A total of 31 environmental and social organizations have joined forces to form the Alliance for Nature Restoration in Spain, with the aim of urging the Government to approve a National Restoration Plan by August 2026.
The initiative seeks to comply with the European Regulation on Nature Restoration and reverse ecosystem degradation in a critical context: according to the MITECO, only 9% of Spanish habitats are in good condition.
Objectives of the Alliance
The NGOs aim to place ecological restoration at the center of state public policies. Among their priorities:
- Develop a plan based on the best scientific evidence.
- Meet European commitments: restore at least 20% of land and marine areas by 2030, and move towards the full recovery of degraded ecosystems by 2050.
- Integrate restoration into sectoral and territorial policies, including the marine environment.
- Ensure the principle of no deterioration, preventing new actions from causing additional damage.
Proposed Measures
The Alliance proposes concrete actions:
- Awareness campaigns and environmental education to foster a culture of restoration.
- Elimination of subsidies that promote environmental degradation.
- Reorientation of public resources towards activities compatible with ecological recovery.
- Applicable projects on the ground involving administrations, local communities, and civil society.
Participating Organizations
The platform brings together entities from various fields:
- Environmental and scientific: AEMS Ríos Con Vida, Fundación Global Nature, Fundación Internacional para la Restauración de Ecosistemas (FIRE), Fundación Marilles.
- Social and union: CCOO, UGT, Barrios por el Clima.
- International and marine conservation: Oceana, OceanCare, Equilibrio Marino.
- Historic and far-reaching: Greenpeace España, WWF, SEO/BirdLife, Ecologistas en Acción, Fridays For Future.
The diversity of actors reflects a collective effort that spans from river defense and land stewardship to ecological transition and marine science.
Risks of Lack of Protection
The technical report presented by the NGOs warns that relaxing the law or delaying the national plan would imply:
- Water shortage, by exposing debris glaciers and periglacial areas that contribute up to 30% of water in dry years.
- Loss of biodiversity, affecting up to 86% of Argentine mammals and key ecosystems.
- Irreversible degradation, with direct impacts on environmental health and resilience to climate change.
The creation of the Alliance for Nature Restoration responds to the urgency of halting environmental deterioration in Spain and meeting European commitments. The collective urges the Executive to approve an ambitious, coherent, and science-based plan that connects national policies with local realities and ensures tangible improvements in natural heritage.
