The second RESTORE4Cs Policy Brief of RESTORE4Cs, “National Restoration Plans: Their role in restoring coastal wetlands in Europe“, highlights the critical role of National Restoration Plans (NRPs) under the EU Nature Restoration Regulation in enhancing the restoration and resilience of coastal wetlands.
The brief outlines how NRPs can serve as a powerful mechanism to harness the climate and biodiversity potential of coastal wetlands.
Key messages of the 2nd RESTORE4Cs Policy Brief include:
- National Restoration Plans are a timely opportunity to scale up national efforts to restore European coastal wetlands. When tailored to their specific conditions, restoration of these ecosystems can offer vital natural climate solutions through improving carbon storage, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and delivering multiple ecological co-benefits.
- Effective monitoring is essential. NRPs should include strong monitoring frameworks to track the outcomes of restoration activities. This includes not only assessing ecological status but also collecting data on carbon storage and greenhouse gas fluxes, especially methane, to evaluate climate benefits accurately.
- Better alignment with climate policies is needed. To fully leverage the potential of coastal wetlands, NRPs should be coordinated with national climate policy instruments such as National Energy and Climate Plans, national climate adaptation strategies, and carbon removal certification schemes.
This policy brief underlines that well-planned and monitored restoration of coastal wetlands is not only key for ecosystem health but also a strategic component of Europe’s climate action and biodiversity goals.
Authors: E. Kampa1, E. Elkina1, M. Otero2
1 Ecologic Institute, Germany; 2 European Topic Center, University of Malaga, Spain.
Reviewers: A. Lillebø3, A. Camacho4, A. Štrbenac5
3 University of Aveiro, Portugal; 4 University of Valencia, Spain; 5 MedWet, France.
Citation: Kampa, E., Elkina, E., Otero, M., 2025. National Restoration Plans: Their role in restoring coastal wetlands in Europe. Policy Brief. RESTORE4Cs project.
