Nature Positive / RETRACE-NATURE

We are the co-lead of a consortium, looking for new partners to enrich the proposal to re-call for 2026.

RETRACE-NATURE (Retroactivity and Traceability for a Nature-Positive Future via Business Model Innovation) demonstrates how ecological restoration can generate measurable socio-economic value in Europe’s agriculture and mining sectors. Despite ambitious EU policies such as the Nature Restoration Law, Biodiversity Strategy 2030, and European Climate Law, restoration remains chronically underfunded because its benefits are poorly quantified, rarely embedded in business planning, and insufficiently trusted by investors and policymakers.

The project addresses these gaps through seven multi-country Restoration case sites across Finland, Serbia, Luxembourg, France, and Portugal. In agriculture, case sites focus on wetland rewetting, riparian buffers, agroforestry corridors, and urban farming on reclaimed technosols. In mining, they span phytostabilisation of legacy residues, sustainable systems integrating municipal treatment plants, and role model–replicator rehabilitation approaches. Across these sites, RETRACE-NATURE establishes ecological and socio-economic baselines, models restoration scenarios, and quantifies impacts on carbon sequestration, water purification, and water yield.

An integrated, hybrid modelling framework links ecological processes with socio-economic outcomes such as employment and equity. The project delivers FAIR datasets, geospatial impact maps, and interactive dashboards, alongside sector-specific Nature Positive Business Models (NPBMs), a compliance-ready triple-impact reporting package, and a pilot digital marketplace. Restoration outcomes are verified and tokenized through blockchain and smart contracts, ensuring transparency, trust, and investor confidence.

By combining science, business innovation, and governance, RETRACE-NATURE reframes restoration from a compliance cost into a driver of competitiveness, resilience, and well-being. Its outputs support EU policy implementation, mobilise green finance, and empower communities.