How can research help ensure that nature restoration delivers ecological benefits while accounting for its economic and social consequences? The European Commission’s new strategic approach to agricultural and food research and innovation puts integrated evidence, place-based approaches and fairer transitions firmly on the agenda. NatuRISE will help address these priorities by examining the benefits, costs and wider impacts of restoration across ecosystems, regions and communities.
The European Commission’s new strategic approach to agricultural and food research and innovation highlights interconnected systems, natural resources, resilience, evidence-based decision-making and stronger links between research and practice. It also emphasises the importance of local and regional contexts and the involvement of the people and organisations that use research findings.
These priorities are directly relevant to nature restoration. Restoration can improve ecological conditions and generate wider benefits, but its effects may differ across locations, economic sectors and social groups. Understanding these differences is essential for assessing the implications of restoration measures and informing decisions about their design and implementation.
Looking beyond ecological outcomes
NatuRISE – Nature Restoration Impact Assessment for Socio-Economic and Ecological Benefits – is developing approaches to assess the benefits and costs of nature restoration, bringing ecological outcomes and socio-economic implications into a more integrated assessment.
The project will combine different valuation methods and test them in freshwater, forestry and agricultural contexts. This work will help make a broader range of restoration impacts visible, including who benefits, who bears the costs and where these effects occur. Read more
Such evidence can support more informed discussions about restoration options, their potential trade-offs and synergies, and the implications for different regions and communities. It can also help decision-makers consider how the effects of restoration are distributed across actors and generations, reflecting the European Commission’s emphasis on fairness in transitions.
Connecting evidence with real-world decisions
Restoration takes place in specific landscapes and under different ecological, economic and institutional conditions. Evidence that is useful in one context may need to be interpreted differently in another. NatuRISE therefore combines impact assessment with stakeholder engagement, bringing scientific approaches into dialogue with the knowledge, priorities and practical experience of those involved in restoration and related decisions.
This connection between research and practice is important for identifying which impacts matter in particular contexts, understanding how assessment results can be used, and supporting the development of decision-support approaches relevant to real-world choices.
Supporting evidence-informed nature restoration
The Commission’s new research and innovation priorities reinforce the value of integrated, context-sensitive evidence that can inform decisions across interconnected systems. NatuRISE contributes to this direction by working to make the ecological, economic and social consequences of restoration more visible and assessable.
For policy-makers, public authorities, land managers and other stakeholders, a more complete understanding of restoration impacts can help inform choices about where and how restoration takes place, how different options compare, and how their benefits and costs affect different groups.
By connecting valuation methods, place-based assessments and stakeholder knowledge, NatuRISE aims to strengthen the evidence available for nature restoration decisions that account for both ecological outcomes and wider societal implications.
Read more about case studies and stakeholder engagement
Discover how NatuRISE connects nature restoration impact assessment with local and regional contexts, and brings stakeholder knowledge into the assessment of restoration benefits, costs and wider impacts.