The EU Nature Restoration Law (NRL) is critical for the restoration of degraded ecosystems and active afforestation of degraded peatlands has been suggested as a restoration measure under the NRL. Here, we discuss the current state of scientific evidence on the climate mitigation effects of peatlands under forestry. Afforestation of drained peatlands without restoring their hydrology does not fully restore ecosystem functions. Evidence on long-term climate benefits is lacking and it is unclear whether CO₂ sequestration of forest on drained peatland can offset the carbon loss from the peat over the long-term. While afforestation may offer short-term gains in certain cases, it compromises the sustainability of peatland carbon storage. Thus, active afforestation of drained peatlands is not a viable option for climate mitigation under the EU Nature Restoration Law and might even impede future rewetting/restoration efforts. Instead, restoring hydrological conditions through rewetting is crucial for effective peatland restoration.

Coastal dunes are recognized as one of the most threatened ecosystems, the formation of which mainly depends on two opposite processes—sand dunes overgrowth and formation of open dunes. The application of cost-effective remote sensing methods permits monitoring the interaction of these two processes over a large area and long periods of time. Therefore in this study we assessed the links between hydro-meteorological parameters and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in Curonian spit coastal dunes landscape-a creation of human and nature integrity situated in the South eastern part of the Baltic Sea. Time series of NDVI (2000–2019) were obtained from the moderate resolution imaging spectro-radiometer and compared with hydro-meteorological parameters in three different ecosystems—forest, herbaceous and open sands. Moderate and strong positive correlation between NDVI and average wind speed was detected in non-forested ecosystems. Moderate positive correlation was detected between NDVI and the Baltic sea water level in all three analyzed ecosystems. Moderate positive correlation between NDVI and air temperature was found in forest ecosystem. This confirms that NDVI could be treated as an appropriate indicator, showing the interaction of coastal dunes overgrowth and formation of open dunes, and could be applied in its management that should be reconsidered under nowadays climate change.

On the Curonian Spit, the leading conservation issue is an opposition between the two contrasting nature-management principles—anthropocentricity and biocentricity. Land managers still waver between the two options, and the worst-case scenario materializes as a rapid proliferation of vegetation to the accumulative sandplain (palve). It results in the decline of sand drift to the mobile dunes. This article aims to examine how climate change affects the coastal dune landscape and to identify current dune protection and management priorities. The analysis of hydroclimatic changes; succession patterns in forest, herbaceous, and open-sand ecosystems; and phenological-based evaluation (NDVI from MODIS, 2000–2020), influencing possible management directions, were carried out in this study. The results show the significant hydro-climatic changes (air temperature, precipitation, and sea level) occurring over the last thirty years. They influence the prevailing overgrowth trends in recent decades, especially in herbaceous ecosystems. Therefore, if the EU’s priority habitat—open-sand ecosystems—is to be preserved, the main policy recommendation is to apply adequate management tools such as grazing, and to pay more attention to the aesthetic ecosystem services of the mobile dunes parallel to biodiversity conservation.

The main aim of this article is to assess changes in important waterfowl habitats – protected wetlands situated in the impact zone of proposed dolomite mining. The changes in the waterfowl habitats are evaluated according to changes in the area of sub-wetlands that compose the principal basis of the waterfowl habitat. The sub-wetlands were selected according to vegetation structure of Lake Čedasas and its riparian zone (northern Lithuania). The open water, hydrophyte, helophyte, open grass and mire scrub sub-wetlands were distinguished. According to the simulation results, the decrease in groundwater level between 6 and 7 m in the dolomite quarry would not produce a decline of the water level of Lake Čedasas and groundwater level in the riparian zone, but the lowering of the ground­water level in the dolomite quarry and predicted climate change will produce a decline of groundwater level of as much as 10 cm in the surroundings of the investigated lake. The water level of Lake Čedasas would also decrease by about 10 cm. Even these minor water level changes will influence the ecosystems of Lake Čedasas. The following changes are predicted: open water territory will diminish by about 25%, the area covered by hydrophytes will increase by about 15% and the area covered by helophytes will decrease by about 17%, the area of the open grass sub-wetland will decline by about 5%, whereas the area of the mire scrub sub-wetland will increase even by as much as 28%. The research results showed that the selected mathematical model could be employed to produce a useful simulation of surface water resources and understand the wetland habitats response to disturbances in the water regime.