A new legislative instrument for nature conservation in Europe: the Nature Restoration Regulation

European countries have been committed to nature conservation in the European Union (EU) for at least forty years. The fundamental stages of this collaboration were the issuing in 1979 of the "Birds" directive for the conservation of wild avifaunal species and in 1992 of the "Habitats" directive for the conservation of terrestrial and marine species and habitats. The two directives have allowed the creation of a network of over 27,000 protected areas, covering around a fifth of the EU's surface area and a tenth of its seas. The "Birds" directive protects over 500 wild avian species, the "Habitats" directive protects over a thousand animal and plant species and over 200 types of habitat.

Yet, despite the many positive results achieved, this network of protected areas has not been sufficient to arrest and reverse the dramatic trend towards the decline of species and habitats.