The EU Nature Restoration Regulation could help conserve Europe's last primary and old-growth forests, suggests new Policy Brief

EFI’s new Policy Brief cautions that without explicit action, Europe's rarest forests risk irreversible loss, identifying four concrete steps governments can take now. 

Primary and old-growth forests are among Europe's most valuable ecosystems, yet they cover less than 3% of the EU's forest area and continue to decline. A new EFI Policy Brief points out that the EU Nature Restoration Regulation (NRR) offers a key opportunity to strengthen their conservation, if Member States take explicit action in their National Restoration Plans.

Primary and old-growth forests provide critical benefits for biodiversity, climate mitigation, water regulation and recreation. However, they remain fragmented, unevenly protected and vulnerable to ongoing human pressures.

The Policy Brief highlights four actions Member States can take to strengthen conservation efforts:

1. Complete mapping and protection.
2. Prevent degradation and protect natural processes.
3. Expand strict protection and establish buffer zones.
4. Restore connectivity and support the development of future old-growth forests.

According to the authors, Lyla O'Brien and Marcus Lindner from EFI, the success of the Nature Restoration Regulation in safeguarding these irreplaceable forests will ultimately depend on national implementation choices.

Read the policy brief here

Citation

O’Brien, L. and Lindner, M. 2026. How can we conserve primary and old-growth forests through the EU Nature Restoration Regulation? EFI Policy Brief 21. European Forest Institute. https://doi.org/10.36333/pb21

Further reading

O'Brien, L., F. Castelli, A. Felton, et al. 2026.  Priority Actions for the Conservation of Primary and Old-Growth Forests in Europe. Conservation Letters 19, no. 4: e70054. https://doi.org/10.1111/con4.70054

O'Brien, L. 2026. Blog post: Priority actions for the conservation of primary and old-growth forests in Europe.