Publications

Publication:Brochure
 
Nature-based climate adaptation can only be effective if it reaches the people it is meant to serve. Inclusive public communication plays a key role in this process: it helps ensure that nature-based solutions are not only planned and implemented but also understood, accepted and shaped by a wide range of communities. This guide, published by the German Environment Agency, provides practical guidance on how municipalities can design inclusive communication strategies for nature-based climate adaptation.

Inklusive Öffentlichkeitsarbeit für naturbasierte Klimaanpassung

Wege zur Teilhabe vulnerabler und schwer erreichbarer Gruppen

Year

Read more
Publication:Brochure
 
What do shaded paths, green roofs and restored waterways have in common? In many cities, they are already part of the urban landscape – yet often remain unnoticed. This guide, published by the German Environment Agency, focuses on these existing measures. It explains how municipalities can use city maps to make nature-based climate adaptation visible, place it in context and communicate it in a transparent and accessible way.

Naturbasierte Klimaanpassung mit Stadtkarten

Ein Leitfaden für Kommunen

Year

Read more
Publication:Brochure
 
Nature-based climate adaptation unfolds not only in urban space but also in public perception. Measures such as urban greening, water retention or heat action plans require clear and targeted communication in order to be understood, accepted and supported. A new short guide published by the German Environment Agency outlines how municipalities can use press work strategically to communicate nature-based climate adaptation in a clear and structured way.

Wirkungsvolle Pressearbeit für naturbasierte Klimaanpassung

Ein Kurzleitfaden für Kommunen

Year

Read more
Publication:Website
 
Website View "Toolkit for Nature-Based Climate Adaptation"
The toolkit brings together tried-and-tested instruments and organises them along a typical municipal workflow: from initial orientation and planning through to implementation, maintenance, monitoring and evaluation. Local authority departments, planners and other stakeholders will find concise fact sheets outlining each tool, advice on how to apply it at different project stages, as well as links to further resources and practical examples.

Toolkit for Nature-Based Climate Adaptation

Year

Read more
Publication:Report
 
The triple planetary crisis is a systemic challenge, not three separate issues: climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution reinforce one another through shared drivers and feedback, threatening planetary and human well-being. It is driven by fossil fuel dependence, unsustainable production and consumption, overexploitation of land and resources, and structural inequalities. The analysis concludes that the triple crisis can only be effectively addressed through systemic, cross-sectoral, and justice-oriented approaches. By linking resource governance, NbS, and transformative change, this report highlights how today’s triple crisis can be turned into an opportunity to regenerate ecosystems, reduce inequalities, and build resilient societies within planetary boundaries.

Moving from Interconnected Crises to Systemic Solutions

Resource efficiency, nature-based solutions, and systemic transformation as responses to the complexity of the triple planetary crisis

Year

Read more
Publication:Fact Sheet
 
This fact sheet summarizes the information contained in the publication Burgos Cuevas et al. (2025): Moving from interconnected crises to systemic solutions. Resource efficiency, nature-based solutions, and systemic transformation as responses to the complexity of the triple planetary crisis. Interim report, Climate Change 83/2025. German Environment Agency: Dessau-Roßlau. https://doi.org/10.60810/openumwelt-8108.

Moving from Interconnected Crises to Systemic Solutions

Resource efficiency, nature-based solutions, and systemic transformation as responses to the complexity of the triple planetary crisis

Year

Read more
Publication:Fact Sheet
 
Nature-based solutions are central to climate change adaptation. Urban green spaces and waterbodies can reduce heat in cities, for example. How can local authorities implement such measures despite limited resources? This paper presents financing options based on practical examples – from crowdfunding to green bonds – and assesses which ones are suitable and when. It also provides recommendations on how the federal and state governments can provide support.

Jenseits öffentlicher Gelder: Wie Kommunen naturbasierte Lösungen für die Klimaanpassung finanzieren können

Year

Read more
Publication:Report
 
cover page
The study, developed under the ReFoPlan project "Natürlich Klimaanpassung! Resiliente naturbasierte Lösungen für Kommunen", provides an overview of the current state of NbS implementation for municipal climate adaptation in Germany. It identifies key barriers that hinder local action – from limited resources to conflicting interests – and highlights strategies and tools that can help overcome them.

Naturbasierte Lösungen für klimaresiliente Kommunen stärken

Herausforderungen und Lösungsansätze

Year

Read more
Publication:Policy Brief
 
In this Policy Brief of the EU-funded NICHES project, Benjamin Kupilas (Ecologic Institute) and David Alejandro Camacho Caballero (UAB) examine how cities like Barcelona, Berlin, and Rotterdam can shape the transition to sustainable urban water systems through Nature-based Solutions (NBS). The core question is which governance models, participatory processes, and methodological approaches are needed to embed NBS effectively into urban storm- and wastewater management strategies.

