Database of EU research and innovation projects on nature-based solutions
Introduction to the database
As a partner in NetworkNature, Biodiversa+ has expanded the R&I and implementation projects database.
About this database
In 2021, NetworkNature and Biodiversa+ created the NbS projects database to offer insights into where major funding for NbS is allocated at the European level. This tool serves as a vital resource for policymakers, funders, and programmers, facilitating a better understanding of funding trends and enabling a more coordinated approach to NbS R&I investment.
Latest insights
The 2024 update expands the database significantly by:
Adding the latest NbS-focused projects funded by already explored programmers like LIFE, Horizon 2020, Interreg and Biodiversa+.
Incorporating NbS-related projects funded by additional programmes or initiatives, including Horizon Europe, Water4All, the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership (SBEP), Driving Urban Transition (DUT) and EJP Soil.
To identify NbS-focused projects, an exhaustive process was undertaken, involving strategic keywords selections and detailed abstracts reviews.
To facilitate analysis and database navigation, each selected project was then categorised by:
NbS type
Ecosystems
Approaches
Societal challenges
Across 471 projects spanning from 2011 to 2024, this update highlights several trends:
Biodiversa+ projects encompass 10% of all NbS-focused collected projects.
Ecosystem coverage: Overall, urban ecosystems dominate; however, recent projects show a shift towards multi-environment solutions. Other commonly studied environments include coastal, shelf, and open ocean areas and croplands - which are the two predominantly ecosystems targeted by Biodiversa+ relevant projects.
Adopted approaches: A substantial proportion of projects adopts ecosystem-based approaches. Among these, ecosystem-based agricultural approaches are prominent. Conversely, ecosystem protection approaches are relatively less adopted in the context of NbS, and these projects mainly target marine environments. Biodiversa+ relevant projects mainly adopt ecological restoration and ecosystem-based agricultural management approaches.
Societal challenges: A significant proportion of projects tackles climate resilience, the second most addressed challenge after food security in Biodiversa+ projects
To develop, test and disseminate approaches to the co-creation of nature based and natural process solutions to improve adaptive capacity of the 2Seas region to the water related effects of climate change.
Cockles provides meaningful environmental, societal, cultural, as well as economic benefits to coastal communities in the five Atlantic Area countries, but are threatened by disease and sub-optimal management.
The Cockles project will restore production and the…
Urbanization is emerging as one of the major environmental global issues of the 21st century, with strong implications on the health of humans and natural ecosystems. Nature-based Solutions (NbS), broadly defined as cost-effective solutions that are inspired and supported by…
The DESIRE project improves the management of drained peatlands around the Neman river to reduce their nutrient and greenhouse gas emissions. The Neman river basin serves as a model area for EU-Russia/non-EU cooperation. DESIRE rehydrates selected drained peatlands and…
Essential ecosystem services provided by the Baltic Sea, e.g. biodiversity, fisheries and tourism, are threatened by eutrophication caused by excess loads of nutrients to the sea. Discharge from rivers is one of the main pathways how nutrients get to the sea. One idea how to…
Major challenge in the Danube region is finding the right balance between conservation, protection and improvement of ecosystems, as well as their sustainable use. ECO KARST addresses 7 protected karst areas in 7 different countries with common features (e.g. special biological/…
LENAs main objective is to strengthen joint and integrated approaches and policies for the conservation and sustainable use of protected areas, in particular Natura 2000 sites, along the Danube and its tributaries, while creating new income opportunities in the nature-based…
During the last decades, Europe suffered major catastrophic floods along the Danube. Therefore the Flood Directive asks for adequate and coordinated measures to reduce flood risk without conflicting WFD objectives. The main objective of the project is improving transnational…
The objective of Eau Concert 2 project is to restore and protect cross-border aquatic ecosystems, and to enforce ecosystemic systems, that’s means services offered by natural environment to humans (foods, sanitarian, economical). A particular attention will be bringing on the…
LIFE NatuReef (Nature-based reef solution for coastal protection and marine biodiversity enhancement) aims to apply at demonstration level the best practices available to the restoration of native oyster and sabellariid reefs, seeding the native species in a rare non-urbanized…
In ADRION area the intensive management of viticulture can lead to negative effects on soil, water and air quality, biodiversity and ecosystem services and cause significant changes of fragile habitats and traditional landscapes. ECOVINEGOALS tackles the challenge of viticulture…
The main common cross-border problems and challenges to be jointly addressed within the project is degradation of wetland ecosystems caused by varying human activities. Limited capacity to deal with the consequences of ecosystem degradation and low awareness about the value of…
Тhe common challenge of the programme area that are jointly tackled in the project: The cross border region of Bulgaria and Romania is a dynamically developing Danube region with variety of activities such as Industrial, transport-logistic, agricultural, tourism, cultural and…
The project addresses special habitats, unique, rare and extreme in Austria’s Natura 2000 site “Neusiedler See - Nordöstliches Leithagebirge” (AT1110137) has one of Central Europe’s largest contiguous inland salt areas.
