Unlocking the Value of Nature Restoration
Empowering policymakers, investors, and society with the scientific evidence and tools to assess the true socio-economic impacts of nature restoration
Our Mission
Valuing Nature
ECONATURES develops comprehensive methodological frameworks to assess the socio-economic impacts of nature restoration across Europe, supporting the implementation of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation and the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.
Moving beyond fragmented approaches and traditional natural capital accounting, ECONATURES integrates the multiple values of nature, including relational, cultural, intrinsic, and instrumental values, to provide a more holistic understanding of the benefits that nature restoration delivers to society.
By exploring the two-way relationship between ecosystem restoration and economic systems, ECONATURES reveals how restoration generates cascading effects across supply chains, labour markets, and regional economies, providing the evidence needed to support more effective policies and investment decisions.
Partners across
7 countries
Real-World
Case Studies
Integrated Models
& Frameworks
AI-Enhanced
Online Ecosystem
Objectives
Develop comprehensive methodological frameworks
for socio-economic assessment of nature restoration.
Develop and validate integrated ecological-economic modelling approaches
for restoration impact assessment at local, national and European scales.
Provide policy-relevant tools and evidence
for restoration planning, biodiversity-enhancing strategies and implementation pathways.
ECONATURES
Online Ecosystem
The ECONATURES Online Ecosystem is a comprehensive web-based platform that consolidates all project outputs into a single, interactive decision-support environment.
Designed for policymakers, investors,
and practitioners, it features:
Policy Scenario Explorer
Model and visualise economic and biodiversity outcomes under different policy scenarios
Economic Valuation Toolkit
Online calculators for ecosystem service valuation, capturing both market and non-market benefits
Biodiversity Investment Analyzer
Assess the economic returns and biodiversity co-benefits of private sector conservation investments
Decision Support Tool (DST)
An interactive tool allowing you to explore and understand the economic, environmental, and ecological consequences of alternative nature restoration policies or investments
Case Studies
5 Case Studies
of nature restoration
To demonstrate practical relevance and ensure our frameworks are tailored to local contexts, ECONATURES implements representative case studies across Europe’s biogeographic regions in five different countries.
Cost-benefit analysis
Economic cost-benefit analysis of soil conservation and agricultural land restoration practices in Italy, by CMCC
Quantification of local ecosystem service benefits
Quantification of local ecosystem service benefits and trade-offs of agricultural land restoration in the Netherlands, by PBL
Biodiversity impacts of land-use
Biodiversity impacts of land-use, agricultural, and energy transition pathways in Greece, by E3M
ECONATURES Results
Integrated Ecological-Economic Assessment Framework
Quantifies the socio-economic impacts of restoration and their social and territorial distribution across regions and timescales
Integrated Modelling Toolbox
Combines economic and ecological models to assess biodiversity, ecosystem services and restoration impacts
AI-enhanced Modelling
Uses AI-driven emulation and optimisation to enable faster scenario testing and multi-objective planning
Valuation & Transfer Toolkit
Provides standardised guidelines and tools to support valuation and cost-benefit analysis
Interactive Decision-Support Tools (DSTs)
Provide a web-based platform for exploring restoration scenarios, visualise socio-economic and ecological impacts, and plan cost-effective interventions
Restoration pathways and scenarios
Provide ecological-economic models to support national authorities and EU bodies align restoration with biodiversity and socio-economic goals
Business Model Builder
Provide Business Model Canvas templates, ROI calculators and risk assessment tools for businesses, investors and public authorities
Knowledge & Skills Accelerators
Provide materials to equip policymakers, practitioners and investors with practical skills in modelling, valuation and decision-support tools for nature restoration
Policy recommendations for Evidence-based and Scalable Nature Restoration
Translate ECONATURES insights into actionable, evidence-based guidance for EU, national and regional authorities
News
Get In Touch
Contact our team
Partners
