New policy brief: Engaging stakeholders in National Restoration Plans
Stakeholder engagement is a critical component for European Member States to consider when drafting their National Restoration Plans by September 2026, as mandated by the European Union Nature Restoration Regulation.
Understanding and addressing stakeholder engagement is essential, as conflicts around restoration are not uncommon. However, they are often the result of insufficient involvement of individuals or stakeholders groups, which may feel overlooked or uniformed, and the lack of attention to public concerns at an early stage.
Opposition to restoration also often stems from limited understanding of the synergies that can arise between restoration and long-term economic development and other ecosystem services.
Our new policy brief gives key recommendations to produce clear messages on restorations plans and objectives while having an inclusive approach. True listening, open discussions, and transparency about how input will be incorporated in restoration plans are vital for establishing trust and ownership.
Readers will learn how to foster meaningful long-term engagement while achieving social justice in restoration efforts, how to strengthen a positive narrative and overall dialogue while targeting communication, and more.
This new policy and practice brief was written by the ‘Restoration Cluster’, a collaborative initiative of four major EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation project funded under the Green Deal and focusing on ecosystem restoration: MERLIN (restoration of freshwater-related ecosystems in a landscape context), REST-COAST (restoration of coastal ecosystems), SUPERB (forest and forest landscape restoration) and WaterLANDS (restoration of wetlands), with particular support by Prospex Institute and European Forest Institute.
Read the full brief here: https://doi.org/10.36333/rs14.
