Nature Restoration Law (NRL) aims to restore 20% of terrestrial and marine degraded ecosystems of the European territory by 2030. To achieve this goal, each Country must contribute at both national and regional scales.

One of the initial provisions states that by 2030, Member States should prioritize restoring natural ecosystems within Natura 2000 sites, making it urgent to focus on the conservation status of the habitats in these areas.

We chose Sardinia as a case study because Natura 2000 sites cover a similar percentage of its territory (18,87%) compared to the National (19,38%) and the European level (18,6%). Additionally, Sardinia's insularity, high biodiversity levels, and low population density make it an ideal model to test NRL feasibility.

We collected official Natura 2000 data from the Italian Ministry of the Environment (MASE). For each habitat within each site, we assessed the potential for restoration based on the value of the conservation status, i.e. the degree of conservation of the structure and functions of the natural habitat type concerned and restoration possibilities.

Results show that coastal ecosystems are the most endangered, with a few exceptions in habitats with limiting environmental characteristics, such as sea cliffs.

Despite the importance of restoring these environments in terms of biodiversity safeguards, their reduced distribution will have a limited impact on the NRL target, while forest and shrub habitats will potentially be the major contributors.

Relying solely on habitat restoration within Natura 2000 areas will not be sufficient to meet the NRL targets. This implies that interventions in natural areas outside Natura 2000 and agricultural territories will be necessary.

A qualitative analysis at the regional scale can provide insight into the feasibility of reaching the NRL targets and provides an example that can be adjusted and replicated at higher hierarchical levels across Europe.

In alignment with the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration and the UNESCO Agenda for Sustainable Development, significant efforts are underway to protect and restore marine ecosystems such as the newly approved EU Nature Restoration Law. Within this framework, the Ocean Citizen EU project (HORIZON-MISS-2021-OCEAN-02) aims to develop replicable marine restoration protocols that integrate habitat restoration, carbon immobilization, and biodiversity regeneration with social and economic benefits for local communities. Pilot sites have been selected to experimentally test and develop sustainable restoration actions for various shallow and deeper marine forests.

The present study focuses on restoring intertidal macroalgal forests of brown canopy-forming macroalgae in one pilot site, Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain). Macroalgal forests are among the Earth's most productive and biodiversity-rich ecosystems, supporting fisheries and enhancing ecosystem resilience. Despite their ecological importance, they are in regression worldwide, including the study site where declines of 90% of the extension of some Cystoseira sensu lato species have been reported in the last decades, mainly attributed to ocean warming and habitat degradation These declines are calling the need for urgent actions to prevent further losses and restore areas unable to recover naturally.

To enhance restoration efficiency, several preparatory steps are undertaken. First, we are characterizing the macroalgal communities in the restoration site, establishing a critical baseline for evaluating restoration success and community evolution. We are also assessing habitat suitability following identification of potential stressors. Additionally, we are evaluating potential Cystoseira s.l. species for restoration, donor sites, and ex-situ out-planting techniques. Finally, we are developing a long-term monitoring protocol to assess restoration evolution.

This research provides crucial knowledge for restoring marine biodiversity and sustaining the ecosystem services provided by macroalgal forests. Outcomes will support marine conservation efforts, ensuring the long-term viability and the myriad benefits these ecosystems offer to marine life and coastal communities.

Several tunnelling projects have been implementing in Europe and worldwide for easily connecting people in areas with geographical constrains, such as the presence of mountains. For this purpose, tunnel industry produces millions of cubic meters of excavated soil (spoil material) which can be re-used for different purposes, in line with circular economy. Lime (1–6%) can be added for chemically stabilize excavated materials soils and makes it possible its handling. However, lime addition to SM leads to a significant increase in soil pH up to very high values (ca. 12), with possible deleterious effects if it will be in contact with soil biota or plants. In this work, a real case study, where a tunnel for the A1 highway has been implemented, for planning revegetation and reforestation of the degraded construction site area (Appennini Mountain, close to Florence, Italy) is reported. Microcosm experiments were set-up for 4 months with spoil material and surface soil mixed with different organic amendments (OAs) (compost, pomace or digestate) for evaluating Medicago sativa growth and soil quality improvements. Subsequently, at the construction site, a field experiment was set up using mesocosms with the same OAs and five tree/shrub species commonly present in this region: Ostrya carpinifolia (black hornbeam), Quercus pubescens (downy oak), Fraxinus ornus (ash), Olea europaea (olive) and Corylus avellana (hazel). The plant survival and development was evaluated as well as soil characteristics (e.g. pH, organic carbon) and microbial community structure and functioning in amended and un-amended mesocosms for 3 years. The soil quality increased significantly adding OAs, with the best results and plant growth in digestate or compost presence. These experiments are propaedeutic to the implementation of the new reforestation in the degraded area.

Given the rising need for forest restoration, identifying resilient local biodiversity for present and novel climates is crucial. Current species selection for reforestation will have a persistent effect on forest resilience, however, a comprehensive framework for monitoring the success of these programs is still in its infancy. This study employs a functional trait-based approach to evaluate the suitability of the species: Fraxinus ornus, Quercus cerris and Quercus pubescens in the short term for reforestation within a Mediterranean protected area. We focused on traits associated with hydraulics, carbon utilization and storage (e.g., water use efficiency, net assimilation rate, non-structural carbohydrates), posited as crucial for species’ growth and survival, particularly in environments facing prolonged hot-drought spells in summer. Our objectives include determining which traits contributed to different performances. They might suppose an advantage across species under short-term drought in a botanical garden experiment and post-planting in the reforestation site. Secondly, we explored whether the carbon storage may have played a role in the survival of the transplanted species in the reforestation site, after the summer period. Therefore, we compared the non-structural carbohydrate pool in both alive and dead seedlings in the study area and the nursery seedlings.