The EU’s flagship environment law to restore biodiversity on land and rivers is hanging by a thread after a rebellion mounted by a centre-right group of MEPs failed to block the proposed legislation from going to the next stage in the parliamentary process. In a dead heat, 44 MEPs voted in favour and 44 against the nature restoration law that was proposed last year as a fundamental part of the EU’s green deal. It aims to reverse the dramatic decline in nature by making restoration and rewilding of degraded land and waters including seas and sea shores mandatory. But the European People’s party (EPP) group pulled out of negotiations arguing the law was flawed, did not provide strict definitions of degraded land and would lead to the loss of food production. In dramatic scenes in Strasbourg the group failed to win enough support to defeat the proposed law at committee stage with claims and counterclaims over coercion in the group’s ranks. The tie-break led to more than three hours of further knife-edge voting on dozens of amendments. Unable to get through all the amendments in the time available, the remaining votes were postponed until 27 June. Had the EPP succeeded in defeating the proposals, they would have proceeded to a vote by the full parliament in July. On Wednesday, the UN environment chief, Inger Andersen, urged MEPs to show leadership for future generations ahead of the vote and deliver on the promises the union made at Cop15 just six months ago. She condemned those that had turned restoring biodiversity into a culture war issue. On Monday, chief executives from 50 companies including Ikea, Nestlé and H&M published an open letter voicing their support for the law, warning protecting nature was key to a well-functioning economy.