Il ripristino degli ecosistemi forestali

The EU Regulation 2024/1991 of 24 June 2024 on nature restoration introduces for the Member States new, significant, and ambitious targets in the field of nature conservation to be achieved by 2050. Despite the efforts made so far by the Member States, data on the conservation status of habitats and species in Europe highlight several critical issues. Trends in conservation status show that many habitats and species with poor or bad conservation conditions continue to decline. To reverse these trends, EU Regulation 2024/1991 establishes rules for the recovery of biodiversity in Europe through the restoration of degraded ecosystems, also with the aim of contributing to climate change mitigation, reducing land degradation, and achieving greater food security. Forests are complex ecosystems performing multiple functions: they are rich in biodiversity, act as carbon sinks, protect soils, and maintain soil fertility. To ensure the provision of these and other functions, Article 12 of EU Regulation 2024/1991 requires the implementation of restoration measures to enhance the biodiversity of forest ecosystems. Forests and forestry-related issues are also addressed in Articles 4 and 13 of the Regulation, concerning, respectively, the restoration of terrestrial, coastal, and freshwater ecosystems, and the planting of three billion additional trees. This work provides an overview of the key provisions of the EU Regulation 2024/1991 relating to the restoration of forest habitat types, the enhancement of forest ecosystems, and the National Restoration Plan, and examines possible operational scenarios in light of the current state of knowledge.