EU Council Approves Landmark Nature Restoration Law: Towards the 30×30 Global Biodiversity Goal

Understanding the 30×30 Goal

30×30 is a global conservation initiative aiming to protect 30% of Earth’s land and ocean by 2030. This goal, endorsed by over 190 countries at the Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework, was agreed at the 2022 UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15). It aims to safeguard biodiversity, enhance equitable access to nature, and build resilience against climate change.

Photo by Julian Haber 

The New Nature Restoration Law

On June 17th, the EU Council formally adopted an unprecedented regulation on nature restoration. This law seeks to implement measures 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 sets specific, legally binding targets for various ecosystems, including terrestrial, marine, freshwater, and urban environments. The regulation is designed to mitigate climate change, reduce the impacts of natural disasters, and help the EU meet its international environmental commitments while restoring European nature.

Why is protecting 30% of our land and ocean by 2030 so crucial?

Over 80% of European habitats are currently in poor condition. Despite previous efforts, the degradation of nature persists. This is why, for the first time ever, the regulation sets out to adopt measures to not only preserve but to restore nature. The regulation will help the EU reach its international commitments, in particular COP15 in Montréal.

This 30×30 percentage was not chosen at random; it is a critical point identified by the scientific community to prevent the risk of mass extinction while ensuring food security and economic prosperity. The goal responds to the massive destruction of nature that polluting industries have caused for decades, which has led to a 68% decline in animal life since 1970. Combined with rising temperatures, the loss of biodiversity will get worse.

Photo by: Rewilding Europe

What’s in the New Nature Restoration Law?

• Restoring Land and Sea Ecosystems: The regulation mandates that member states work together to restore at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030, aligning with the EU’s climate mitigation and adaptation objectives and enhancing food security. Where Natura 2000 sites will be prioritized for restoration measures until 2030.

• Specific Restoration Targets: For habitats in poor condition, member states must restore at least 30% by 2030, 60% by 2040 and at least 90% by 2050.

• Preventing Deterioration: Preventing significant deterioration in areas that have reached good condition due to restoration efforts and in habitats listed in the regulation.

• Protecting Pollinators: Measures to reverse the decline of wild insect pollinators by 2030, addressing the dramatic decrease in their abundance and diversity in recent decades.
• Ecosystem-Specific Measures: Enhance indicators like grassland butterfly populations, organic carbon in cropland soils, and high-diversity agricultural landscapes, while also increasing forest bird populations and maintaining urban green spaces by 2030. Additionally, they will restore drained peatlands, plant three billion trees, and convert 25,000 km of rivers into free-flowing rivers by removing barriers.

• National Restoration Plans: Outlining how each EU member will achieve the targets. They must also monitor and report on their progress using EU-wide biodiversity indicators.

Photo by NRDC

Critical Thinking on the 20% Target

While the 20% restoration target by 2030 is a significant step, it falls short of the 30% target agreed upon at COP15. Achieving only two-thirds of the goal may compromise the overall effectiveness of the initiative. The 30% target is scientifically identified as necessary to avert biodiversity collapse and ensure ecosystem resilience. Thus, aligning the EU’s restoration efforts with the COP15 agreement remains critical for comprehensive and lasting environmental impact.

In Conclusion…

The new Nature Restoration Law is a groundbreaking step toward addressing the urgent need for ecosystem restoration in the EU. While the current target of 20% by 2030 is ambitious, striving to meet the full 30% goal as agreed at COP15 is essential for maximum impact. 

30×30 is an opportunity for the EU to play a global leadership role and integrate expertise to conserve biodiversity while building resilience to climate impacts for our communities.