In a position paper recently published in the journal npj Urban Sustainability, the authors argue that the new law (“Nature Restoration Law”, EU Regulation 2024/1991) does not take into account the ecological quality and biodiversity of urban green spaces, but only mentions the area of urban greenery and tree canopy cover as indicators of a favorable condition. This seems unambitious and ignores the great potential that cities have for promoting biodiversity and positive interactions between humans and nature.

The Nature Restoration Law thus risks missing a crucial opportunity to focus more on biodiversity and the ecological quality of urban spaces. The authors therefore call for the introduction of concrete biodiversity targets for cities when implementing the regulation at national level. They propose nine measures to accelerate the restoration of ecosystems in cities so that our cities become truly sustainable and biodiverse in the future.

The article is publicly available here without restriction (open-access).