Articles

#NetworkNatureReads is inspired by # ReadingRainbow and the #NewYorkTimes # ByTheBook series, both of which spread a love of reading by highlighting standout books and the people who love them. Our goal is to do the same, but with a #naturebasedsolutions flavor....

The European Commission has launched a feedback opportunity for Horizon Europe work programme 2025.

Responses submitted through the survey will contribute to the co-design of the ‘main’ work programme 2025. The feedback opportunity is open for three weeks and will close on 6 May 2024...

The NetworkNature Task Force 4 (Communicators) is pleased to provide you with a summary of upcoming events and opportunities announced by Horizon 2020/Europe projects and select Missions. This Task Force is responsible for synergizing and enhancing communication approaches and messages across...

Great things are possible when we gather together for nature. Join in for an exciting lineup of virtual events at the upcoming TNOC Festival — 15-26 April ! From talks to workshops, art exhibitions to films, and even virtual field trips, there's something for everyone to enjoy over the span of...

The second edition of the "NBS EduCommunity Workshop: Shaping the future of sustainability learning" will take place online on 7 May 2024, from 14:00 to 16:00 PM CEST . This dynamic event is a public gathering of the European NBS EduWORLD community.

Organised by the Horizon Europe...

In a landmark development, the MERLIN project has released a policy briefing , illuminating European Union (EU) policies crucial for driving the integration of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in freshwater restoration efforts across Europe. This brochure, a treasure trove of insights, holds immense...

In a world where comics capture the imagination of millions of people, why not use the power of visual storytelling to raise awareness of critical environmental and social issues? With an estimated 500 million people around the globe regularly reading comics, the potential impact of this medium...

Amidst of the 28th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28) in Dubai the Urban Nature Program , launched at the event themed "Nurturing Nature: Bringing Nature-Positive Cities to the Forefront of Urban Climate Action". In a collaborative effort, leading organisations such as the World...

The CO-OP4CBD project team extends an invitation to researchers and practitioners across Europe, EEA, and beyond, as they open the second call for experts to join their biodiversity expert network. This opportunity offers professionals at all career levels the chance to actively contribute to...

The EU may be deep in winter, but we have greening on our minds. The stage for a flourishing spring was set at the kick off of UGPplus, a new Horizon Europe project coordinated by Politecnico Milano and dedicated to supporting cities in crafting and implementing Urban Greening Plans (UGPs). UGPs...

The NetworkNature Task Force 4 (Communicators) is pleased to provide you with a summary of upcoming events and opportunities announced by Horizon 2020/Europe projects and select Missions. This Task Force is responsible for synergizing and enhancing communication approaches and messages across...

Danube Wetlands and Floodplains Restoration through systematic, community engaged and sustainable innovative actions ( DaWetRest ) aims to develop and demonstrate concrete solutions applied on the Danube basin, to address the challenges faced by its inland and coastal wetland ecosystems. Through...

The NbS Cluster Task Forces (TF) are in full force for the newest phase of NetworkNature. They recently showcased their significant strides at the annual event in Brussels, June 2023, unveiling pivotal contributions across six impactful areas, including a new addition - the Education working...

The Invest4Nature Survey of Nature-based Enterprises launches today!

All private and third sector businesses who work with and for nature in the delivery of nature-based solutions are invited to take part in the 15-20 minute survey to have their voices heard.

All participants...

In a recent development aimed at bridging the gap between research and innovation on NbS and market uptake in a nature-positive economy in Europe, NetworkNature+ has established a liaison with the European standardisation committee for sustainable cities and communities (CEN/TC 465). This...

On June 4-6, 2024, the 16th Nordic Environmental Social Science Conference (NESS 2024) will be held on the theme “Co-producing knowledge for sustainability” in Turku, Finland. The Conference will be hosted by Åbo Akademi University in cooperation with the University of Turku.

The...

500 million.

This is a (very rough) estimate of the number of comics (of all kinds) read in the world at least monthly. In other words a lot of people read comics. Although the comics scene is mostly dominated by superheroes, there is a growing movement of using comics towards achieving...

