Restoring coastal wetlands at scale requires more than setting targets: decision-makers need to determine where restoration is most needed, feasible and beneficial. The RESTORE4Cs Spatial Decision-Support Toolbox addresses this challenge by combining harmonised spatial data to identify and compare restoration opportunities across Europe.

From restoration targets to spatial priorities

The RESTORE4Cs Spatial Decision-Support Toolbox combines ecological, climatic and socio-economic information in an interactive geo-analytical platform. Users can explore maps and datasets, compare scenarios and adjust prioritisation criteria to assess restoration opportunities from European to local scales.

A key feature is its dual approach to restorability. The toolbox identifies formerly existing wetlands that have been converted to other land uses and assesses their potential for regeneration. At the same time, it evaluates existing wetlands that have been degraded by pressures such as altered hydrology, pollution, fragmentation or intensive land use.

These assessments can be combined with information on protected areas and ecological connectivity, sea-level rise and coastal erosion, carbon storage and sequestration, and socio-economic factors. The resulting priority maps indicate where restoration could provide benefits for biodiversity, climate mitigation, water regulation and socio-economic resilience.

Supporting implementation of EU restoration policy

The Policy Brief proposes using the toolbox to support the implementation of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation, including the preparation of National Restoration Plans. It could help authorities identify priority areas based on transparent and spatially explicit criteria and examine trade-offs between different restoration objectives.

Beyond the Nature Restoration Regulation, the approach is relevant to the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, climate and land-use policy, the Water Framework Directive and Floods Directive, as well as international commitments on wetlands and biodiversity.

"Advancing Evidence-Based Prioritisation for Coastal Wetland Restoration in Europe: The RESTORE4Cs Spatial Decision-Support Toolbox" was published in 2025 by Anis Guelmami (Tour du Valat) within the Horizon Europe project RESTORE4Cs.