Proposal for a regulation on nature restoration NGO analysis

The document analyzes the proposed EU Nature Restoration Law, supporting its overarching target to restore 20% of EU land and sea by 2030 but arguing that many specific targets lack sufficient ambition or quantification. It calls for increased targets for terrestrial and marine habitats, the removal of 15% of river barriers by 2030, and the expansion of peatland restoration beyond agricultural land to include forestry. The authors emphasize the need for clear national accountability, strengthened non-deterioration obligations, and dedicated EU funding to ensure the regulation's success in mitigating climate change and biodiversity loss.

• The proposal establishes a headline target to implement restoration measures on at least 20% of the EU's land and sea areas by 2030, which the authors view as a necessary minimum requirement for legal certainty and Member State mobilization.
• The authors argue that current ambition levels for terrestrial and marine restoration are too low, with too much action delayed until 2040 or 2050; they recommend increasing percentage targets and moving the 100% restoration timeline forward.
• Regarding river restoration, the analysis suggests that Member States should be required to restore 15% of river length, totaling 178,000 km across the EU, into free-flowing rivers by 2030.
• The document highlights that drained peatlands account for 5% of total EU greenhouse gas emissions and argues that restoration targets should be expanded to include forestry and all degraded peatlands regardless of land use.
• The analysis identifies a lack of quantified, time-bound objectives for indicator-based targets concerning pollinators, agricultural, and forest ecosystems, noting that Member States currently only need to show an 'increasing trend'.
• The authors recommend that the timeline for finalizing National Restoration Plans be reduced to two years to allow more time for implementation before the 2030 deadline.
• The European Commission's impact assessment indicates a high economic return on nature restoration, estimating that every €1 spent adds between €8 and €38 in economic value.

APA

ClientEarth (2022). Proposal for a regulation on nature restoration NGO analysis. https://www.clientearth.org/media/l05dyfl2/nature-restoration-law_firstanalysis_august2022.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. Proposal for a regulation on nature restoration NGO analysis. 2022. https://www.clientearth.org/media/l05dyfl2/nature-restoration-law_firstanalysis_august2022.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=ClientEarth |title=Proposal for a regulation on nature restoration NGO analysis |date=August 2022 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/l05dyfl2/nature-restoration-law_firstanalysis_august2022.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{clientearth2022proposal, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{Proposal for a regulation on nature restoration NGO analysis}}, institution = {ClientEarth}, year = {2022}, month = aug, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/l05dyfl2/nature-restoration-law_firstanalysis_august2022.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }