Ep 4: The Brussels wildcard: Europe's new rules for restoration

In 2024, the European Union approved the Nature Restoration Regulation - a comprehensive framework requiring restoration measures on twenty per cent of EU land and sea. But what does restoration actually mean in practice?

Jutta Paulus, Member of the European Parliament, who followed the entire legislative process, dispels some misconceptions: restoration isn't about creating wilderness everywhere. It's about transforming monoculture crops back into flower-rich meadows, converting single-species tree plantations into resilient mixed forests, and demonstrating that sustainable use can be more productive than intensive exploitation.

This episode explores how policy translates into practice through one of Europe's most successful rewilding stories. In the Netherlands' Gelderse Poort, Wouter Helmer shows how a strategic partnership with clay mining companies transformed polluted farmland into a thriving ecosystem that welcomes 1.5 million visitors annually and generates 25 million euros for the local economy, while providing effective flood protection.

The challenge now lies in implementation: how do you turn a Brussels regulation into thriving ecosystems across diverse European landscapes? And how do you ensure that European restoration doesn't simply shift environmental pressures to other parts of the world?

Credits

«WILDCARD. The Forest Game» is a podcast production written by Silvia Giralucci for the WILDCARD project and Starter.

Scientific Supervisor: Giorgio Alberti, University of Udine

Editorial Supervisor: Gesche Schifferdecker, European Forest Institute

Voice-over: Rahel Könen, European Forest Institute

Post-production: Santiago Alarcón, European Forest Institute

Graphic design and visuals: Gabriela Rueda, European Forest Institute

Learn more about the WILDCARD project:

⁠www.wildcard-project.eu ⁠

European Forest Institute: ⁠www.efi.int ⁠

Follow us also on LinkedIn: ⁠WILDCARD project