The EU-funded project CLEARING HOUSE is coming to an end - the four-year Sino-European project focused on Urban Forests as Nature-based Solutions (UF-NbS) to improve urban living in Europe and China. Urban Forests are a subset of Nature-based Solutions which use tree-based urban ecosystems to...

Over the last three years, NetworkNature has served as a platform to maximise opportunities for the spread and uptake of nature-based solutions. NetworkNature has now entered into a new era, officially entering a new funding phase. At a successful meeting in Brussels, a diverse group of...

When we protect nature, precious resources and ecosystems are preserved so that citizens can breathe clean air, drink clean water and enjoy the beauty of nature. In this vein, the European Commision has now opened its call for applications to the 2024 edition of the Natura 2000 awards to reward...

NetworkNature is coming to an end this July, but NetworkNature+ will carry the work forward starting in August. NetworkNature+ will build on the legacy of NetworkNature, evolving it into a comprehensive 'network of networks' that partners with diverse audiences to address societal challenges...

The mainstreaming of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) at global level reinforces the necessity of boosting the implementation of NbS interventions at scale. Currently, approximately 133 billion dollars are channelled into NbS interventions, and investments must at least triple by 2030 to achieve...

The INTERLACE Urban Governance Atlas was officially launched on 11 May at the INTERLACE Cities Talk Nature Conference in Chemnitz. The first of its kind, the online database showcases 250 policy instruments from 41 countries supporting nature-based solutions and ecosystem restoration. The...

EU policy needs to remove support for the further erosion of nature through harmful subsidies and create more incentives for nature-based solutions if it is to build societies that are resilient to climate change, concludes an EIB report presented in Brussels on 8 June. “Investing in nature-...

“By promoting the improvement of ecological status, biodiversity, and ecosystem connectivity through the development and implementation of innovative Win-Win Nature Based Solutions, DANUBE4all aims to enhance the free-flowing status of rivers and floodplains, reduce flood and drought risks, and...

What role do municipalities play in managing natural water retention? How do regions plan these projects together and what challenges arise in this multi-stakeholder collaboration? How do we account for natural disaster, drought and flood response in all of these efforts? When it comes down to...

CLEARINGHOUSE is excited to announce the launch of our Second Call to Action to participate in the CLEARING HOUSE project , aimed at promoting knowledge and experiences sharing among local and municipal authorities on green infrastructure and urban forests as nature-based solutions (UF-NBS)....

The European Commission is now launching new calls to support research and innovation for its 5 EU Missions – Adaptation to Climate Change, Cancer, Restore our Ocean and Waters, Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities and A Soil Deal for Europe – worth over €600 million. Since February 2021, the...

NetworkNature is supporting the creation of six NBS Hubs to help build long-lasting structures for NBS uptake...

BioAgora project was launched on 10 November 2022 in Helsinki. This new collaborative project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme, aims to provide knowledge on biodiversity to the needs of decision-makers. It will set up the Science Service for Biodiversity, a platform for...

Want to create a comic about nature that saves the world? About nature-based solutions to our shared global challenges? We are creating a new series of comics called Nature-based Solutions Comics, or NBS Comics ; it’s a partnership between...

The NetworkNature Annual Event took place on 27 th September 2022, at the Museum of Natural Sciences of Brussels.

Nature-based solutions (NBS), if designed and implemented well, can produce a multitude of benefits simultaneously, including for health and wellbeing, agriculture, water,...

The recently proposed EU Nature Restoration Law constitutes the first ever legal requirement for large-scale nature restoration with the aim of ensuring no further deterioration of hitherto protected habitats and species. The Law aims to introduce area-based restoration measures for at least 20...

The Merlin Innovation Awards (MIA) launched as part of the MERLIN project

Innovation is one of the pillars of MERLIN , the flagship project of the European Commission, which commits to transformative ecosystem restoration, mainstreaming Nature-based Solutions for the urgent systemic...

Are you part of an initiative trying to create a more sustainable urban food system ? Or do you know such an initiative that deserves international recognition? This could be an urban gardening project , a community kitchen , an urban beehive , or anything else that uses food to help make our...

