Implementing the EU Nature Restoration Regulation (NRR) requires reliable spatial information on habitats, land use and ecosystem pressures. This RESTORE4Cs policy brief highlights an important challenge: established classification systems describe landscapes differently, which can influence environmental assessments.

Why classifications matter

CORINE Land Cover (CLC) primarily provides information on land cover and human activities, while the European Nature Information System (EUNIS) offers a more detailed ecological classification of habitats. The NRR adds another EU-wide framework for habitat groups and restoration reporting.

Research within RESTORE4Cs in the Ria de Aveiro Natura 2000 area in Portugal shows why these differences matter. When researchers used the spatially explicit LUPLES model to assess pressures on water bodies, results depended on whether CLC, EUNIS or combined data were used.

Building bridges between existing systems

The policy brief therefore recommends developing “crosswalks” that establish systematic links between CLC, EUNIS and NRR categories. Rather than replacing existing classifications, these mappings could make their information interoperable and help preserve the value of established datasets and monitoring systems.

Such an approach could support more coherent implementation not only of the Nature Restoration Regulation, but also of the Water Framework Directive, Habitats Directive and other EU environmental policies. The brief recommends establishing a dedicated working group to develop these crosswalks and connect them with EU monitoring and reporting mechanisms.

Bridging landscape classification and policy objectives: the case for crosswalks was published in 2025 within RESTORE4Cs, a Horizon Europe project investigating wetland restoration, climate mitigation and ecosystem services.