Abstract
The paper looks at what current evidence tells us about the conditions that support conservation. Among the questions addressed:
* What does current scientific evidence tell us about the effectiveness of the Birds and Habitats Directives?
* What implementation barriers continue to limit conservation and restoration?
* How can governance, funding and cross-sectoral policy coherence better support biodiversity objectives?
* What improvements in monitoring, data systems and administrative capacity could strengthen implementation without weakening existing safeguards?
By bringing together scientific evidence and policy evaluations, the White Paper contributes to the discussion around the 2026 stress test and highlights the importance of improving implementation, strengthening policy coherence and reinforcing the long-term impact of biodiversity conservation and restoration measures.