What do Belo Horizonte, Bogotá and Mexico City have in common, apart from being vibrant metropolises to live in?

They have all been selected in the first call of the CLEARING HOUSE knowledge exchange mechanism, meant to promote capacity development and knowledge exchange on urban forests...

How we finance Nature-based Solutions is just as important than the co-creation of these solutions themselves. This is why stakeholders from the spheres of the NBS and Public Procurement communities are coming together to deliver a session to help public procurers gain more understanding on...

Human activities have already triggered a rise in the earth’s surface temperatures. To reduce the damage from climate change, a transition to a low-carbon society is urgently needed. At the moment, environmental resources are distributed unevenly. As a result, wealthy regions benefit from better...

NetworkNature highlights a timely topic in the nature-based solutions field with its semester themes, identified in consultation with the nature-based solutions community.

The current NetworkNature semester theme is about ' Nature-based solutions and Standards ', covering quality aspects...

OpenLivingLab Days (OLLD) is the annual global gathering of...

Summary

NetworkNature organised a session on “Nature-based solutions for sustainable urban development” at the World Urban Forum 11 th Session in Katowice, Poland.

The World Urban Forum (WUF) is the premier global conference on sustainable urbanisation. Under the theme of “...

A new report is now available, “The vital role of nature-based solutions in a nature positive economy”, outlining expert knowledge on the role of nature based solutions to create a shift in the way that nature is valued in terms of its contributions to society.

Released by the...

The document is designed to help improve the uptake of EU funds for biodiversity and in particular for the management and restoration of Natura 2000 sites in the current multiannual financial framework (MFF). The guide analyses possibilities of financing investments in Natura 2000 from different...

Are you a researcher, student practitioner or teacher interested in learning about mountain ecosystems and sustainable development? Then you are invited to sign up for a Summer Field School program aimed at teaching participants about mountain ecosystems and resource management. Participants...

NetworkNature is a resource for the nature-based solutions community, creating opportunities for local, regional and international cooperation to maximise the impact and spread of nature-based solutions. NetworkNature highlights a timely topic in the nature-based solutions field with its...

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the creation of the Natura 2000 network, the EU Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius announced the winners of the 2022 edition of the Natura 2000 Awards. The six winners include projects from Austria, Bulgaria,...

Nature-based solutions knowledge gaps took center stage in the first NetworkNature webinar. What are knowledge gaps, who should be more informed about nature-based solutions and what are the implications of lacking knowledge to policy making, were among the questions explored in the webinar....

During the Semester on Ecosystem Restoration, NatureNature gathered knowledge, case-studies and information from experts in the field and analysed scientific studies and reports related to and connecting nature-based solutions with Ecosystem Restoration.

Environmental degradation has...

The financial community is getting to grips with its pivotal and expanding role as a key driver of our sustainable future. Realities – such as half of global gross domestic product being dependant on nature and therefore vulnerable to spiraling nature loss– are sinking in, and awareness of and...

The CLEARING HOUSE project announces its first knowledge exchange mechanism.

The global objective of the knowledge exchange mechanism is to promote capacity development and exchange of knowledge and practices on urban forests as nature-based solutions (UF-NBS), based on peer-to-peer...

The foundation for upscaling the use of Nature-based Solutions lies in creating awareness and strengthening knowledge about the natural world early in life and throughout our education. While awareness of the benefits of nature for human health is spreading, there seems to be a clear need to...

This new working paper from the UN proposes an urban-rural linkage perspective in relation to land and ecosystem restoration at a time of heightened urgency on multiple fronts at local, national and international levels. The combined impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss land degradation...

Mirova the affiliate of Natixis Investment Managers dedicated to responsible investing, is the manager of the Nature+ Accelerator Fund. Mirova and its partners, IUCN, the biggest scientific organisation in nature, and CPIC, the world’s largest coalition for conservation finance, have joined...

A unique new online business course developed by the Capitals Coalition supported by We Value Nature has launched.

