The policy session on building policy recommendations for terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems held within the framework of the 2025 Annual Institutional Dialogue of the Natural Heritage Mission (NHM), which took place in Barcelona (Spain), and in which Germ or Life project participated, constituted a key milestone reflecting the effectiveness of a collective policy-building process.
Bringing together the NHM community, scientists, practitioners, non EU-partners and civil society from across the Mediterranean, the session was grounded in an interactive dialogue delivering on a science–society–policy Interface for wetlands, forests, and freshwater ecosystems.
By examining the initial set of eight draft recommendations with territorial evidence and diverse governance realities, the collective work of the session strengthened their practical relevance, political and regional coherence, and led to the addition of two recommendations on peacebuilding and transboundary governance, and accountability and transparency.
Territorial solutions were identified during the session with inputs from participants. These are developed in the policy brief which contains the main policy recommendations and are organised around four pillars: integrated governance, inclusive participation, innovation and financing, and capacity building, reflecting the needs for coherent governance, science-based planning, and sustained investment.
These measures translate the field-tested practices of the Thematic Projects and the perceptive contributions of the NHM community during the session into operational guidance for governments, regional institutions, and local authorities, to upscale restoration efforts in the Mediterranean.
Aligned with the EU Nature Restoration Regulation (NRR), the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), and other key Mediterranean and international frameworks and initiatives, these recommendations now form a shared and actionable roadmap that strengthens multilevel governance, bridges science and policy, promotes an inclusive participation of the citizens and supports holistically ecosystem restoration efforts across the region.
