Nature-based Solutions for climate adaptation in the European Union. Part I: Mapping EU and National Initiatives

This is the first of a two-part working paper on Nature-based solutions for climate adaptation in the EU.

Nature-based solutions (NBS) have been gaining prominence in the last decade as a tool to promote sustainable development within and outside of cities. With this paper, we have decided to focus our research on the benefits of these solutions for climate change adaptation in Europe. In the first part of the working paper, we provide a mapping of EU and Member State support and action for NBS. We evaluate uptake of the concept in order to identify room for further improvement.

We find that the concept is present across EU policies and that the Union has developed specific calls for NBS-related projects that have contributed to advancing this approach. In the case of Member States, we find mixed results and a low uptake of the NBS concept by most countries throughout their national adaptation policy. We believe that national policy could contribute to mainstreaming nature-based solutions in Europe. In the second part of the working paper (forthcoming), we dive into the barriers for implementing NBS, notably barriers in governing and financing aspects.

Report below in PDF.