EU Nature Restoration Plan (Regulation 2024/1991)

What the EU Nature Restoration Regulation is

Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 on Nature Restoration, in force since August 2024, sets binding targets to restore degraded ecosystems across the European Union by 2030, 2040 and 2050. It is the first European legal instrument to impose quantified ecological restoration obligations on member states, with an overall target of restoring at least 20% of the EU's terrestrial and marine areas by 2030.

The Regulation requires member states to draw up National Restoration Plans that include specific measures, timelines and interim targets for each habitat and ecosystem type. In Spain, the transposition and development of these plans will directly affect project developers, landowners and companies operating in degraded natural environments; equivalent national plans apply across all other EU member states.

Who it affects in practice

The Regulation has direct practical implications for:

• Renewable energy developers whose projects affect degraded habitats or steppe ecosystems, who may need to justify or contribute to restoration measures as a condition of the environmental decision or as a compensatory measure.
• Local and regional authorities with land-use planning powers, who must align their planning instruments with the objectives of the National Restoration Plan.
• Companies with ESG commitments or biodiversity strategies that want to contribute voluntarily to restoration targets and demonstrate this to financiers and investors.
• Forestry and agricultural landowners in areas included within priority restoration zones, who may be affected by restrictions or incentivised through public funding.

Which ecosystem types it prioritises

The Regulation sets specific targets for different ecosystem types:

• Terrestrial Habitat Types of Community Interest under Annex I of the EU Habitats Directive, particularly those degraded within the Natura 2000 network.
• Agricultural ecosystems, with targets for increasing biodiversity on farmland and recovering farmland bird populations.
• Forest ecosystems, with targets for connectivity, structural diversity and the presence of deadwood.
• Marine and coastal ecosystems, including seagrass meadows and coastal lagoons.
• Freshwater ecosystems, with targets for restoring river connectivity through barrier removal.

How a restoration plan is prepared

An ecological restoration plan under Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 must include:

1. Assessment of the conservation status of the habitats and ecosystems present in the area of action, through field inventory and comparative analysis against a reference condition.
2. Definition of measurable and verifiable restoration targets, aligned with the Regulation's objectives and the applicable National Restoration Plan.
3. Design of restoration measures: revegetation with native species, removal of invasive species, hydrological restoration, creation of wildlife refuges.
4. Implementation timeline and estimated budget by phase.
5. Monitoring programme with indicators of recovery status and periodic reporting.

Common mistakes

The most common issues we find in restoration plans are:

• Generic measures (native species planting without specifying densities, provenance or establishment conditions) that fail to justify habitat recovery.
• Absence of a defined reference condition, making it impossible to verify whether the measures achieve the restoration target.
• Targets that are not quantified or linked to verifiable monitoring indicators.
• Failing to integrate the plan with the conditions of the environmental decision or with already-required compensatory measures, creating duplication or contradictions.

Why choose Ideas Medioambientales

We draft ecological restoration plans in the context of Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 and environmental assessment procedures, with our own team of biologists and forestry engineers experienced in ecosystem restoration across Spain. We integrate the plan with the project's environmental documentation, the compensatory measures required by the environmental decision, and the organisation's biodiversity commitments.

Tell us about your project type and the affected environment and we'll advise you on the scope of restoration plan you need.