The European Nature Restoration Act is going to play a major role in the design of our cities and towns in the coming years. Whereas before greening was often an ambition, it is increasingly becoming a concrete task with measurable objectives.

At Green Roof Specialist we notice that more and more municipalities, housing corporations and project developers have questions about the consequences of this law. What exactly will you have to demonstrate soon? How do you ensure that a project meets future requirements? And what role can green roofs play in this?

With the first deadline for the National Recovery Plan on Sept. 1, 2026, it is time to look ahead.

What is the Nature Restoration Act?

The European Nature Restoration Act aims to restore nature and biodiversity within Europe. In doing so, the focus is not only on natural areas outside cities, but also on habitat within urban areas.

For municipalities, this means, among other things:

• the total green space should not decrease;
• biodiversity must demonstrably improve;
• tree canopy cover should increase;
• nature restoration becomes part of spatial plans;
• results must be made measurable.

Although national elaboration is still evolving, one thing is certain: the 2030 goals are fast approaching.

Key moments towards 2030

August 2024

The Nature Restoration Act has officially come into effect. From that moment on, a baseline for urban green space applies.

September 2026

The Netherlands must submit a first draft of the National Recovery Plan to the European Commission.

September 2027

The final National Recovery Plan is adopted.

2030

The first European goals must be visibly realized.

That seems a long way off, but nature development takes time. A tree planted today will not produce a mature tree crown in four years. Biodiversity also does not develop overnight.

This is why we see many municipalities beginning to explore possible measures now.

Five challenges facing municipalities

1. No net loss of green

Since August 2024, the principle of “No Net Loss” has applied. This means that the total area of urban green space must not decrease.

It sounds simple, but in practice it is often a challenge. Especially in cities where housing, infrastructure and sustainability require a lot of space.

Is greenery disappearing? Then it will eventually have to be compensated for somewhere.

2. Increased biodiversity

Just putting in more green space is not enough.

The quality of green space is becoming increasingly important. Municipalities must be able to demonstrate that measures actually contribute to biodiversity and the recovery of pollinators such as bees, butterflies and hoverflies.

3. More tree canopy cover

Trees provide cooling, shade, water collection and wildlife habitat.

Therefore, the law encourages increased tree canopy cover within urban areas.

4. Include nature in spatial plans

Nature restoration is increasingly becoming part of area development, climate adaptation and environmental visions.

Just as water storage is now routinely included in new plans, greening will take on an increasingly important role.

5. Monitoring and reporting

Municipalities must be increasingly able to substantiate what results are being achieved.

It is not only the amount of green space that counts, but also its ecological quality.

What we encounter daily on projects

What we often see is that municipalities immediately think of additional green space at ground level. This makes sense, because it is visible and relatively easy to manage.

At the same time, we find that large areas of roofs often remain unused. This is precisely where there are many opportunities to add extra greenery without this being at the expense of housing, parking or other functions.

In recent years we have installed dozens of green roofs for municipalities, housing associations, schools and companies. In doing so, we see that demand is changing. Whereas clients used to be primarily interested in water storage or insulation, nowadays we increasingly get questions about biodiversity and nature restoration.

We also notice that municipalities are increasingly looking for solutions that achieve multiple goals at the same time. A green roof can not only contribute to biodiversity, but also help with water collection, cooling during hot periods and reducing heat stress in the city.

Roofs of apartment buildings, schools, sports halls, parking garages and commercial buildings sometimes offer hundreds or even thousands of square meters of space for greening. Without requiring additional public space.

This is precisely why we expect green roofs to play an increasingly important role within municipal plans for climate adaptation and nature restoration in the coming years.

A practical example from Rotterdam

A great example is our project in Rotterdam, where we realized a biodiverse rooftop flower meadow on student housing.

On a roof area of over 1,100 m², we created a biodiverse roof flower meadow with native plants. In the midst of a highly petrified environment, this created a new habitat for insects, while simultaneously retaining rainwater and adding additional greenery to the city.

What makes this project interesting is that no additional land area was required. All the benefits were realized on a roof that previously had little ecological value.

This is exactly the kind of solution that more and more municipalities are looking for.

Why green roofs are becoming increasingly interesting

Space in Dutch cities is under pressure.

At the same time, the demands around climate adaptation, biodiversity and greening are increasing. As a result, there is a growing need for solutions that can fulfill multiple goals simultaneously.

A green roof can contribute to:

• more green space;
• better biodiversity;
• water storage;
• cooling during hot periods;
• a more attractive living environment;
• longer life of the roofing material.

Especially in densely built-up areas, we see that green roofs are often one of the most feasible ways to quickly add additional greenery. Check out the options for having a green roof installed when you want to contribute to biodiversity, water storage and climate adaptation.

Our expectation toward 2030

From our practice, we expect biodiversity roofs to become increasingly important in the coming years.

Municipalities must create more green space, improve biodiversity and be smart with the limited space available. As a result, attention is increasingly shifting to multifunctional solutions.

After all, a roof can be much more than just a waterproof finish to a building. It can contribute to nature restoration, water collection, cooling and biodiversity at the same time.

We therefore expect green roofs to play an increasing role within municipal nature restoration strategies.

Want to contribute to nature restoration with a green roof?

Are you involved in a municipality, housing association, VvE or real estate project and want to know what options are available for your building?

Then we will be happy to help you. We think about the right solution, the construction of the roof and the contribution a green roof can make to biodiversity, climate adaptation and nature restoration.