Transitioning to Sustainable Urban Water Systems

Insights from Barcelona, Berlin, and Rotterdam

Year

Read more
Publication:Report
 
Cover page of BfN publication 733 “Urban Nature Plans as a Strategy for German Municipalities”. Recommendations on Urban Nature Plans from the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030. Authors: Rieke Hansen, Lena Enderich, McKenna Davis, with contributions by Sandra Naumann. The image shows a paved path through a light birch forest.
The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 calls on all European cities with more than 20,000 in-habitants to develop and rapidly implement an "Urban Greening Plan". These plans should contain ambitious targets and measures to conserve biodiversity, promote human well-being, and contribute to climate adaptation and mitigation. The European Commission now refers to these plans as "Urban Nature Plans". The project documented in this report aimed to stimulate a discourse on Urban Nature Plans in Germany and to develop recommendations for local authorities.

Stadtnatur-Pläne als Strategie für deutsche Kommunen

Empfehlungen zu "Urban Nature Plans" aus der EU-Biodiversitätsstrategie 2030

Year

Read more
Publication:Policy Brief
 
In this policy brief, Ida Meyenberg and Evgeniya Elkina analyze which governance approaches enable the successful implementation of nature-based solutions (NBS) for managing combined sewer overflows (CSO) in cities. The central question is what institutional, procedural, and financial enabling conditions municipalities and water authorities need, to integrate NBS effectively into urban stormwater management strategies. The Ecologic Institute was project lead in the NICHES project and chiefly responsible for the governance and best-practice analysis in five European and North American cities, deriving from it practice-oriented recommendations.

What Makes Nbs Work? Governance Approaches to Tackle Combined Sewer Overflows in Urban Water Systems

Year

Read more
Publication:Report
 
Cover of the publication “Considering Biodiversity in Urban Development Funding” by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN Series 732, 2025). The image shows a forest path with an artistic wooden installation featuring golden speaker-like elements. Authors: Lena Enderich, Rieke Hansen, Rebecca Noebel and Benjamin Kupilas.
This publication examines how municipalities can strategically use urban development funding to conserve and promote biodiversity in cities. As a project partner of the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) in the "BioViBeS – Incorporating Biodiversity into Urban Development Funding" research project, the Ecologic Institute played a key role in analyzing best-practice examples and deriving practical action fields and recommendations.

Biologische Vielfalt berücksichtigen in der Städtebauförderung

Empfehlungen zur Integration der biologischen Vielfalt in Fördergebieten der Städtebauförderung

Year

Read more
Publication:Policy Brief
 
This brief examines how policymakers, industry and practitioners can steer the built environment toward a nature-positive future by integrating ecological resilience and quality of life with economic development. It was developed under the EU research project GoNaturePositive!

Built Environment

Sectoral Brief

Year

Read more
Publication:Website
 
The image shows a webpage from the German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt) on 'Naturbasierte Klimaanpassung in Kommunen' (Nature-based Climate Adaptation in Municipalities). The page features a header with a photo of a serene river landscape with trees, accompanied by an overview of nature-based solutions for climate adaptation. It includes navigation links and sections such as 'Einbettung in die kommunale Praxis' (Integration into local practice) and 'Finanzierung und Förderung' (Funding and Support).
Nature-based solutions, such as green spaces or river restoration, can make a valuable contribution to municipal climate adaptation. The new topic page 'Nature-based climate adaptation' on the Federal Environment Agency's website highlights different aspects of such approaches and offers municipalities targeted support in their planning and implementation. In addition to information on the legal framework and funding issues, it also contains practical examples and helpful publications. Ecologic Institute designed and implemented the content of the website on behalf of the Federal Environment Agency.

Naturbasierte Klimaanpassung in Kommunen

UBA topic page

Year

Read more
Publication:Video
 
This video, produced within the REACHOUT project, focuses on the Urban Heat climate hazard, and showcases how climate service tools can be applied in real-world urban policy challenges. It serves as a visual guide to help municipal representatives, local consultants, and service providers understand and implement these tools effectively.

Tackling Urban Heat: tools for city planners

Year

Read more
Publication:Video
 
This video, produced within the REACHOUT project, focuses on the Fluvial Flooding hazard, and showcases how climate service tools can be applied in real-world urban policy challenges. It serves as a visual guide to help municipal representatives, local consultants, and service providers understand and implement these tools effectively.

Increasing Flood Resilience: tools for city planners

Year

Read more
Publication:Report
 
Deckblatt
D3.6 presents an expanded set of over 15 climate service tools developed within the REACHOUT project. Aligned with the Triple-A framework, the tools support cities across all adaptation phases and have been tested through co-creation with seven European City Hubs. The report highlights practical applications, integration potential, and readiness levels—laying the groundwork for a future digital platform.

Guidelines for Climate Service Tools

Deliverable 3.6 of Horizon 2020 project REACHOUT

Year

Read more
18 of 186 results viewed