SLU researcher leads NBS network

Over 100 Million Euro have already been invested by the European Commission on nature-based solutions projects across the EU, and this is expected to increase in 2017 and 2018.

Since July 2016, Christopher Raymond has been the co-chair of the EKLIPSE Expert Working Group on Nature-based Solutions to Promote Climate Resilience in Urban Areas. 

The European Commission requested the EKLIPSE Expert Working Group to help building up an evidence and knowledge base on the benefits and challenges of applying NBS. In response to the request, the group devised the following objectives:

1)      To develop an impact evaluation framework with a list of criteria for assessing the performance of NBS in dealing with challenges related to climate resilience in urban areas;

2)      To prepare an application guide for measuring how NBS projects fare against the identified indicators in delivering multiple environmental, economic and societal benefits;

3)      To make recommendations to improve the assessment of the effectiveness of NBS projects, including the identification of knowledge gaps according to the criteria presented in the impact evaluation framework.

This document reports on these three objectives. It is intended to be used as a reference document by members of current and future European projects with an interest in NBS in urban areas, and by practitioners seeking to compare the effectiveness of NBS design, implementation and evaluation.