Restoring ecosystems can increase biodiversity, safeguard the ecosystem services on which people and nature depend, and contribute to climate change mitigation. However, over 75% of Earth’s land area is currently degraded and, within Europe, an estimated 77% of ecosystems are degraded or deteriorating. 2020 and beyond brings opportunities for significant scaling up of ecosystem restoration. Ambitions such as the European Green Deal (2019), the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 (2020), the EU Nature Restoration Plan (2019), and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030), present a tremendous opportunity to bring about transformational change. In order to be successful, decision making must consider current and past ecosystem restoration activities, the amount and focus of past and current funding, and the range of actors involved. Until now, this information has been unavailable. In response to this information gap, the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre and Fauna & Flora International, supported by the Endangered Landscapes Programme, compiled a database of over 400 ecosystem restoration projects within Europe. A report, available in both English and French, accompanies the database, and contains high-level analysis of what was funded, where, by whom, how much, and for what purpose. Together, these resources provide a much-needed tool for policymakers and practitioners that will: • enable more informed and coordinated decisions on prioritisation of funding and effort • provide a baseline against which future decisions and funding allocations can be measured • enable practitioners to identify opportunities for funding and collaboration in relation to their own projects Improving understanding now, as significant new international commitments begin, will ensure that ecosystem restoration in Europe is supported by a dynamic, enabling and aligned policy and funding environment.