NatureRestoreR · NatureRestoreR: guiding nature restoration through integrated ecological modelling

Effective nature restoration planning is highly challenging: species and habitats respond differently to restoration depending on the local context, and climate change may jeopardise restoration success. Expanding on existing data, knowledge and modelling approaches, NatureRestoreR will develop novel, flexible, easy-to-use and publicly available ecological modelling tools to guide national and regional authorities in EU Member States in designing and revising restoration plans for terrestrial ecosystems. The tools will address knowledge gaps in favourable reference values, conservation status of species and habitats, and their responses to restoration measures. This in turn will allow NatureRestoreR to evaluate the extent to which the initial and revised National Restoration Plans (NRPs) of five Member States (AT, ET, FR, IT, NL) help to achieve the targets of the EU Biodiversity Strategy and Nature Restoration Regulation. Project results include 1) modelling tools for simulating the time-dependent and context-dependent effects of prospective restoration on species’ habitats and population size, the extent and condition of habitats of the EU's Nature Directives, and the provision of ecosystem services; 2) modelling tools for identifying restoration synergies and potential trade-offs and sites where climate-proof restoration gains can be maximised; and 3) a road map and example case showcasing how the tools can be integrated in modelling frameworks commonly used for climate and land-use policy support. To ensure that its outputs are fit-for-purpose, NatureRestoreR relies on a co-creation partnership between ecological modelling experts and national agencies involved in the EU Nature Directives and NRPs. The transdisciplinary composition at the science-policy interface puts NatureRestoreR in an outstanding position to ensure that the knowledge and modelling tools to be developed are useful and taken up by practitioners and decision-makers.