The EU Nature Restoration Regulation (NRR), which entered into force in August 2024, marks a major milestone for nature conservation and restoration in Europe. As the most significant EU nature law adopted in over 30 years, the NRR establishes a strong, long-term legal framework to restore ecosystems, strengthen climate resilience and support thriving coastal communities. Delivered as a core pillar of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, it will be the key instrument guiding nature restoration across the EU through to 2050.
This ambition comes at a critical moment for Europe’s seas. Decades of increasing pressure from human activities have resulted in substantial biodiversity loss, leaving many marine ecosystems in a degraded state. Climate change is intensifying these pressures through ocean warming, deoxygenation and acidification, while overfishing and habitat degradation continue to drive declines in marine biodiversity. Against this backdrop, the NRR offers a timely and powerful opportunity to reverse nature loss at sea and deliver lasting benefits for ecosystems, climate and people.
This briefing by Seas At Risk, ClientEarth and Oceana provides an overview of the key NRR provisions relevant to nature restoration in the marine environment. It aims to support stakeholders and policy-makers in better understanding how the Regulation may affect their work and to strengthen engagement and advocacy for its effective implementation in Member States, including through participation in the development of National Restoration Plans.
(Photo copyright: Oceana / Carlos Suárez)
Posted on: 16 December 2025
