On 14th November, the Naturvation project participated in a panel session organized by the EIB at the UNFCCC COP23 in Bonn (Germany). The theme of the session was “Nature-based solutions for climate resilient cities: practical examples and how they can be mainstreamed and financed”. Representatives from cities, a city network, research and the financial sector discussed how nature-based solutions can be made an integral part of urban planning and development. The panel sought to get an overview on how well nature-based solutions are integrated in urban development across the EU today, identify obstacles hindering the mainstreaming of nature-based solutions in sustainable urban development projects and identify the enabling factors. It also discussed the potential role to be played by International Financial Institutions such as the EIB, in fostering the integration of nature-based solutions into urban development projects so as to increase their resilience.

The Naturvation project was represented by Dora Almassy from the Central European University, who presented the NBS database, being developed by the project, with almost 1,000 case studies from 100 EU cities examining the examples of nature-based solutions in these cities. She provided the insights you gained from assessing the data, in terms of geographical differences, differences in scale, differences in motivations and others; discussed how nature-based solutions are applied to address the impacts of climate change; how cities financed nature-based solutions and assessed their costs and benefits. The panel also included Jeroen Schenkels, Programme Manager Green Infrastructure, City of Utrecht - one of the Naturvation partner cities - as well as Holger Robrecht, Regional Director of ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability – also a partner in the Naturvation project.

All panellist agreed on the need for systemic and integrated approaches to planning as well as to financing of nature-based solutions. The importance of creating opportunities for upscaling NBS, involving citizens in creating, managing and evaluating NBS as well as developing assessment tools on outcomes and impacts.