The free course, ‘ Valuing nature and people to inform business decision-making' , comes in response to an increased demand from businesses and the finance sector for the...

Currently many well intended forest restoration and tree planting measures, are not designed with longevity and biodiversity in mind. To help develop more sustainable and holistic measures Nature4Climate, Hamerkop, Trillion Trees, WWF, WCS, Birdlife International and 1T.org have developed a new...

In light of the global pandemic, the ways in which urban populations’ relate to and interact with green and blue spaces have changed, increasing demands for urban nature worldwide. This too increases possibilities and potential opportunities for nature based solutions to make lasting impacts in...

In light of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and as part of the current semester theme , ICLEI , an official partner of the UN Decade, via NetworkNature organised a workshop to share international experiences on ecosystem restoration as a nature-based solution. The workshop...

It is undeniable that human impacts on climate and nature have driven us towards a planetary emergency. Fortunately, there is still time to avoid the worst-case scenarios, but only just. Failure to adopt sustainable practices and investments puts businesses and economies at risk.

More...

Restoring degraded terrestrial habitats across the EU could take up to 300 million tonnes of CO 2 equivalent out of the atmosphere each year – as much as the combined annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, new research reveals. The findings show the...

IFLA EUROPE Agricultural Landscapes Working Group is launching as open call for images both acknowledging and mapping traditional landscapes across Europe. This competition contributes to making a European inventory of agricultural heritage systems aligned with the United Nations Food and...

Curious about what nature-based solutions are? NetworkNature created a new publication with some basic facts to get you started!

To achieve a sustainable future, we should work with, not against nature to achieve global goals. Nature-based solutions are a great pathway forward. This...

In the framework of the LIFE program, the LIFE 2020 call of NGOs on the European Green Deal (NGO4GD) was launched to help NGOs from the Member States to strengthen the participation and contribution of civil society to the implementation of the European Green Deal .

This special "LIFE...

Key functions of habitat-forming species in coastal and marine ecosystems

The biodiversity and climate resilience of coastal marine habitats is often increased by habitat-forming plants and animals. Examples include colonial plants within salt marshes, mangroves (in the tropics),...

The United Nations General Assembly has designated 2022 as the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development. Throughout the year, governments, international organizations and stakeholders are invited to raise awareness of the importance of conservation and sustainable use of mountain...

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are seen as cost-effective and effective solutions to help governments address the growing challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, increased frequency of extreme weather conditions and natural hazards, as well as others man-made environmental disasters. The...

There are many scattered initiatives to create, restore and manage ponds across Europe. To help gather resources and experienced you are invited to respond to this questionnaire about nature-based solutions (NbS) implementation in landscapes of ponds, also called pondscapes. The questionnaire is...

The Commission's Directorate-General for International Partnerships ( DG INTPA ) is responsible for formulating the EU's international partnership and development policy, with the ultimate goal to reduce poverty, ensure sustainable development, and promote democracy, human rights, and the rule...

On 9th December, the Commission with the Europan Environment Agency (EEA) published MapMyTree .

Under the European Green Deal, the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 commits to planting at least 3 billion additional trees in the EU by 2030 . MapMyTree is a data tool for all organisations...

Nature-based solutions are increasingly becoming the go-to resource for establishing new approaches and mending existing ones, to ensure sustainable approaches. To ensure the spread of nature-based solutions, NetworkNature is supporting the creation of nature-based solution ‘hubs’ throughout...

How to best utilise nature-based solutions to treat urban wastewater? Help the EU-funded NICE project design software to help achieve urban circular water loops!

NICE will undertake experiments to establish with precision how effective various nature-based solutions are at treating...

On 6th November, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) has announced that Bank of America, Bayer, Boston Consulting Group, McKinsey...

The Danube Floodplain was launched to examine how to reduce flood risk through the restoration of floodplains in the Danube River Basin. The project comes to an end this November, so the project partners presented the results at a closing conference on 3th and 4th November 2021.

In the...

During the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), the German Federal Ministry of the Environment (BMU) announced that it will provide an additional € 10 million to the EbA Global Fund for a total of around € 30 million. The EbA Global Fund is a funding mechanism launched in March 2021 by the...

