosystems, Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP)
Speakers:
• Luc Bas – Director, Belgium Climate and Environment Risk Assessment Center
• DG Environment representative, European Commission (name tbc)
• Sabien Leemans – Senior Biodiversity Policy Officer, WWF European Policy Office
• Adeline Rochet – Programme Manager – Corporate Leaders Group Europe, CLG – University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership
• Barbora Chmelová – AMO, Member of Think Sustainable Europe network in Czech Republic – Ministry of Environment of Czech Republic
