Nature-based solutions have been gaining attention as effective solutions to address important global challenges. As the world battles with the COVID-19 crisis, increased awareness on its link to the exploitation of nature is generating momentum towards improving our relationship with nature. Protecting and restoring nature is also recognized as being key to achieving both biodiversity and climate objectives, while delivering important socioeconomic benefits. A virtual breakfast briefing was held on 18 May 2021 with around 140 participants to discuss these topics and launch the Think2030 paper 'Using nature-based solutions to foster synergies between biodiversity and climate: Missed chances and opportunities for a sustainable future', co-written by the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) and Ecologic Institute. 

At the event, Lisa Kopsieker from IEEP and McKenna Davis from Ecologic Institute set the scene for the event and presented their paper on how EU policies and investments have spurred the uptake of nature-based solutions to support biodiversity and ecosystem health. The paper also outlines remaining gaps and opportunities on how to best scale up efforts to meet the current EU policy framework’s 2030 objectives and provides ideas for how the new EU Restoration Plan could be operationalised through concrete tools, measures and strategies to allow Member States to scale up their efforts, while complementing existing policies and contributing to the broader European Green Deal agenda. Two speakers from the City of Essen and Wageningen University then presented examples of nature-based solutions at local and national scales and how these can be scaled up to have significant impact at the landscape level. The final interactive panel discussion provided an opportunity to dive more deeply together with the audience into the points raised in the presentations.

Agenda

09:00 Welcoming words and setting the scene – moderator McKenna Davis (Ecologic Institute)

09:05 Presentation of the paper – Lisa Kopsieker (IEEP)

09:10 Responses from key invitees:

• Tim van Hattum, Wageningen University (WUR)
• Sebastian Schlecht, City of Essen

09:30 Plenary session

09:55 Conclusions