EU member states submitted draft national restoration plans to the European Commission on September 1. The plans are part of the Nature Restoration Regulation, which entered into force in 2024.
Each country's blueprint is meant to show how it will meet restoration targets through 2030, while also setting out longer-term actions for 2040 and 2050. The work can include healthier wetlands, forests, soils, rivers and other ecosystems.
Restored nature does more than help plants and animals. The Commission says healthy ecosystems can cool cities, protect water supplies and strengthen communities against drought, heatwaves, floods and wildfires.
The Commission and the European Environment Agency will review the drafts and share observations. Final national plans are due within one year, and countries can update them as they learn what works.
