Naturecredits: Funding Real Biodiversity Restoration

What if protecting nature could be as rewarding as polluting it once was? Europe is pioneering Naturecredits—a new way to fund biodiversity restoration beyond just carbon offsets.

With a €37–65 billion funding gap for nature recovery, Naturecredits offer a financial boost to farmers, businesses, and governments restoring forests, wetlands, and grasslands. This article explains how these credits work, why they matter, and what they mean for Europe’s bold restoration goals.

Explore how you can join the movement to restore the planet—start planting trees with Evertreen today.

What Are Naturecredits?

Naturecredits are a new type of environmental credit designed to reward actions that restore ecosystems and protect biodiversity—not just reduce carbon emissions. Unlike traditional carbon credits, Naturecredits measure and verify activities like planting native forests, rewetting peatlands, restoring wetlands, and supporting species-rich grasslands.

For example, a farmer who restores a wetland habitat on their land could generate verified Naturecredits that a company can buy to meet its biodiversity goals. These credits provide land stewards—farmers, foresters, wetland managers—with a financial incentive to protect and regenerate ecosystems.

Why Naturecredits Matter for Europe's Future

Europe is facing a major biodiversity crisis, with species declining at an alarming rate. According to EU estimates, meeting biodiversity and restoration goals requires €37–65 billion more per year—a funding gap public budgets alone can't fill.

Naturecredits aim to bridge this gap by attracting private investment. They enable companies to contribute to legally binding restoration targets under the EU Nature Restoration Law, which requires 20% of the EU’s land and seas to be restored by 2030 and all degraded ecosystems by 2050.

By focusing on measurable ecosystem restoration, Naturecredits help create more resilient landscapes that protect against climate change, floods, and soil degradation.

Evertreen’s Role in Ecosystem Restoration

Alongside policy efforts, private platforms like Evertreen are playing a crucial role in ecosystem restoration. Evertreen connects passionate individuals and businesses worldwide with verified tree planting projects that help offset carbon emissions, restore biodiversity, and rebuild ecosystems impacted by deforestation and conflict. By empowering users to plant native trees and support sustainable land management, Evertreen complements EU biodiversity goals and demonstrates how private finance can directly fund nature-positive actions today.

Join Evertreen’s mission to transform the world, one tree at a time, by exploring their impactful tree planting initiatives.

Unlocking Private Finance for Ecosystem Services

Naturecredits also aim to unlock significant private finance for restoration. Public funds alone cannot cover the billions needed to meet EU targets, so blended finance models are emerging.

Innovative investment vehicles like the EU-backed RESTORE initiative are mobilizing commercial capital to complement public funding, supporting projects that restore diverse habitats such as peatlands, grasslands, and marine ecosystems.

How Everyone Can Contribute: Planting Trees with Evertreen

Initiatives like Evertreen show that everyone—from corporations to individual citizens—can actively participate in environmental sustainability. Their transparent platform provides a simple and effective way to support reforestation and habitat restoration efforts aligned with Naturecredits principles, emphasizing ecological integrity and measurable impact.

Discover how you can make a tangible impact by planting trees or supporting verified restoration projects with Evertreen’s projects.

By planting trees through platforms like Evertreen, people can help close the global biodiversity funding gap and reverse harmful carbon emission trends, fostering a greener, more resilient planet.

Can Naturecredits Finance a Greener Future?

Naturecredits represent a bold shift in how Europe funds ecosystem restoration. By going beyond carbon offsets, they aim to support real biodiversity outcomes—restoring wetlands, rewetting peatlands, reviving grasslands, and protecting forests in ways that sustain both nature and communities.

But success will depend on creating transparent, credible systems that prevent greenwashing and deliver measurable environmental results. If done right, Naturecredits could help close Europe’s biodiversity funding gap, attract private capital, and make restoration a shared economic and ecological priority.

As the EU moves toward its 2030 and 2050 restoration goals, the question remains: Will Naturecredits become a trustworthy tool for change, or fall prey to the pitfalls of past environmental markets?

Stay updated on how the EU includes international carbon credits in its climate goals and the evolving landscape of sustainable finance by visiting Evertreen’s latest news.