Impact assessment study to support the development of legally binding EU nature restoration targets : final report

This report brings together the findings of an Impact Assessment (IA) study for the European Commission (EC) Directorate-General for the Environment which supported the development of the proposal for an EU Nature Restoration Law. More specifically, this study assessed the impacts of introducing legally-binding nature restoration targets as proposed in the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. The study was implemented between December 2020 and June 2022 by a consortium consisting of Trinomics, the Institute of European Environmental Policy (IEEP), the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), and the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). The study consisted of two main pillars: Firstly a technical assessment of target options and their impacts, undertaken in close cooperation with technical experts in the EC, the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC). Secondly a consultation on preliminary proposals and IA findings with a wide range of other stake- and knowledge holders. The consultation pillar consisted of an Open Public Consultation (OPC) and five dedicated stakeholder workshops, four of which were organised by the study consortium. The technical assessment mainly involved support to the screening and selection of policy options, the identification of the type and level of targets required to achieve the policy objectives, the estimation of economic costs and benefits of meeting selected target options, and the evaluation of impacts on key stakeholders.