An exciting new book will be released 5 November on NBS and the urban context, titled, Nature-Based Solutions for More Sustainable Cities: A Framework Approach for Planning and Evaluation . This work was co-written by Edoardo Croci and Benedetta Lucchitta of Bocconi University and published by...

The severe consequences of climate change and the loss of biodiversity push world leaders to protect and restore nature. As confirmed by assessments from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on...

On 21 st October, Network Nature held its first Annual Event which focused on the Network Nature semester theme “ Ecosystem restoration through nature-based solutions ”, in line with current EU ambitions for achieving the European Green Deal and the start of the UN Decade on Ecosystem...

The European Urban Resilience Forum is a hallmark event hosted by ICLEI Europe and European Environmental Agency annually to gather a wide variety of stakeholders to collaborate on urban resilience. NetworkNature was a co-organiser for the hybrid-2021 edition taking place in Malmö and online...

AIPH , the International Association of Horticultural Producers and the world’s champion for the power of plants proudly presents the AIPH World Green City Awards , which recently opened for entries for the 2022 inaugural edition.

The leading role of city authorities is...

The Urban Forest Innovation Lab (UFIL) , is a innovation lab in forest bioeconomy based in the city of Cuenca (Spain) and hosts a prestigious entrepreneurship program. UFIL's main objective is to provide participants with the necessary tools and knowledge to become entrepreneurs in the...

What if food could build biodiversity and tackle climate change?

Everything we eat is designed, from our breakfast to our favourite takeaway. Food brands and supermarkets make decisions about our food - from how it tastes and how it's grown to how nutritious it is. The latest study by...

As part of the Global Platform for Sustainable Cities - World Bank Webinar series “ Bringing Nature to Cities: Integrated Urban Solutions to Biodiversity Loss and Climate Change ” , NetworkNature hosted a webinar on mainstreaming biodiversity and climate change into EU Urban Planning and Policy...

On 21st September an insightful event took place to highlight a crucial topic for preserving our environment and mitigating climate change; Nature-based solutions Webinar on Peatland Restoration , organised by Scotland House Brussels and ICLEI Europe. The webinar gathered experts together to...

The FAO e-learning on Sustainable financing of forest and landscape restoration (FLR) is now available in French . To meet countries’ national commitments to restoring degraded landscapes, adequate public and private investments are needed to support the different steps of the FLR cycle....

In the aftermath of a society altered by COVID-19, cities have a unique opportunity to “build back better” and harness the power that Nature-based Solutions have to offer.

A report, “Smart, Sustainable and Resilient cities: the Power of Nature-based Solutions'' produced by UNEP together...

Released during the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Marseille, the brochure Principles for ecosystem restoration to guide the United Nations Decade 2021–2030 presents ten principles developed by the FAO-led Task Force on Best Practices, the IUCN’s Commission on Ecosystem Management and the...

A new report from the EU Commission Directorate titled, “Evaluating the Impact of Nature-Based Solutions: A Summary for Policy Makers”, was released providing a high-level summary for practitioners and policy-makers alike to assess the impact of nature-based solutions (NbS) using...

Coastal dunes are high-value areas of biodiversity, providing a home to rare flora and offering protection to coasts against storms. They can, however, be vulnerable to degradation and should therefore be protected. The challenge lies in the changing nature of dunes as an ecosystem...

The new IPCC special report on effects of global warming above pre-industrial levels , sounds an alarm on the irreversible negative impacts of human activity on our own habitat. In order to to steer away from a climate catastrophe, scientists state that stark and immediate cuts on emissions are...

Nature should be at the heart of our cities, because they are the places where we work, play and engage. Today, more than 55% of the world's population lives in cities and this figure is likely to continue to grow, as urbanization is growing at an unprecedented rate and this contributes...

Nature-based solutions (NbS) help address the effects of climate change in an integrated way, such as biodiversity loss and poverty.

If done well, nature-based solutions could be the key to protecting, sustainably managing and restoring ecosystems, in cost-effective ways while addressing...

