@techreport{Porada2026,

title = {Prioritising Wetland Conservation and Restoration in Europe - United voices for more policy impact},

author = {H. Porada and C. Verwer and M. van der Wal and M. S. Reed and M. Hurtado and P. Perez and E. Haltia and I. Shchoka and J. Peters and M. Tengö and M. Lorenz and T. Larmola and L. Ukonmaanaho and M. del Mar Otero and A. Camacho and E. Kampa and C. Schröder and W. Mroz and N. O'Brolchain and L. Holden},

editor = {H. Porada and C. Verwer and M. van der Wal and M. S. Reed},

url = {https://www.etc.uma.es/wp-content/uploads/IUCN-NL_REWET_white-paper_prioritising-wetland-conservation-and-restoration-in-Europe.pdf},

year  = {2026},

date = {2026-07-01},

abstract = {Wetlands are critical ecosystems that provide a wide range of benefits to both the environment and society. Despite their importance, wetlands across Europe continue to be degraded due to reclamations, drainage, land-use change, and climate pressures. This degradation drives biodiversity loss, turns wetlands from carbon sinks into sources of greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbates waterrelated challenges, and leads to long-term social and economic costs, thereby undermining the achievement of EU environmental and sustainability objectives. The current EU policy landscape offers a significant opportunity to address these challenges. Instruments like the Nature Restoration Regulation, Water Framework Directive, Common Agricultural Policy, and LULUCF Regulation provide a framework for advancing large-scale wetland conservation and restoration. However, implementation remains constrained by structural challenges, including fragmented governance, misaligned incentives, financing gaps, limited technical capacity, and insufficient participation of affected groups. Drawing on evidence gathered from the EU funded projects, including REWET, WET HORIZONS, ALFAwetlands, Restore4Cs, ForPeat, Interreg Wetland4Change, and Palus Demos, it identifies four priority areas for policy action: 1) Improving policy coherence across sectors; 2) Mobilising public and private financing; 3) Enabling landscape scale implementation; 4) Strengthening monitoring systems and stakeholder participation. Addressing these priorities can accelerate restoration efforts and ensure that wetlands effectively support EU climate, biodiversity, and water policy objectives.},

keywords = {Conservation and management, Environmental conservation, Policy, Protected areas, Restoration, Transboundary management, Wetlands},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {techreport}

}

@techreport{delOtero2025,

title = {“Monthly distribution of recreational maritime traffic in small ports and marinas” and “Mitigation and control measures implemented in the area of the Pelagos Sanctuary and Meeting on “Good practices for sustainable commercial and recreational boating”.},

author = {M. del Mar Otero and B. Bauer and A. Sánchez-Espinosa and M. Pacheco},

url = {https://www.etc.uma.es/wp-content/uploads/Pelagos_ToR2_Recreational_boats.pdf},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-09-01},

urldate = {2025-09-01},

abstract = {As recreational vessel traffic continues to increase within the Pelagos Sanctuary, it becomes essential to assess both the spatial and temporal patterns of boat activity to determine its impact on both resident and migratory marine mammal populations and inform effective management strategies. This study aims to provide a more in-depth analysis of recreational boating in the region, with a focus on coastal waters, ports, and marinas.},

keywords = {Conservation and management, Marine protected areas, Maritime transport, Transboundary management},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {techreport}

}

@techreport{Kampa2025,

title = {RESTORE4Cs 2nd Policy Brief: Unlocking potential of coastal wetlands in Europe: Integration into National Restoration Plans},

author = {E. Kampa and E. Elkina and M. del Mar Otero},

url = {https://www.etc.uma.es/wp-content/uploads/R4Cs_Policy-Brief_2_EN.pdf},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-06-27},

urldate = {2025-06-27},

abstract = {The second RESTORE4Cs Policy Brief of RESTORE4Cs, “Unlocking Potential of Coastal Wetlands in Europe: Integration into National Restoration Plans“, highlights the critical role of National Restoration Plans (NRPs) under the EU Nature Restoration Regulation in enhancing the restoration and resilience of coastal wetlands.



The brief outlines how NRPs can serve as a powerful mechanism to harness the climate and biodiversity potential of coastal wetlands.



