The EU’s Nature Restoration Regulation aims to restore ecosystems and safeguard habitats for species that are otherwise at risk of disappearing or becoming extinct. EU Member States, including Sweden, are required to draw up their own national plans to achieve the objectives of the Regulation1. As part of this work, researchers at Lund University were commissioned by Swedosh authoroties to produce a knowledge base for Sweden’s restoration plan.
Identifying synergies between agricultural policy and nature restoration
The project mainly involved investigating the possibilities for restoring nature in the agricultural landscape and how this could be implemented, for example through the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), whilst ensuring that it would be cost-effective and attractive for landowners and farmers to carry out. Landscapes that benefit from traditional management practices, such as hay meadows and pastureland, were a key focus, but biodiversity in the agricultural landscape more generally was also considered. The researchers were also tasked with developing proposals for measures and policy instruments that could help to promote biodiversity in the agricultural landscape.
The report was produced through a cross-disciplinary collaboration between researchers from both Lund University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Together, they employed a range of different methods, both quantitative and qualitative, to collect and analyse data, which subsequently resulted in concrete advice and recommendations.
Henrik Smith, Professor of Zooecology at Lund University, led the work on the report:
– Although it has been an extensive and challenging task, we are delighted with the trust placed in us by jSam. It was a challenge we could not resist, as the implementation of the Nature Restoration Regulation presents a unique opportunity to achieve something substantial in terms of nature restoration in Sweden.
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The article is published in full in Swedish only: Från EU-krav till verklighet: Så kan Sverige lyckas med naturrestaurering i jordbrukslandskapet | LU Land
You can read the full report, including the appendices, here (In Swedish only): Analys av synergier mellan EU:s gemensamma jordbrukspolitik och förord
