Implementing the Nature Restoration Regulation Report. Part I - Legal Context

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the European Union’s Nature Restoration Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 (NRR), focusing particularly on legal issues raised by the implementation of this innovative, ambitious legal regime. Part I builds upon the state of the art of restoration in Europe to underscore the interdependence of nature and society, as well as the risks posed by biodiversity loss. Against this backdrop, it connects the NRR to principles of constitutional law and to the evolution of European biodiversity law policy. The NRR’s obligations are systematically presented and analysed in relation to in relation to terrestrial, aquatic, agricultural and urban habitats. The report aims to clarify the legal framework governing restoration, equipping practitioners, public authorities, and the public with a better understanding of EU biodiversity law as applied at both national and local levels. It also addresses potential areas of legal ambiguity, governance challenges, and the practicalities of realizing EU mandates in a complex, evolving scientific context. Part II focuses in particular on sources of public and private financing for biodiversity restoration. It describes in detail the regime applicable to public support for efforts to implement the NRR, then examines recent practice in relation to nature credits and other forms of private financing. Ultimately, the report serves as a guide for the application of EU law in support of biodiversity restoration, offering insights relevant to both the Italian context and to broader European efforts to reverse ecological decline.