A major milestone has been reached for REST-COAST’s Venice Lagoon pilot site with the signing of the ‘Pact for Ecological Restoration Actions in the Venice Lagoon’ at the headquarters of the Lagoon Authority, Palazzo X Savi, on 20 February 2026.

Developed within the Horizon 2020 – Green Deal REST-COAST project, this initiative represents a key project outcome, introducing a governance tool to support ecological restoration policies and practices in the Venice Lagoon over the medium and long term. The Pact also aligns with the objectives of the European Green Deal and broader European strategies on biodiversity protection and climate change adaptation.

The Pact was signed by two REST-COAST partners - the  CMCC Foundation and CORILA (Consortium for the Coordination of Research on the Venice Lagoon System), as well as two public authorities, the Venice Lagoon and the Port System Authority of the Northern Adriatic Sea. 

The document calls for a shift in lagoon governance, promoting stable cooperation between institutions, the use of scientific and technical expertise in decision-making, and continuous monitoring of actions and their effects on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Civil society representatives join a permanent discussion table on lagoon restoration to help set priorities, share knowledge, and assess results, strengthening participation and decision-making legitimacy.

The Pact also supports applying the best ecological restoration practices developed in the REST-COAST project to guide current and future interventions in the lagoon.