About the EU Nature Restoration Law:

The Nature Restoration Law is part of the EU Biodiversity Strategy, which sets binding targets to restore degraded ecosystems, in particular those with the most potential to capture and store carbon and to prevent and reduce the impact of natural disasters. The law aims to:

• Restore marine, aquatic, and terrestrial habitats and species

• Support long-term recovery of biodiversity and natural resilience

• Contribute towards climate mitigation and adaptation

I support municipal entities in understanding how these Nature Restoration targets apply to your city or town, and integrate restoration objectives into urban green space planning.

Interested in working together? You can get in touch here.

How does the EU Nature Restoration law apply to urban areas?

Article 8 sets out nature restoration objectives specifically for urban areas:

1.   By 31 December 2030, Member States shall ensure that there is no net loss in the total national area of urban green space and of urban tree canopy cover in urban ecosystem areas, determined in accordance with Article 14(4), compared to 2024. For the purposes of this paragraph, Member States may exclude from those total national areas the urban ecosystem areas in which the share of urban green space in the urban centres and urban clusters exceeds 45 % and the share of urban tree canopy cover exceeds 10 %.

2.   From 1 January 2031, Member States shall achieve an increasing trend in the total national area of urban green space, including through the integration of urban green space into buildings and infrastructure, in urban ecosystem areas, determined in accordance with Article 14(4), measured every six years from 1 January 2031, until a satisfactory level as set in accordance with Article 14(5) is reached.

3.   Member States shall achieve, in each urban ecosystem area, determined in accordance with Article 14(4), an increasing trend of urban tree canopy cover, measured every six years from 1 January 2031, until the satisfactory level identified as set in accordance with Article 14(5) is reached.