Nature based solutions for urban and territorial resilience
1. NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR
URBAN AND TERRITORIAL
RESILIENCE
Christos Fragakis,
Deputy Head of Unit,
Sustainable Management of Natural Resources,
DG Research and Innovation
Work Programme 2016-2017
Information Day 21 September 2015
2. Nature-Based Solutions (NBS)
Definition (1/2)
Nature-based solutions (green and blue
infrastructure, green roofs and vertical walls,
natural water retention measures, salt marshes and
dunes, floodplains etc.):
•Are Multi-purpose, multi-functional and multi-
beneficial, inspired and supported by nature;
•Use the properties and functions of ecosystems
to provide ecosystem services (water regulation,
flood risk protection, climate change adaptation,
etc.) => living solutions;
3. Nature-Based Solutions (NBS)
Definition (2/2)
• Are designed to bring more nature and natural
features and processes into cities, landscapes and
seascapes, through systemic interventions =>
engineered solutions;
=> NO bio-mimicry, NO bio-materials
4. Objective of the initiative
• Provide EU-wide evidence and develop a European reference
framework about cost-effectiveness of NBS and their longer-
term social, economic, cultural and ecological benefits;
• Develop new business, governance and financial models,
protocols and standards and methodologies for their replication
and upscaling to fit to different contexts;
• Mobilise new investments and promote their up-scaling and
large-scale deployment;
• Remove barriers and support better regulations, policy and
decision making at EU, national, regional and local level;
• Promote international co-operation and contribute to creation of
a global market for these solutions (supporting both supply and
demand)
5. SCC-02-2016: Demonstrating innovative nature- based
solutions in cities (IA): NBS for climate and water
resilience in cities
(Cross-cutting call 'Smart and Sustainable Cities)
Area of intervention
•Pertinence of area of intervention (city, district, town,
neighbourhood etc.) will be assessed against:
Impact of intervention in addressing the challenge for
the larger city context;
Replicability and scalability potential of the systemic
approach (solution, business, governance and finance
models, participatory processes and social innovation);
6. Demonstrating innovative NBS for climate and
water resilience in cities (1/3)
Implementation modalities
•Large scale multi-stakeholder ‘living labs’ demonstration
projects;
•'Front-runner' and 'follower' cities approach (at least 2 'front-
runner' and 3 'follower' cities from MS and/or AC);
•'Front-runner' cities as ‘living labs’ that:
invest, deploy, test, demonstrate NBS/city re-naturing;
mentor, assist and advise ‘follower’ cities;
Contribute to EU-evidence repository on NBS;
•'Follower' cities commit to develop, within the duration of the
project, an urban re-naturing plan replicating demonstrated NBS
'customised' to their context
7. Demonstrating innovative nature-based
solutions for climate and water resilience in
cities (2/3)
Elements no to be overlooked by proposals
Proposals should provide evidence about:
•systemic trans-disciplinary approach with multi-level
innovation, e.g. technological (nature-based), business, finance and
governance models, participatory processes and social innovation);
•long-term political and financial commitment;
•mobilisation and leveraging of investments securing adequacy
and sustainability of financing;
•Effective 'mentoring' by 'front-runners' to ‘followers’;
8. Demonstrating innovative nature-based
solutions for climate and water resilience in
cities (3/3)
Elements no to be overlooked by proposals
•Effective documentation and dissemination of the re-naturing
'paradigms' and their impacts;
•A well-defined “baseline” at the time of the proposal (or early stage
of the project) for proper assessment of the impact of the
“intervention”;
•Robust monitoring and documentation: at least 2 years within
the project; longer term commitment will count favourably for the
proposal;
•Effective clustering with other NBS-relevant projects
9. SCC-03-2016: new governance, business, financing
models and economic impact assessment tools for
sustainable cities with nature-based solutions (urban
re-naturing) (RIA)
• Based on existing evidence, recommend innovative business,
finance and governance models;
• Develop methodologies, tools, protocols, standards,
indicators ……. to characterize NBS and assess their cost-
effectiveness and performance in time;
• Develop tools, models, strategies, ……. for replication,
upscaling and systemic integration of NBS in sustainable
urban planning;
• Identify barriers and recommend ways to overcome them;
• Effective clustering with demonstration projects for mutual
support and “validation" of results;
10. SCC-04-2016: Sustainable urbanisation (ERA-
NET Cofund)
• To align JPI Urban Europe’s and Belmont Forum’s R & I
agenda on sustainable urbanization
• Launch one joint call, co-funded by H2020, on sustainable
urbanization and ensure proper co-ordination with relevant
activities initiated by Belmont Forum
11. Nature-based solutions for territorial resilience
SC5-09-2016: Operationalising insurance value
of ecosystems (RIA)
• Enhance understanding of the “sustained capacity of ecosystems
to reduce or eliminate risks to human society and economic
activities due to global change and/or natural hazards” (insurance
value of ecosystems)
• Develop methodologies, conceptual frameworks and models
for quantification, qualification and valuation of insurance value of
ecosystems to enable its full operationalization and
mainstreaming into risk reduction strategies.
12. SC5-10-2016: Multi-stakeholder dialogue
platform to promote innovation with nature to
address societal challenges (CSA) (1/2)
•Establish a platform for science, policy, business and society
interactions to underpin the implementation of EU R&I policy
initiative on NBS and cities re-naturing;
•Support the creation of EU-wide evidence repository and a
European reference framework for NBS and speed up their
market up-taking;
•Facilitate the development of partnerships for testing and
deploying NBS;
•Identify NBS relevant domains for further Research and Innovation;
13. SC5-10-2016: Multi-stakeholder dialogue
platform to promote innovation with nature to
address societal challenges (CSA) (2/2)
• Identify potential barriers and propose ways to overcome them;
• Foster international cooperation, in particular with key strategic
international partners (e.g. Latin America, Belmont Forum, South
East Asia).
14. Cost Eligibility
• Standard rules of Annotated Model Grant Agreement;
• Depreciation for equipment/good and infrastructure/asset
depends on the type and shall follow international, national,
institutional accounting principles and usual practises;
• Eligible costs estimation will account for the depreciation and
the percentage of use of the "equipment" and "infrastructure" for
the project;