A new paper has been published on the Ecosystem Services Journal on using ecosystem services to measure the degree to which a solution is nature-based.

Recently, Nature-based Solutions have gained increasing interest as a broad concept which encompasses several fields (sociology,...

The first draft of a new global framework on biodiversity was released by the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to guide actions around the world until 2030 for the conservation and protection of nature and its essential services to people. At the end of...

The Final report from phase II of the INCA project shows that EU’s ecosystems generated an annual flow of selected seven ecosystem services at the value of € 172 billion.

Ecosystem accounting - Making nature count

How much do ecosystems contribute to our economy and wellbeing?...

NetworkNature highlights timely topics in the nature-based solutions field with its semester themes , identified in consultation with the nature-based solutions community. Each semester NetworkNature will focus on a specific...

During the NetworkNature semester ‘ Nature-based solutions in light of the pandemic ’ we have explored how these solutions affect health and well-being. There is increasing research and findings indicating that among the many benefits of natural spaces, are improvements to mental and physical...

The main work programme of Horizon Europe for the period 2021-2022 has been adopted by the European Commission. The programme outlines the objectives and specific topic areas that will receive a total of €14.7 billion in funding. Further to help accelerating the green and digital transitions in...

The 2021 Transformative Action Award is now accepting applications from cities, regions, and civil society organisations who are pioneering transformative actions to create sustainable, resilient, and liveable cities.

The actions taken reflect local or regional contributions to the...

The restoration of degraded environments offers beneficial impacts to alleviate stress, improve mental health, to mitigate pollution and provide spaces for contemplation, socialization and physical activity. The COVID-19 pandemic has further emphasized the importance of nature for collective...

May 2021 marked the launch of an Urban Health cluster Healthy Cities , by URBACT the European Territorial Cooperation programme, which has for the past 15 years championed sustainable integrated development in European Cities. The Healthy Cities action planning network aims to develop and...

The EU-funded Nature Insurance Value: Assessment and Demonstration project (NAIAD) has developed a Handbook for Implementation of Nature-based Solutions for Water Security .

Climate impacts challenge our status quo. The frequency of extreme events keeps increasing driven by climate...

There is a multitude of innovative nature-based solutions (NBS) projects and initiatives, garnering great benefits to their surroundings in Europe. Under the NetworkNature coordinated European Commission NBS Task Force 2: Nature-based Solutions Impact Evaluation Framework , experts from these...

The benefits of urban green and blue areas for our mental health and well-being have become more and more evident during the current pandemic. Despite their importance, however, we don’t have enough information about how these areas should be designed. Do different types of urban green...

The Connecting Nature Enterprise Platform is inviting tenders from suitably qualified individuals to serve as a Community Ambassador for the Financial Services for NBS Community and the Ecosystem Creation, Restoration and Management Community on the Connecting Nature Enterprise Platform for the...

The Global EbA Fund , a brand-new funding opportunity, is now open to support scaling up EbA across the world.

Led by IUCN and UNEP, the Global EbA Fund is a quickly deployable mechanism for supporting innovative approaches to EbA. The Fund aims to encourage catalytic initiatives to...

Editorial for March 2021 edition of NetworkNature Newsletter.

“Nature is good for us and the society”. That was – in short – the main message by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) back in 2005. The outcomes of the MEA were an eye-opener and have led to new knowledge and new...

The Connecting Nature Enterprise Platform is inviting tenders from suitably qualified individuals to serve as a Community Ambassador for the NBS for Health and Well-Being Community on the Connecting Nature Enterprise Platform for the period from May 2021 – April 2022.

In the wake of the pandemic, the realization that access to nature is crucial for well-being has dawned on many. Although the pandemic stems from nature, the role of human-led destruction of natural environments is a major causal factor, and thus a potential solution lies in re-establishing a...

News originally published on the GrowGreen website . Republished with permission from GrowGreen.

Download the summary and the full report produced by IUCN for GrowGreen on the Chinese Sponge Cities Programme.

Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei Province , is well-known as the “...