Overview and details of the sessions of this conference. Please select a date or location to show only sessions at that day or location. Please select a single session for detailed view (with abstracts and downloads if available).
Assessing nature restoration targets established by European and international policies
Phillip Harwood1, Rob Hendriks2, Michelle Hermes3, Wojciech Mroz4, Ruta Skujina1
1Evenflow; 2Biodiversa+, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food security and Nature; 3EARSC; 4Eurosite
Recent years have seen biological diversity, ecosystems, and their restoration rise to prominence on both global and European agendas. Political frameworks such as the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), adopted in 2022 and the EU Nature Restoration Law, which came into force in 2024, have set clear directions for restoration efforts, shaping priorities and driving coordinated action across stakeholders. Earth Observation (EO) technologies hold significant potential to support these initiatives by providing data-driven insights that guide planning, implementation, and monitoring.
This session aims to bring together data and service providers, end users and stakeholders to foster dialogue on implementing the EU Nature Restoration Law while linking it to the global context of Target 2 in the GBF. By sharing diverse perspectives, the session seeks to promote a coordinated approach that ensures robust, science-based national restoration efforts across the EU.
The workshop will be divided in two parts. The first will provide an overview of the policy context and current status, with a focus on the role of Earth Observation technologies. The challenges of using EO in habitat restoration planning will be explored with peatland mapping as a case study. The connection to biodiversity policy will be illustrated through the Peatland Policy Portal developed as part of the LIFE Multi Peat project. The second part will feature a panel discussion and interactive audience engagement to identify actionable steps and address potential barriers, ensuring that Earth Observation technologies can effectively support biodiversity policy implementation.
The workshop is co-organised by ESA Stakeholder Engagement Facility (ESA SEF project) coordinated by Evenflow, European Association of Remote Sensing Companies (EARSC), European Land Conservation Network Eurosite and the European Biodiversity Partnership Biodiversa+.
