The First Webinar of the FutureLand Project Took Place

On 30 January 2026, the first webinar entitled “The Nature Restoration Regulation: Scientific Foundations, Policy Framework and Implementation Challenges” was held.

The webinar was organized within the framework of the project “Nature Restoration — Challenges and Opportunities for Future Landscape Specialists” (FutureLand), implemented under the Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships for Higher Education (KA220-HED) programme.

Project partners include University of Eastern Finland, University of Girona, IUAV University of Venice, the Regional Council of North Karelia (Finland), the Provincial Council of Girona, the Po Delta Regional Park Authority, and V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University.

At Karazin University, the project is implemented by the Department of Socio-Economic Geography and Regional Studies named after Kostiantyn Niemets of the School of Geology, Geography, Recreation, and Travel Business.

The webinar brought together more than 70 participants, including students, PhD candidates, researchers, and representatives of various companies and organizations from nine countries worldwide.

During the webinar, Daniel Hering, Professor at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Angelika Rubin, representative of the Directorate-General for Environment of the European Commission (ENV.D.3 – Nature Conservation), and César Luena, Member of the European Parliament and rapporteur on the Nature Restoration Regulation, presented the key provisions of the EU Nature Restoration Law.

In addition, Boris Erg, Director of the European Regional Office of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and Jutta Paulus, Member of the European Parliament (Greens/EFA), delivered presentations on implementation pathways of the Nature Restoration Law, governance challenges, and the role of higher education in supporting nature restoration in Europe.

The webinar concluded with an open Q&A session with the speakers.

The next webinar is scheduled for 27 February 2026.