Deliverable 3.5 Policy Advocacy Video
Europe knows how to restore its wetlands. Will Member States make wetland restoration a priority in the next EU budget, for a resilient Europe?
Wetlands and peatlands protect us from floods, drought, fire and water scarcity. Yet Europe has lost around 80% of its wetlands over the past century.
In this video, Members of the European Parliament Jutta Paulus and César Luena, together with partners from the six WaterLANDS Action Sites in Bulgaria, Estonia, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands and the UK, share what five years of restoration have shown: restoring wetlands strengthens Europe’s competitiveness, security and shared values. It works best when long-term funding, cross-sectoral governance, land-use planning and local engagement go hand in hand.
As the EU prepares its 2028–2034 budget, WaterLANDS calls on Member States to make wetland restoration a priority: aligning National and Regional Partnership Plans with National Restoration Plans, backed by a dedicated biodiversity spending target.