The People-Centred Path to Restoring Europe’s Landscapes

By Charlie Malcolm-McKay

Header image: Pastoral life in the Gediz Delta, Turkey, part of BirdLife’s Europe & Central Asia region. © Mahmut Koyaş

On 17 June 2024, the EU Environment Council officially enshrined the landmark Nature Restoration Law, a massive victory for Europe’s nature and its citizens, achieved despite relentless disinformation campaigns, fierce lobbying and last-minute political drama.

This groundbreaking law sets binding targets to restore at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea by 2030, and to bring all degraded ecosystems in need of restoration back to health by 2050. But regulatory legal frameworks are only part of the solution to truly upscale nature restoration across Europe. 

The long-term success of nature restoration relies on strong partnerships and fair and inclusive collaboration among a wide range of actors, including local communities, rights holders, landowners, governments and NGOs. Across the BirdLife Partnership, we value and apply local expertise to find high-impact, long-term solutions to ensure the flourishing of birds, people and nature alike.

Convening for Restoration: the Stakeholder Engagement Taskforce

Launched in 2023, the Stakeholder Engagement taskforce, part of the Convening for Restoration project, is an example of how we aim to generate collaborative solutions to restore ecosystems across Europe in an inclusive way. Our new guidance provides a framework for how landscape and seascape restoration can be both effective and just.

Restoration practitioners can take several practical steps to engage a wide range of stakeholders. These include identifying key actors early on, using co-production approaches that empower communities and centring the voices of those most affected. It’s also important to address power imbalances, invest in trust-building and resources for long-term involvement and create collaborative governance structures.

As Poshendra Satyal, Senior Policy Manager at BirdLife International, emphasises, “If we are serious about scaling up nature restoration across Europe, we need to move beyond a purely ecological focus and centre people in the process. Restoration will only be effective and lasting if it is also just, designed and delivered with the full and equitable participation of those most affected.”

Poshendra also points out that, “Too often, marginalised voices, such as landless people, tenant farmers, women and communities impacted by intersecting inequalities, are left out. But inclusive engagement is not optional; it’s essential. While the EU Nature Restoration Regulation is a welcome step forward, real change will only happen when national restoration plans are co-developed with a broad, diverse range of stakeholders. Just and effective engagement isn’t just a procedural box to tick, it’s the foundation for restoration that benefits both people and nature.”

Collaborative Solutions in Rural Bulgaria

One illustration of this in practice is in rural Bulgaria, where farmers sometimes use poison baits to protect their livestock from predators. However, these baits are driving declines in some of Europe’s rarest birds.

To tackle this problem, closer collaboration with farmers began more than a decade ago. This cooperation was formalised through the creation of a local network working to stop wildlife poisoning. Today, the network includes 55 stakeholders, and written agreements have been signed with several members to strengthen long-term cooperation.

Our BirdLife Partner, the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB), a well-established organisation with decades of presence in the region, has played a key role in fostering trust and building open lines of communication with local communities.

BSPB’s long-term presence has helped ensure that farmers’ needs and concerns are understood and integrated into conservation and restoration efforts. It also underpins collaboration toward the shared goal of restoring grasslands, benefiting both farmers and Vulnerable species such as the Eastern Imperial Eagle and European Souslik (also known as European Ground Squirrel). 

A key lesson from this case is that engagement must be continuous, not a one-time interaction. Regular follow-ups not only help track progress but also demonstrate ongoing commitment, which is essential for building long-term trust and effective collaboration.

A Path Forward

This is just one example highlighted in the guidance. The Taskforce has brought together diverse expertise in effective stakeholder engagement and conflict management. The Convening for Restoration project, funded by the Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme (ELSP), is implemented by BirdLife International, the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). 

By building alliances with a diverse range of experts, we can engage civil society and local communities to develop, drive and share just restoration. As Jo Gilbert, International Director at RSPB, reflects, “Restoration at landscape-scale needs to include the people in that landscape.  Using the techniques of just and effective engagement enables a shared vision of the future to be created. By working in this way, we can set about long-term and successful landscape restoration for nature, climate and people.”

Together with our Partners, we are demonstrating that inclusive, locally driven approaches can deliver lasting restoration across Europe’s landscapes. By sharing knowledge, building trust, and uniting diverse expertise, we can achieve impact at scale. Collaboration and cooperation are at the heart of this work. Only by working together can we create a future where nature and people thrive side by side.