Nature Restoration Law: NGO analysis of the draft report by César Luena

BirdLife, ClientEarth, EEB, Oceana and WWF are counting on the European Parliament to support the proposal for a regulation on nature restoration, in line with its position in the own-initiative report on the 2030 Biodiversity Strategy, and to strengthen the proposal where needed to ensure that it can fulfil its potential.The proposal for a Nature Restoration Law, published by the European Commission in June 2022, is a huge opportunity to bring nature back to Europe, benefiting biodiversity, climate, and people alike. The restoration of ecosystems such as peatlands, forests, and seagrass meadows can help reduce emissions and sequester millions of tonnes of carbon each year, as well as increase our resilience to droughts, floods and other extreme weather events and it is crucial for our long-term food security.

In this joint analysis, BirdLife, ClientEarth, EEB, Oceana and WWF scrutinise the draft report of MEP César Luena, who was appointed as rapporteur of the file in the ENVI Committee. The report expresses strong support for the legal proposal and proposes several changes that will make the proposal stronger and more effective to tackle the twin crises of nature loss and climate change, making it a good basis to further strengthen the Nature Restoration Law.

The analysis details the positive amendments and offers several recommendations to bolster the proposal.