Prof. Dr. Daniel Hering from University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, explains the importance of the Nature Restoration Law (NRL)
At the end of February, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted to ratify the NRL. After years of intensive discussion, the NRL has received support from the EU Environment Committee, as well as the scientific community and civil society more broadly.
Farmer protests
Despite this, many scientists and environmental organisations are concerned that attempts are being made to discredit the NRL and to negatively influence farmers who have (and continue to) protested across Europe. In an attempt to stem the flow of misinformation spreading through public discussion, more than 6000 scientists signed a letter supporting the NRL in 2023, highlighting the benefits to farmers of improved biodiversity and other environment factors, and the risks of its continued decline.
Strengths of the NRL
In a recent article published in Science, the strengths of the NRL and the challenges it faces have been analysed. Scientists believe it will contribute significantly to:
- safeguarding the EU's natural heritage and reverse the loss of biodiversity in Europe;
- implementing other EU directives and policies more effectively (e.g. the Water Framework Directive, the Marine Strategy Directive, the Biodiversity Strategy and the Common Agricultural Policy);
- strengthening the links between nature conservation and land users (agriculture, forestry, fisheries);
- making European ecosystems more resilient to climate change and thus strengthen rural and urban areas;
- providing a model for modern and sustainable nature conservation that can serve as an example worldwide.
Legal protection
The NRL will also be important from a legal perspective. It will provide legal certainty by setting a clear and unique legal framework providing alignment with existing policies and laws, including conservation, climate mitigation and adaptation, renewable energy and agriculture. It will allow for greater flexibility in human activities, as restored ecosystems are more robust, resilient and better equipped to handle environmental pressures.
Important for the EU and beyond
Rejecting the law would have far-reaching negative legal consequences. At EU and Member State level, it would lead to legal uncertainty, as long as ecosystems remain in a bad conservation status and targets and deadlines on restoration are missing. At the global level, the EU would jeopardise its leading role and credibility as environmental player in the international sphere.
Despite all the challenges of implementation, the NRL can become a success story whose impact will also radiate into other areas of the Green Deal that have been less successful to date.
The final vote by the Council of Ministers is scheduled for 25 March.
What can you do?
Contact your government and environmental minister to find out how they are supporting the Nature Restoration Law.
Be an environmental ambassador by advocating the benefits of the NRL. As well as the article in Science (see Find out more, below), a good overview of the main issues can be found on the Carbon Brief website.
Find out more
Scientists and Professionals stand by the European Commission Proposal for a Regulation on Nature Restoration, Society for Ecological Restoration, 1 December 2022
Scientists support the EU's Green Deal and reject the unjustified argumentation against the Sustainable Use Regulation and the Nature Restoration Law, open letter from 23 scientists, signed by 6000 scientists across EU Member States and 30 additional countries, July 9 2023
Securing Success for the Nature Restoration Laws, Science 382, 1248-250, 14 December 2023
Ten legal reasons to vote YES for NRL, Society for Ecological Restoration, March 2024
Q&A: What does the EU ‘nature restoration’ law mean for climate and biodiversity?, Carbon Brief, 28 February 2024
Related News: How can Europe restore its nature?