CONEXUS: Co-producing Nature Based Solutions (NBS) and restored ecosystems - transdisciplinary nexus for urban sustainability

EU and CELAC cities face shared and urgent global-local challenges to integrate practical actions with strategies to achieve greater inclusion, biodiversity, climate change adaptation and landscape-scale solutions to environmental degradation. CONEXUS adopts a planetary health perspective: healthy landscapes and ecosystems are vital to support human life and build social cohesion - humanity must restore, create and care for these landscapes and ecosystems in a reciprocal, ongoing and iterative relationship.

As part of the CONEXUS consortium, SLU is leading work package 3: which coordinates actions across a spectrum of demonstration, training and learning, including:

(1) Activities to learn about locations and NBS

(2) Participatory workshops on nature-culture relationships

(3) Collaborative planning and design processes

(4) Mapping and understanding cases

SLU trough work package 3, will integrate social, cultural and ecological processes, across governance, institutional and organisational forms. It will coordinate the process of visioning, translating and engaging.

The role of SLU is to establish the CONEXUS Life-Labs for NBS co-creation. We focus on partnering within CONEXUS cities to deliver NBS and ecosystems restoration, in the context of urban expansion and existing city districts’ regeneration.

Life-Lab pilots

The CONEXUS project is working in seven cities around the world to create nature-based solutions, which address specific local challenges. Our focal cities share common challenges of sustainable urbanisation and are united by their extensive experience, transdisciplinary approach and vision to implement place-based NBS and nature-based thinking. The aim is to help drive a step-change in urban policy and practice in Europe and Latin America, to ensure a wider uptake of these novel approaches.

The CONEXUS cities we are currently working on: