EU Nature Restoration Regulation

The aim of the Nature Restoration Regulation is to improve a broad range of ecosystems in different kinds of environments, both in protected areas and outside these. To reach the targets set in the Nature Restoration Regulation, many different ways to strengthen nature’s values must be used. An area where the state of nature is being improved can still be in commercial use or be part of an urban environment. The implementation of the Nature Restoration Regulation requires measures to improve the state of nature concerning e.g. mires, forests, agricultural environments, fells, shores, marine areas and inland waters. 

Measures to improve nature include blocking ditches in mires, restoring river or brook channels towards their natural state, resuming grazing in areas traditionally used as pastures and removing spruces from herb-rich forests. Measures particularly targeted to catchment areas, such as restoration of mires, also improve the state of downstream and coastal waters. Besides the state of nature, this also improves the opportunities for recreational use. The resilience of nature against the increasingly frequent extreme weather events strengthens as well, which improves the resilience of society. Stronger pollinator populations, in turn, support food production. 

Flexibilities for Member States in the implementation 

The Nature Restoration Regulation allows flexibilities for Member States in its implementation, and voluntary means can also be used. The process to prepare the plan includes the assessment of the costs and the economic, social and environmental impacts of the implementation.

Finland has already taken significant actions to improve the state of nature, including measures under the Helmi Habitats Programme, Forest Biodiversity Programme for Southern Finland METSO, Migratory Fish Programme NOUSU and Finland’s CAP Strategic Plan. 

The implementation of the Nature Restoration Regulation also aims to boost the implementation of the current EU law, such as the Habitats and Birds Directive, including by setting time limits for the measures to improve the state of habitat types included in the directive and for reaching the targets.

National restoration plan 

The national restoration plans formulated to implement the regulation specify the means to reach the targets. 

The national restoration plans should be completed within two years from the entry into force of the regulation. This means that Finland must also prepare its own plan by August 2026 to be presented to the European Commission. 

Process to prepare the national restoration plan 

The plan is prepared in five different thematic groups and in a project group led by experts from the Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The public officials will prepare the plan in a tight schedule as part of their regular duties. The thematic groups will invite the relevant stakeholders for consultations in several stages of the process. 

The thematic groups have been divided according to the topics of the articles of the Nature Restoration Regulation. The groups are 1) wetland habitat types (coastal and inland), habitats of species, and flowing waters and floodplains, 2) improving the state of marine habitats, 3) urban environments, 4) agricultural environments and pollinator populations and 5) forest habitats.

Scientific panels also participate in the formulation of the restoration plan by compiling a report on effective and just implementation of the regulation. As part of the preparation process public consultations will be organised, including various events on the topic to be held during 2025.