The Institutional Design and Implementation Challenges of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation and Its Implications for China's Biodiversity Conservation

The EU Nature Restoration Regulation Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 which entered into force on 18 August 2024, is a comprehensive, legally binding EU-wide regulation with the core objective of restoring degraded ecosystems. It sets the overarching targets of restoring at least 20% of the EU's land and sea areas by 2030 and all ecosystems in need of restoration are restored by 2050 through binding targets for terrestrial, marine, freshwater, urban, agricultural and forest ecosystems. Member States implement these targets via National Restoration Plans, subject to common preparation, monitoring and reporting requirements. The Regulation further mandates restoring river connectivity in freshwater ecosystems and reversing pollinator decline on agricultural lands. As a key pillar of the European Green Deal and the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030-Bringing nature back into our lives, it marks a paradigm shift in EU environmental governance from protecting existing ecosystems to restoring degraded ones. Nevertheless, its implementation is hampered by considerable funding gaps, uneven administrative capacities, resistance from the agriculture and forestry sectors, and complex coordination, with progress on the National Restoration Plans varying markedly across Member States. This paper examines the rationale behind the Regulation's institutional design and the key challenges in its implementation, and further explores its potential implications for biodiversity conservation in China, with the aim of providing both theoretical underpinnings and policy insights.