Introduction

This report summarizes the key insights, discussions, and outcomes from the webinar. The primary purpose is to provide an overview of the event, which brought together a diverse group of experts and stakeholders to explore innovative, cost-effective strategies for restoring marine ecosystems in the Nordic region.

The webinar was held in response to the growing political attention on marine ecosystems, driven in part by the new EU regulation on nature restoration. As the impact of climate change and human activities continues to threaten marine environments, there is an urgent need for effective restoration strategies that can enhance biodiversity, provide natural coastal defenses, and contribute to climate change mitigation efforts.

In the Nordic region, marine restoration is particularly challenging due to a variety of socio-economic and ecological factors. The complexity of comparing costs and evaluating benefits across different regions adds another layer of difficulty. The webinar aimed to address these challenges by bringing together researchers, policymakers, environmental economists, and marine restoration practitioners. By leveraging their expertise and experience, the event provided a platform to discuss the economic, ecological, and social dimensions of marine restoration.

Objectives of the webinar

The key objectives of the webinar were:

To explore cost-effective strategies for marine restoration: Identifying innovative approaches that can maximize ecological impact while minimizing financial, technological, and human resource constraints in the Nordic region.
To facilitate knowledge sharing among experts and stakeholders: Engaging researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to share successful restoration case studies, methodologies, and insights relevant to the Nordic context.
To assess the socio-economic implications of marine restoration: Promoting better understanding of how restoration efforts can contribute to both biodiversity enhancement and climate change mitigation, while addressing the challenges of comparing costs and benefits across regions.
To identify knowledge gaps and propose solutions: Fostering collaboration among stakeholders to uncover critical gaps in knowledge, and discussing how to develop unified methodologies for assessing the costs and impacts of marine restoration efforts across the Nordic region.
To promote dialogue on the EU's ambitious restoration goals: Discussing how the EU’s Nature Restoration Regulation can be implemented in the Nordic region, addressing challenges, and outlining practical steps forward.

This report serves as a comprehensive resource for researchers, policymakers, environmental economists, and marine restoration practitioners, providing valuable insights into marine restoration efforts in the Nordic region and highlighting the potential for scaling and replicating successful strategies for marine restoration.