Policy brief: making the business case for wetland restoration

Wetlands are biodiversity hotspots that support 40% of global species, ​store huge amounts of carbon, and are essential for water security, regulating flows, filtering pollution, and reducing flood and drought risks. They are among Europe’s most crucial ecosystems, but also heavily degraded. This REWET policy brief sets out the business case for rewetting in Europe, demonstrating how restoring wetlands generates long-term economic, environmental, and social returns.

Headerphoto: Bog lanscape in Estonia © Urmas83 from Getty Images

High costs of inaction

Europe has lost around 80% of its wetlands in the last century​, largely due to drainage, peat extraction, and infrastructure development. The longer we wait with restoring degraded wetlands, the higher the costs become. The costs of inaction increase constantly, as ecosystems deteriorate and restoration becomes more complex.

Short-term gains from continued wetland degradation translate into long-term costs. In contrast, early investment reduces liabilities and generates returns.

Policy recommendations to accelerate wetland restoration

Opportunities exist to accelerate wetland restoration. Targeted measures can improve the economic viability of rewetting.

1. Prioritise and target high-impact wetlands. Wetlands restoration is the most cost effective if efforts focus on locations where ecological urgency and economic returns overlap.
2. Phase out harmful subsidies and realign public policies. Rewetting cannot compete economically as long as public subsidies continue to incentivise drainage-based land use.
3. Strengthen incentives and enable private sector engagement. Restoration will only scale when landowners and land users are enabled and motivated to participate.

REWET: a laboratory on European scale 

REWET is a laboratory for the restoration of wetlands on a European scale. In the REWET project, funded by the European Union, NGOs, universities, companies and institutions joined forces to study the full potential of wetland areas. With information from seven open laboratories, we are developing a comprehensive understanding of how European wetlands can best contribute to climate mitigation and adaptation.