As biodiversity net gain rises on the global agenda, Germany’s 50-year-old no-net-loss policy faces mounting resistance amid pressures to accelerate infrastructure development. We argue that the regulation remains essential for maintaining ecological integrity and that targeted reforms could make it more efficient, effective and transparent, and provide key lessons to inform global efforts.
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Kleinschroth, F., Wende, W., Albert, C. et al. Key lessons from 50 years of Germany’s impact mitigation regulation for biodiversity offsetting. Nat Ecol Evol (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-026-02996-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-026-02996-5
