NetworkNature will establish a European and global platform allowing all interested stakeholders to access and contribute cutting-edge, innovative knowledge and expertise on nature-based solutions (NBS).
Our consortium represents all relevant stakeholder groups and has access to a range of related networks. We have a strong track record and extensive expertise on this topic in terms of engagement, content, technical know-how and involvement in relevant policy processes at European Union (EU) and global level.
This allows us to maximise the EU’s potential to become a global leader in deploying innovative NBS to address societal challenges, building on the ongoing work of all Horizon 2020 and BiodivERsA-funded NBS projects as well as relevant other initiatives and programmes in Europe and beyond.
The project’s legacy will be ensured through establishing a sustainable platform structure that responds to the needs of the NBS community of innovators based on a sound and stable business model; providing support to and strengthening the NBS community, particularly small and medium enterprises, practitioners and policy-makers, to foster market uptake as well as the transfer and application of innovative NBS; by providing targeted dialogue opportunities across Europe and in regions, guidance and capacity building as well as using advocacy as vehicle to nurture NBS through policy, research and practice, particularly for design and standardisation; and, finally, by building on existing global initiatives to continue enhancing international cooperation to upscale the implementation of NBS.
NetworkNature will help transform the EU’s vision of becoming a leader for NBS into reality through a comprehensive, up-to-date, open, user-oriented platform for NBS, building on the dynamic, but to date less streamlined development across the involved stakeholders, projects, existing platforms and policies in the EU over the past years.
NN has solidly put NBS on the agenda of European standardisation and thus accelerated the transition from research and innovation products to market. With the semester theme on NBS quality and standards as an important driver and input, a CEN/CENELEC/ETSI SECTOR FORUM ON SMART SUSTAINABLE CITIES’ Task Group on Nature-based Solutions was initiated, identified high priority standardisation needs on NBS and recommended these for uptake by to the technical bodies of the Sector Forum.
These efforts have resulted in the development of a CEN/TC 465 working group on NBS which adopted terminology as one of the first work items. NN+ has been granted a liaison role. NN has also extended its influence on standardisation at global scale by supporting the integration of European NbS knowledge in international policy processes related to standardisation such as UNEP’s intergovernmental consultations on NBS, aligning European with global efforts to ensure the effectiveness and quality of NBS worldwide. With the NBS comics campaign, NN took an innovative approach to broaden its outreach to the wider public, fostering collaboration with the creative sector, thereby transcending the boundaries of typical audience engagement.
Garnering considerable attention with 1.1 Mio page views, NN has clearly captivated and engaged a wide spectrum of individuals beyond its usual audience, effectively disseminating its message and promoting awareness about the importance and benefits of NBS to an expanded and receptive audience.
