Declaration from the #RestoreNature signatories

We are heading towards a mass biodiversity extinction and climate breakdown, threatening the very basis of life as we know it. The science is very clear on this. Efforts so far have been largely inadequate to address these crises and to restore our relationship with nature. Unsurprisingly, increasingly frequent droughts, floods and forest fires are making the effects of the crises ever-more obvious all across Europe.

The EU Nature Restoration Regulation is the unique opportunity of this decade to change the pathway from continuous deterioration to regeneration, where we steer towards a safe and resilient future of living in harmony with nature. Restoring nature means restoring our greatest ally in tackling the climate crisis and its severe impact, restoring our own health and wellbeing, and restoring our livelihoods and economies. Nature restoration is one of the best investments our society can make. Yet, time is running out.

We therefore call upon national governments, Members of the European Parliament and the European Commission to:

• Adopt the Nature Restoration Regulation by the end of 2023.

• Ensure that by 2030, nature restoration is happening on EU land and seas on a large scale. We therefore support the proposal of the rapporteur of the European Parliament to ensure that by 2030, at least 30% of the EU’s land and at least 30% of the EU’s sea area are covered by effective area-based restoration measures, with fair and proportionate contributions by all Member States.

• Ensure strong nature restoration targets for all ecosystems covered by the legal proposal (terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine natural habitats, urban ecosystems, rivers, pollinator habitats, agricultural ecosystems, peatlands and forest ecosystems). The targets need to match the extent and urgency of the biodiversity and climate crises.

• Ensure that all targets are fully met by 2040 at the latest. Delaying action until 2050 undermines the EU’s climate neutrality obligations and risks crossing irreversible tipping points.

• Adopt fully implementable targets, with clear safeguards to ensure that the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) does not block the implementation of marine restoration.

• Ensure the long-term non-deterioration of restored ecosystems. Allowing habitats to degrade right after restoring them not only fails to address the crises in the long-term, but is also inherently inefficient and a waste of public funding.

• Support a strong accountability framework to ensure all Member States contribute fairly to the law and can be held accountable.

• Call for dedicated nature restoration funding as part of the next EU budget.

• Withstand and counter vested interests who are continuously trying to undermine the Nature Restoration Law.

Delaying action, watering down the ambition or limiting the scope of the law will only make it more difficult, more costly and more time-consuming to deal with the consequences. It would put our life and that of all other beings at stake. So let’s make it work now.

• AirClim
• AKTI PROJECT & RESEARCH CENTRE Alba Natura Civil Foundation
• Alpe Adria Green International
• Amigos de la Tierra
• Aplinkosaugos koalicija (Environmental Coalition of Lithuania)
• ARCHE NOAH
• ASOCIACIÓN REFORESTA
• Association Klaipedian Initiative for Democracy and the Environment (KIDE))
• Austrian Youth Biodiversity Network – GYBN Austria
• Balkan River Defence
• BIOM Association
• BirdLife – SEO
• BirdLife Austria
• BirdLife Bulgaria – Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds
• BirdLife Cyprus
• BirdLife DOF
• Birdlife Estonia
• Birdlife Europe and Central Asia
• BirdLife Finland
• Birdlife Greece – Hellenic Ornithological Society BirdLife Hungary – MME
• BirdLife Italy – Lipu
• BirdLife Malta
• BirdLife Slovenia DOPPS
• BirdLife Sweden
• Birdwatch Ireland
• BLOOM
• Bodensee-Stiftung – Internationale Stiftung für Natur und Kultur
• BOS+
• Buglife – The Invertebrate Conservation Trust CEE Bankwatch Network
• CEEweb for Biodiversity
• Center for Environmental Policy (AAPC) Center for Protection and Research of Birds
• Center for Research and Information for the Environment Eko-svest
• Centrum Ochrony Mokradeł / Wetlands Conservation Centre
• CIDAMB – Associação Nacional para a Cidadania Ambiental
• CIPRA Slovenia
• Client Earth
• Climate Action Network Europe
• Climate Catalyst
• CMCC Foundation | Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change
• Coalition Clean Baltic
• Comitato AVB
• Comité Schone Lucht
• Cork Nature Network
• Czech Society for Ornithology
• Danish Society for Nature Conservation Darnaus vystymosi centras
• Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V. (German Environmental Action)
• Deutscher Naturschutzring (DNR)
• Dinaricum Society
• Društvo Ekologi brez meja
• Društvo Proteus, gibanje za naravo in okolje, Bela krajina
• Društvo za preučevanje rib Slovenije (DPRS)
• Eco-TIRAS International Association of River Keepers
• ECOLISE – European network for community-led initiatives on climate change and sustainability
• Εcological Movement Cyprus
• Ecologistas en Acción
• ECOS – Environmental Coalition on Standards
• Eko krog – društvo za naravovarstvo in okoljevarstvo
• Ekoskog
• El Fanal – Col·lectiu Cultural i Ecologista del Moianès
• Environmental Center for Administration and Technology
• Environmental Pillar
• Estonian Fund for Nature ELF
• EuroNatur
• EUROPARC Federation
• European Anglers Alliance (EAA)
• European Cave Protection Commission by the Fédération Spéléologique Européenne
• European Environmental Bureau
• European Living Lakes Association
• European Young Rewilders
• Fältbiologerna
• Fédération des réserves naturelles catalanes/ RNN Jujols
• Federation of Environmental Organisations in Cyprus (FEOC NGOs)
• FIRE
• Forests of the World (Verdens Skove)
• Foundation for Peatland Restoration and Conservation
• France Nature Environnement (FNE)
• Friends of Akamas
• Friends of Fertő lake Association
• Friends of the Earth Cyprus
• Friends of the Earth Czech Republic – Hnutí DUHA Friends of the Earth Germany – BUND e.V.
• Friends of The Earth Hungary – MTVSZ – National Society of Conservationists
• Fundación Española de Renaturalización (Rewilding Spain)
• Fundación Global Nature
• Fundacion Nueva Cultura del Agua
• Fundatia ADEPT Transilvania
• Gamtos apsaugos asociacija “Baltijos vilkas” Generation Climate Europe (GCE)
• Generation Earth (Youthnetwork of WWF AT)
• GEOTA-Grupo de Estudos de Ordenamento do Território e Ambiente
• GLOBAL 2000
• Global Nature Fund
• Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN) Europe
• Great Lakes and Wetland Federation (Nagy Tavak és Vizes Élőhelyek Szövetsége)
• Greenpeace
• Greenpeace Czech Republic
• GRÜNE LIGA e.V.
• Gyvo Žalio
• Herpetološko društvo – Societas herpetologica slovenica
• Humanitas – Centre for Global Learning and Cooperation
• IFAW
• Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
• Institute for ichthyological and ecological research, REVIVO
• International Mire Conservation Group
• IPoP – Institute for Spatial Policies
• Irish Wildlife Trust
• Jamarski klub Kamnik
• Koalicja Żywa Ziemia [Living Earth Coalition] LandschappenNL
• Lašišos dienoraštis
• Latvian Fund for Nature
• Latvian Ornithological Society
• Leefmilieu
• Legambiente
• Lietuvos gamtos draugija (Lithuanian Nature Society)
• Lietuvos geologų sąjunga
• Lietuvos Žaliasis Aljansas
• Liga para a Protecção da Natureza
• Lithuanian Arboricultural Center
• Lithuanian entomological society
• Lithuanian Fund for Nature
• Living Rivers Foundation
• Luontoliitto (The Finnish Nature League)
• Lutra, Institute for Conservation of Natural Heritage
• Mammal Conservation Europe
• MEDASSET
• MedINA
• MedWet
• Mes Darom (Let’s Do It Lithuania)
• Michael Succow Foundation
• Milvus Group
• MIO-ECSDE
• Morigenos
• NABU
• Natagora
• natur&ëmwelt
• Naturalists Club Poland (Klub Przyrodników) Naturefriends International
• Naturskyddsföreningen (Swedish Society for Nature Conservation)
• Natuur & Milieu
• Natuur en Milieufederaties
• Natuurmonumenten
• Natuurpunt
• Natuurpunt vzw
• Noé
• NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) Oceana Europe
• OEKOBUERO
• Okoljsko društvo Proteus
• One Voice
• Ornithologische Arbeitsgemeinschaft Bodensee Päästame Eesti Metsad (Save Estonia’s Forests) Paliurus
• Partnership for Policy Integrity
• Planet Positive
• Polish Society for Bird Protection
• Public Association Republican Center “Gutta-Club””
• Rewilding Apennines ETS
• Rewilding Europe
• Rewilding France
• Rewilding Oder Delta
• Rewilding Portugal
• Rewilding Rhodopes Foundation
• Rewilding Sweden
• Rewilding Velebit Foundation
• RUPI
• SABUKO – Society for Nature Conservation Salviamo l’Orso
• Seas At Risk
• Sengirės fondas | The Ancient Woods Foundation SEPANSO Aquitaine
• SFEPM – Societe Française pour l’Etude et la Protection des Mammifères [French Society for the Study and Protection of Mammals]
• Slovene Dragonfly Society
• Slovensko društvo za zaščito voda
• ŠO društvo Ohranimo naravo čisto
• Societatea Ornitologică Română
• Society for Ecological Restoration Europe Society for the Protection of Prespa
• Society for Sustainable Living
• SPEA (Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds) SPECO – Sociedade Portuguesa de Ecologia Stop Avalon Tata Civil Mozgalom
• Swedish Anglers Association (Sportfiskarna)
• Tagis – Centro de Conservação das Borboletas de Portugal
• TETT -Tegyünk Együtt Tudatosan Településünkért Egyesület
• The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation The Habitat Foundation
• The North Sea Foundation
• The Polish Society for Protection of Birds, OTOP/BirdLife Poland
• Umanotera, The Slovenian Foundation for Sustainable Development
• Verband der deutschen Höhlen- und Karstforscher e.V. / German Speleological Federation
• Vogelbescherming Nederland
• Waddenvereniging
• WeMove Europe
• Western Center of the Ukrainian department of the International Center of Scientific Culture – The World Laboratory
• Wetlands International Europe
• Wild Europe Foundation
• WWF European Policy Office, on behalf of the EU WWF Network (with WWF in Czechia and WWF-Belgium)
• Youth and Environment Europe
• Zeleni Osijek
• ZERO – Associação Sistema Terrestre Sustentável

Translated from the French by Joely Justice