Nature Restoration Law (NRL) & UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration: Perspectives and potential of reef habitat restoration

Marine Ecosystems are under multifaceted stress worldwide. Key ecological functions are being degraded, damaged and destroyed. Ecological restoration approaches are a global priority to assist the recovery of ecosystem functions and services and are an essential complement to conservation. The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration highlights the potential for ecosystem restoration to provide transformative change and to simultaneously meet multiple goals and targets for social, economic and ecological benefit. Against the background of reef habitat restoration, this presentation will discuss perspectives and potential of the EU Nature Restoration Law (NRL) and the application of Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) standards in marine systems: The identification of reference ecosystems, and the use of reference models to describe restoration targets and success metrics, the cumulative value of projects across all scales and the concept of applying and integrating passive and active restoration measures along a restorative continuum, from reducing threats to the full recovery of natural ecosystems.