What’s New
This page brings together the latest news, events, and outputs related to the project and its broader theme.
Project Updates:
Upcoming webinar:
To participate, please register here: https://go.uef.fi/futurelandwebinar2
External News and Resources:
Highlight 1: Nature Restoration Regulation — Reference portal (European Commission)
The Commission Reference Portal is a one-stop shop for all implementation, technical and guidance documents related to the Nature Restoration Regulation. Articles are categorized based on different themes, such as Urban Ecosystems (Article 8) and include a range of resources to support the implementation of the regulation by Member States when developing their National Restoration Plans, including examples of methodological support, frequently asked questions (FAQs), and links to various datasets and tools. It is also an official point of contact for the Commission where all interpretive guidance, informal consultation papers and links to EU platforms (Urban Nature Platform) will be located in order to support our WP5 Monitoring activities. Through the portal, the Commission communicates its expectations for timing, monitoring and key data requirements with Member States and provides access to evolving technical guidance as they seek to develop and evaluate their national plans.
Highlight 2: Funding the Green Transition
The European Commission has announced that the year 2026 will be the ‘Implementation Year’ of the Nature Restoration Law and has set the 1st September 2026 as the deadline for EU member states to submit their National Restoration Plans (NRPs). A key part of the announcement was the allocation of approximately €350 million through the LIFE program to support the development of NRPs across Europe with technical assistance. This will be very relevant for our leaders of WP5 as NRPs must specifically address how Cities in the EU will reach a ‘no net loss’ of urban green space (UGS) by 2030. This announcement prioritizes funding projects that combine Biodiversity Restoration with Climate Adaptation, thus, giving regional authorities a clear pathway to access this funding to reshape their Urban Environments.
Highlight 3: The Policy Debate — A “Make-or-Break” Year
BirdLife International is sharing a report from a European perspective that assesses some of the political issues that will be vital with respect to a proposed Regulation on Nature Restoration (NRL) over the coming years (until the end of 2026). This report will highlight important issues now being debated in relation to the “implementation gap” between EU mandated minimum standards, and national preparation for implementing the NRL. In light of the enactment of this NRL, it is clear that while all Member States will be required to abide by the juridical decisions within the NRL, there is a great deal of variation in how all of the Member States draft their own NRPs. The BirdLife report highlights the substantial debate currently occurring between the industrial sector and the environmental sector over what land uses should receive priority as outlined in their proposed projects. This analytical piece is of special relevance to the FutureLand project because it calls for increased public engagement in the construction of NRPs and the necessity of scientific verification of the projects being proposed by both local authorities and governmental bodies across the EU.
Highlight 4: Technical Focus — Standardizing the “Green” Metric
Monitoring is part of this technical update, and it includes the “how”. In 2026, The European Union will begin using a standardized report format so that the progress made in restoring the environment can be measured consistently and accurately. Through the EEA indicators and satellite imagery, urban areas will be required to prove that they have fulfilled their obligations for city greening by providing objective evidence regarding their compliance with the European Union’s Urban Greening Program. Using GIS and Information Technologies for Areal Management will be key to meeting these requirements for cities and municipalities. For us at Karazin University, this resource is a diamond in the rough because it links our students’ technical studies directly to the legal requirements of the NRL. There is more than just planting a park; there is geospatial data that shows the park is functioning as a resilient urban ecosystem.
Highlight 5: “Cropped – 14 January 2026: Wildfires, EU trade, and nature in 2026” – Carbon Brief (brief news analysis)
Carbon Brief’s Mid-January wrap-up covers the most significant “landscape events” (e.g. Wildfires and other phenomena) that demonstrate the importance of Nature Restoration as a component of climate Resilience. The article reiterates the NRR’s objectives (to restore 20% of European Union land/sea by 2030 and all ecosystems depending upon restoration by 2050) and emphasizes the necessity for NRPs to be adopted as a means of immediate national action as of 2026. It ties together restoration, food production systems, and trade and indicates that agencies will need to coordinate their activities throughout the policy spectrum (i.e. Agriculture, Water, Forest Management and Urban Planning) to implement successful strategies. This document could be of great value when promoting Restoration, to depict how Restoration is really cross-sectoral (industries), and to demonstrate that Stakeholder Engagement (Farmers/Cities/Water Managers) will be the key to effective delivery of successful National Restoration Plans.
Highlight 6: “Ukraine introduces special legal regime for protection of peatlands” , UNDP Ukraine (5 Jan 2026)
There is a recent report on the UNDP Ukraine Project, indicating national authorities have prepared a draft of a special legal regime for peatland to establish a unified domestic approach to peatland protection that matches EU best practices and international agreements (e.g., Ramsar). The draft is part of a larger initiative to establish a legal framework that can facilitate the transposition of EU environmental legislation into Ukraine’s national legislation, as well as support the restoration of peatland and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from drained peat soils. The information contained in this report is a unique example of a current development occurring at the national level within Ukraine that corresponds with the NRL and addresses one of the key areas of focus for EU law, peatland restoration targets. Therefore, this report provides a solid opportunity to demonstrate national progress while bridging the gap between EU guidance and the work of local legislators.