Draft National Restoration Plan circulated for views – aim to improve state of nature

Draft National Restoration Plan circulated for views - aim to improve state of nature

The draft National Restoration Plan has been circulated for views. The plan specifies how Finland aims to implement the EU Nature Restoration Regulation and improve the state of nature in the years to come. The draft should be ready to be submitted to the European Commission in the autumn. The Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry request for views on the draft plan by 27 August 2026 at the latest.

The aim of the EU's Nature Restoration Regulation is to improve a broad range of ecosystems in different kinds of environments, both in protected areas and outside these. For the first time, it sets binding targets and the schedules for these to improve the state of nature in the European Union.

The National Restoration Plan is Finland's roadmap for reaching the objectives of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation in the years to come. The plan proposes the means to reach the objectives of the regulation in different habitats in a time span that extends to 2050. The plan examines measures to be taken in forests, mires and peatlands, waters and coastal areas, and urban environments.

The plan sums up the targets, packages of measures, financing and steering instruments, and monitoring principles for the restoration work. The details of the plan will be further developed in the coming decades. The EU Member States have the possibility to choose measures to be included in the plan that are the most cost-efficient and the most suitable for their national circumstances.

Finland will submit the draft restoration plan to the European Commission in the autumn, after it has been considered by the Government. The Commission will have six months to give its feedback on Finland's draft plan, and then it will be finalised. Finland's final National Restoration Plan will be submitted to the Commission within six months from the date when the Commission gave its feedback on the plan.

Steering group: focus on cost-efficiency, voluntary action and multifunctionality

The process to prepare the plan has been guided by a steering group with representatives from all parties in Government. The steering group has outlined the policy framework for the drafting of the plan. The steering group has been chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Environment, with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry as the vice-chair.

The steering group's guidelines for the process stress measures that are cost-efficient, multifunctional and just. They also stress the need to strengthen biodiversity while at the same time ensuring the preconditions for economic activities and the fundamental rights of citizens. The implementation of the National Restoration Plan is voluntary for private landowners. The plan does not contain any measures that would be binding on private persons or affect their property. The Constitution of Finland requires that the property of everyone is safeguarded. In Finland the flexibilities allowed by the EU regulation will be put to the best possible use.

In addition, the steering group has decided that, at first, the measures will mainly be targeted to protected areas and state lands. The restoration targets will be coordinated with the security of supply, food production, economic impacts and the competitiveness of businesses. In terms of finances, the focus will be on cost-efficiency, use of EU funding and diverse financing solutions. The implementation of the National Restoration Plan will be adapted to the government spending limits and Parliament's budget decisions.

Restoration measures for habitat types that are not in good condition

In Finland there are 68 habitat types that are covered by the Nature Restoration Regulation. Of the surface area of habitat types that are not in good condition, 30% should be covered by restoration measures by 2030 and at least 90% by 2050. If the area of such habitat types is not sufficient at present, they need to be re-established.

In terms of ensuring biodiversity, it is more effective to distribute restoration measures evenly across all habitat-type groups. The total surface area of certain habitat types such as aapa mires (string bogs) is very large in Finland. Reaching the restoration targets for these habitat types would be highly challenging and costly and would not bring significant benefits for biodiversity compared to a more moderate area to be restored. Instead, Finland's target now included in the draft Restoration Plan will make a significant contribution to the EU target to remove barriers from flowing waters.

Costs depend on scale and targeting of measures and means to be used

The costs of the implementation of the National Restoration Plan will depend on the scale and targeting of measures and the means to be used. The estimates for the impacts of the plan will be specified in more deal as the preparation of the plan proceeds.

The estimated total costs of implementing the National Restoration Plan are about EUR 1 billion per year until 2031. The gap in the finances compared to the current level is about EUR 400 million per year. Different sources of financing will be used to bridge the gap. With regard to restoration measures, Finland emphasises the importance of being able to make extensive use of various instruments to finance the measures. Business financing will also be used for restoration. In addition, the nature credits market will also support restoration, in particular, by steering private financing to improving the state of nature.

Finland aims to negotiate with the Commission on ways to bring the costs down to a more reasonable level.

