Context and aim

The European Green Deal explicitly commits to protecting and restoring nature to achieve the EU climate and biodiversity objectives for 2030 and for 2050, and to ensure the resilience of food systems. As a major tool, Ecological Restoration (ER) can reverse ecosystem degradation, create functioning green infrastructure, and support climate change mitigation and adaptation. Worldwide, ER has been increasingly considered in strategies and policies such as the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030. The European Commission recently proposed a European Nature Restoration Law as part of the European Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. The latter includes developing National Restoration Plans in the EU Member States. To translate future national plans on ER into local action, educational programs require further and more thorough consideration of ER in curricula to have expertise in implementing ER across Europe.

Humanity recognises the planet’s native ecosystems as having irreplaceable ecological, societal, and economic values. In addition to their intrinsic value, such as biodiversity and spiritual or aesthetic importance, healthy native ecosystems assure the flow of ecosystem services. These services include: provision of clean water and air, healthy soils, culturally important artifacts, and the food, fiber, fuel, and medicines essential for human health, wellbeing, and livelihoods (1). 

(1)SER International Standards