About RESTORE

RESTORE is a partnership project between 7 organisations across NW Europe, which is co-financed by the EU Interreg IVB programme for NW Europe.

RESTORE aims to develop a framework for restoring minerals sites (quarries) to provide benefits for biodiversity, habitats and local people. This will help increase the sustainability of NW Europe by reversing biodiversity declines, protecting and buffering designated nature sites, enhancing landscapes, providing green infrastructure and improving quality of life.

The importance of the natural environment is recognised by policy makers throughout the EU, but delivering environmental benefits in parallel with economic development is a key challenge. Partners believe that restoring quarries — which provide raw materials crucial to the economy of NW Europe — to be havens for wildlife and people is a win-win that aligns with policies for both economic and environmental improvement.

RESTORE has four strands: it demonstrates what it is possible to achieve through pilots and case studies. It reviews existing policies in NW Europe and showcases best practice. It is evaluating the benefits to society that can come from nature focussed restoration. It is developing an interactive tool to help with decision making in respect of the future of minerals sites.