ABSTRACT
Against the backdrop of the extinction crisis the concept of ecological restoration (‘eco-restoration’) has emerged as a novel conservation narrative. In 2011, the European Union (EU) followed suit, resulting in eco-restoration being explicitly recognized as a policy target within the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020. This chapter explores the legal difficulties and opportunities in translating the eco-restoration agenda into workable governance regimes. It considers the myriad legal issues to be addressed when implementing the shift towards eco-restoration in the EU. When analysing the territorial scope of restoration policies within the context of EU law, it should not be forgotten that ecological considerations are also increasingly integrated in the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy and in the Common Fisheries Policy, two prominent EU policy domains. The chapter considers the mitigation and offset duties that exist in EU environmental law when strictly enforced and applied with the necessary caution, stimulate the implementation of more ambitious restoration schemes.
