NATURE-DEMO

Climate change intensifies natural hazards that threaten European critical infrastructure, including floods, landslides, droughts, and wildfires. Traditional grey infrastructure solutions are proven to be costly, inflexible, and environmentally degrading. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) harness natural processes, offering sustainable alternatives that benefit climate adaptation, biodiversity enhancement, and community wellbeing. 

Despite their potential, barriers prevent widespread adoption. Infrastructure managers often lack access to information about which solutions are effective in specific contexts. Cost-benefit evidence remains fragmented. Design guidance and monitoring protocols are inconsistent. Digital tools integrating NbS into planning workflows are underdeveloped. 

NATURE-DEMO addresses these challenges through knowledge synthesis, digital innovation, demonstration and capacity building to accelerate NbS adoption for climate-resilient infrastructure. The project systematically catalogues NbS for infrastructure protection, develops accessible digital platforms and decision support tools, demonstrates implementation at real sites across diverse European conditions, establishes standardised monitoring frameworks, and builds capacity among infrastructure managers and local authorities.

The group is open for the public to join.