From restoration targets to action: WaterLANDS calls for EU funding for wetlands

A new policy brief from the EU-funded WaterLANDS project calls on the EU to better connect nature restoration priorities with funding decisions in its next long-term budget (2028–2034).

 

📄Read the policy brief here

Europe's water resilience depends on healthy wetlands and mires. They store and purify water, reduce the risks of floods and droughts, support biodiversity and store large amounts of carbon. Yet Europe has lost around 80% of its wetlands over the past century, making their restoration increasingly urgent to safeguard Europe’s competitiveness, security and values.

The policy brief, Wetlands and peatlands for a resilient Europe, recommends aligning National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs), which will determine EU funding and investment for the next 7 years starting from 2028, with National Restoration Plans (NRPs), which set out countries' restoration priorities. It also calls for a dedicated biodiversity spending target and transparent monitoring of funding and results.

The recommendations build on five years of practical experience at six WaterLANDS restoration sites across Europe, working with 32 partners from 14 countries. Working with farmers, landowners, communities and public authorities, project partners have gained insights into what is needed to restore wetlands successfully and sustain the results over time.

The Michael Succow Foundation, partner in the Greifswald Mire Centre, developed the policy brief together with Plan Bleu, building on lessons learned at the WaterLANDS Action Sites. The brief also uses the European Wetland Map, developed at the Greifswald Mire Centre, to illustrate the extent of wetlands and peatlands across Europe.

Read the WaterLANDS policy brief

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