Restoring ecosystems under the Green Deal Call : recovering biodiversity and connecting to nature

Large-scale ecosystem restoration is an urgent necessity in Europe to achieve the goal of recovering nature to a biodiverse and resilient state, whilst simultaneously mitigating against climate change. This report examines the current condition of European ecosystems and the landscape of European biodiversity and ecosystem restoration policy, with a particular focus on the groundbreaking, recently adopted Nature Restoration Law. Work is underway to upscale ecosystem restoration in Europe through the Horizon 2020 Green Deal Call. Four projects (MERLIN, REST-COAST, SUPERB, and WaterLANDS) have been granted funding to develop and demonstrate methodologies for large-scale ecosystem restoration in terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems. Their work is essential for a transformative change towards a sustainable, resilient, and just future for Europe.