The public funding for the implementation will be adjusted to the State Budget to be adopted by Parliament for each year.

Plan specifies means to be used, not sites to be targeted

The aim of the plan is to ensure that the objectives of the Nature Restoration Regulation can be implemented in a controlled, just and socially acceptable manner. The National Restoration Plan is not a detailed implementation plan that sets out the specific sites to be restored or obliges landowners to take action. The plan does not define any specific areas, projects or implementation methods; rather the decisions concerning these will be made separately in the implementation phase.

The measures of the National Restoration Plan include the present programmes to improve the state of nature, such as the Forest Biodiversity Action Plan METSO, Helmi Habitats Programme, Migratory Fish Programme NOUSU, Ahti programme on improving the state of waters and SOTKA project to reverse the trend in declining gamebird populations, the practices for nature management in forestry, and the management plans for waters and marine areas and the measures under these.

Practical measures that can be used include blocking ditches in mires, restoring river or brook channels towards their natural state, resuming grazing in areas traditionally used as pastures, and removing spruces from herb-rich forests. Measures particularly targeted to catchment areas, such as the restoration of mires, also improve the state of downstream and coastal waters. The measures are voluntary for landowners.

Compensations for protection can be applied for from instruments such as the Forest Biodiversity Action Plan METSO, and support and grants for restoration and nature management are also available under the Helmi, Ahti and NOUSU Programmes. Possible measures to be included in the National Restoration Plan include legislative amendments and information guidance.

Non-deterioration obligation part of National Restoration Plan

According to the EU Nature Restoration Regulation, Finland should introduce measures to ensure that the state of the restored habitat types and habitats of species continues to improve towards a good environmental status. Measures should be introduced that will ensure that there is no significant deterioration in the status of the restored habitat types and habitats of species. Finland should also introduce measures to ensure that the status of habitat sites that are in good condition is not significantly deteriorated.

Finland has notified the Commission that it intends to make use of the flexible application of the non-deterioration obligation allowed by the regulation. The flexibilities in the application mean that, in the absence of alternatives, significant deterioration may be allowed if the deterioration occurrence is compensated for by improvements elsewhere in Finland concerning the same habitat type or habitat of species.

Decisions on plan to be made by next Government

In Finland the responsibility for drafting of the National Restoration Plan rests with the whole Government. The process is led by the Ministry of the Environment, and each ministry is responsible for planning the measures concerning their administrative branches. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry leads the processes to prepare the sections of the plan concerning the restoration of peatland fields, removal of barriers in flowing waters and improving the state of nature in agricultural environments.

More than 200 experts, researchers, stakeholder representatives and citizens have participated in the drafting process. The about 30 stakeholder events organised during the process attracted almost 6,000 participants.

The decisions on the implementation of the National Restoration Plan will be made by each Government and Parliament. The public funding for the implementation will be adjusted to the State Budget to be adopted by Parliament for each year. Parliament will be responsible for the parliamentary monitoring of the process and any legislative amendments that may be needed.
In the first plan the targets set for 2040 and 2050 are indicative, and they will be specified in more detail when the plan is updated in 2032 and 2042.

Views are requested concerning the summary of the draft National Restoration Plan compiled by public officials of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The summary presents the objectives of the plan and the key measures to reach the objectives and their costs.

The summary circulated for views is available at Lausuntopalvelu.fi public consultation service. Views can be submitted until 27 August 2026.

Inquiries

Chairs of the steering group:

Juhani Damski
Permanent Secretary
Ministry of the Environment
tel. +358 295 250 445
[email protected]

Pekka Pesonen
Permanent Secretary
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
tel. +358 295 162 020
[email protected]

Ministry of the Environment:

Tarja Haaranen
Director General
tel. +358 295 250 282
[email protected]

Mikko Kuusinen
Senior Ministerial Adviser
tel. +358 295 250 144
[email protected]

Samuli Alppi (urban areas)
Senior Ministerial Adviser
tel. +358 295 250 036
[email protected]

Virve Hokkanen (urban areas)
Senior Specialist
tel. +358 295 250 034
[email protected]

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry:

Mikko Peltonen (absent 6-31 July)
Senior Ministerial Adviser
tel. +358 295 162 296
[email protected]