Europe has entered a decisive phase for ecosystem restoration: ambitious biodiversity and climate targets now need to be translated into measures that work across different ecological, institutional and financial contexts. The challenge is no longer primarily to define restoration goals, but to determine how nature-based solutions and ecosystem restoration can be planned, financed, governed and scaled in ways that deliver durable benefits for biodiversity, climate mitigation and adaptation. BioClim-Restoration addresses this implementation gap by comparing emerging experience across Europe and translating it into actionable recommendations for policy and practice.

Learning from restoration policy in practice

The EU Nature Restoration Regulation shifts the focus of European restoration policy from target-setting to delivery. Member States now face practical questions around prioritisation, financing, governance, monitoring, stakeholder participation and the long-term effectiveness of restoration measures. National Restoration Plans provide an important basis for examining how EU countries are addressing these challenges and where common barriers, enabling conditions and transferable approaches are emerging. BioClim-Restoration focuses in particular on the role of nature-based solutions in linking ecosystem restoration with biodiversity conservation, climate mitigation and adaptation.

Comparing approaches across Europe

Three two-day expert workshops between 2027 and 2029 form the analytical core of the project. Across the series, participants from science, public administration, policy and implementation practice will examine key challenges in delivering ecosystem restoration and nature-based solutions across Europe. Topics will include the EU Nature Restoration Regulation and National Restoration Plans, links between restoration, biodiversity and climate objectives, financing and governance, long-term effectiveness, scaling and transferability, societal acceptance, and selected ecosystem-specific challenges such as peatland restoration and water resilience. The workshops will identify recurring barriers and enabling conditions and assess which approaches are most relevant across different national and regional contexts.

From European experience to policy recommendations

Each workshop will provide the evidence base for a policy brief published in German and English. The briefs will synthesise cross-country experience, assess the conditions under which promising approaches can succeed, and formulate targeted recommendations for decision-makers and practitioners. Each brief will distil the most policy-relevant lessons on implementation, transferability and scaling and make them directly usable in ongoing restoration processes.

The project will conclude with a virtual European event that brings together the main findings from the three workshop cycles and discusses their implications for future restoration policy and implementation.

Ecologic Institute's role

Ecologic Institute coordinates BioClim-Restoration and leads the design and implementation of the workshop series. The team contributes expertise on nature-based solutions, ecosystem restoration, biodiversity, climate adaptation and European environmental policy, and supports the synthesis of workshop findings into policy-relevant conclusions and recommendations. The project is implemented in cooperation with IUCN.