Key messages of the 2nd RESTORE4Cs Policy Brief include:



National Restoration Plans are a timely opportunity to scale up national efforts to restore European coastal wetlands. When tailored to their specific conditions, restoration of these ecosystems can offer vital natural climate solutions through improving carbon storage, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and delivering multiple ecological co-benefits.



Effective monitoring is essential. NRPs should include strong monitoring frameworks to track the outcomes of restoration activities. This includes not only assessing ecological status but also collecting data on carbon storage and greenhouse gas fluxes, especially methane, to evaluate climate benefits accurately.



Better alignment with climate policies is needed. To fully leverage the potential of coastal wetlands, NRPs should be coordinated with national climate policy instruments such as National Energy and Climate Plans, national climate adaptation strategies, and carbon removal certification schemes.



This policy brief underlines that well-planned and monitored restoration of coastal wetlands is not only key for ecosystem health but also a strategic component of Europe’s climate action and biodiversity goals.},

keywords = {Climate Change, Transboundary management, Wetlands},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {techreport}

}

@techreport{nokey,

title = {RESTORE4Cs 1st Policy Brief: How can coastal wetlands help achieve EU climate goals?},

author = {M. del Mar Otero and A. Camacho and D. Abdul-Malak and E. Kampa and A. Scheid and E. Elkina},

url = {https://www.etc.uma.es/wp-content/uploads/R4Cs-Policy-Brief-EU-climate-goals.pdf},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-09-01},

urldate = {2024-09-01},

abstract = {The first RESTORE4Cs Policy Brief of RESTORE4Cs, “How can coastal wetlands help achieve EU climate goals?“, highlights the importance of European coastal wetlands for reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions.



The key messages of the first RESTORE4Cs Policy Brief include:



1) Coastal wetlands are important natural carbon stores, given their capacity to sequester carbon efficiently while emitting relatively less methane – a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) with much higher warming potential than CO2 at medium term.



2) When well-preserved or restored, coastal wetlands deliver key ecosystem services and have positive impacts on the environment and society. The conservation and restoration of coastal wetlands in Europe is therefore a cost-effective climate mitigation strategy in line with the European Climate Law and can contribute to reach climate neutrality by 2050.



3) Robust carbon certification sche­ mes can offer additional tools to finance projects for protecting and restoring European coastal wetlands. Coastal wetland protection and restoration activities that contribute to reduce GHG emissions, sequester carbon and provide long-term storage should qualify and be recognised under the EU Certification Framework for Carbon Removals. These measures provide an opportunity for unlocking new financial sources for wetland conservation and restoration while ensuring ecological and social benefits with the necessa­ry safeguards in place.



4) Actions to protect and restore carbon sinks – including the sustainable management and restoration of wetlands – are qualified by the EU Taxonomy Regulation as ‘environmentally sustainable’ economic activities. These actions can create incentives for companies that aim to become more climate-friendly and attract new investments for restoration by labelling certain activities as ‘environmentally friendly’ or reducing their financial transaction costs.},

keywords = {Climate Change, Transboundary management, Wetlands},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {techreport}

}

@techreport{delOtero2022,

title = {Towards a nature positive Mediterranean: Accelerating the transition for the conservation, restoration and wise use of biodiversity in the Mediterranean},

author = {M. del Mar Otero},

url = {https://www.etc.uma.es/wp-content/uploads/MBPC_Policy_Paper_2022.pdf},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-11-01},

abstract = {This policy paper draws on various recent policy discussions and papers at a global level, particularly the transformation pathways from the Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). It also stems from the need to tackle climate change and biodiversity targets simultaneously to generate solutions at the Mediterranean basin.



Building on the IPBES findings, this paper identifies transformative actions that bring about change in the conservation, restoration and wise use of coastal and marine biodiversity ensuring the positive coexistence between economic sectors and sensitive species and habitats found in the Mediterranean region. It argues for the feasible implementation of these actions through available solutions and tools developed by the Interreg Mediterranean Biodiversity Protection Community, among others, that would place the region in the path of ecological resilience and nature recovery.},

keywords = {Biodiversity, Blue Growth, Climate Change, Conservation and management, Environmental conservation, Marine protected areas, Mediterranean sea, Pressures},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {techreport}

}