The project aims at ensuring the protection and restoration of European marine ecosystems in border areas of Greece and Albania, preparing common environmental perception by establishing and implementing joint procedures, practices, policies and actions with respect to National…
Endemic palm groves in Europe of genus Phoenix create important natural and semi-natural ecosystems with an outstanding ecological and socio-economical value that are only present in Spain (with Phoenix canariensis in the Canary Islands) and Greece (with P. theophrasti in Crete…
ENDURE aims to improve adaptation capacity to climate change by focusing on 2 Seas coastal sand dunes. We will increase the capacity of 2 Seas stakeholders to apply ecosystem-based management approaches, decreasing reliance on hard engineering interventions. We will draw from…
Nature-In is an interdisciplinary research project that will unfold and analyse the underlying forms of knowledge behind exemplary postwar-Danish and traditional-Japanese buildings which stand out for their interior space connection to Nature, which remains unexplored, to inform…
The agricultural sector, the basis for the agro-food sector in NWE, is today heavily dependent on external inputs (fertilizers, pesticides, etc.) and creates a number of negative effects on the quality of natural resources (soil, water, biodiversity). Functional Agrobiodiversity…
IPCC climate change projections (2022) predict an increase in temperature and more extended dry periods, expecting an increase in the frequency of droughts, heatwaves and other extreme weather events. These can promote the spread of pests and diseases and contribute to more…
The Cornia River (Val di Cornia) is one of the three main hydrographic systems of the region's water basin, part of the Northern Apennines river basin district. Due to an intensive civil and agricultural use of local water resources, the lower part of the river’s…
Serras do Porto Park is since 2017 a Regional Protected Landscape. With about 6.000 ha on the municipalities of Gondomar, Paredes and Valongo, it is the closest natural area to Oporto, also embracing a Natura 2000 site. With unique natural and geological heritage elements, the…
Increasing problems related to intensive agriculture dominant in the cross-border territory are pointed out: soil erosion, groundwater pollution, loss of biodiversity, etc. It then results in an undeniable need to evolve towards new, more rational and sustainable practices. At…
Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have multiplied in recent years, with a significant influence on local socio-economies, and artisanal fisheries. The benefits of MPAs for local fisheries become evident with an increase of catches over time, thus of profits for…
FishMPABlue 2 proposal is the follow-up of FishMPABlue 2007-2013 (from now on: FishMPABlue 1): as the first one carried out the analysis of the management of small scale fishery within and around an MPA, identifying the suitable change (enforcing MPA management capacities) to be…
Forestry impact and water management in Torne International River Basin
Start end date:
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Funding programme
Interreg
Description:
The goal is a concrete and detailed action plan that can be used by regional authorities, municipalities, associations of fish and fisheries at the restoration of streams affected by forestry. The action plan should be anchored among local and regional actors along the Torne…
The main objective of the FRESH4Cs project is to provide year-long sustainable fresh water resources for the different water users in rural coastal plains, as an alternative for the use of the increasingly salinized shallow groundwater and surface water and/or overexploited…
The project is the continuation of many years of cooperation and joint activities of the official institutions of Slovenia and Austria in the field of water management, which operate under the bilateral commission for boundary waters. With the implementation of the project the…
Biodiversity conservation policies have traditionally been developed and implemented within the nature conservation sector, and local and regional authorities are mainly responsible for implementing the policies and achieving their objectives. However, this presents the…
In natural hazard and risk reduction worldwide, but especially in the Alpine Space (AS), forests and mountain ecosystems are outstandingly important, and are increasingly considered on-par with technical measures or other prevention concepts. Forests efficiently protect against…
H2O will create new LoCaM & SEARCHRECORD GIS tools. It will implement evidence based Natural Flood (NFM) & Drought (NDM) management, which will reduce public money spent on managing water issues. It will include a valuation of natural capital (NCV) which currently is…
Cities and regions in Europe (EU) and Community of Latin American & Caribbean States (CELAC) face shared and urgent global-local challenges to integrate practical actions with strategies to achieve greater inclusion, biodiversity, climate change adaptation and environmental…
EuPOLIS aims to: (a) replace the traditional perception in which engineering systems are built to protect the environment at significant costs. We aim to deploy natural systems to simultaneously enhance Public Health (PH) and Well-Being (WB), and create resilient urban…
River corridors represent one of the most used and modified landscape elements in the Alps. They provide key ecosystem services (ES), but currently many of them are at risk or significantly degraded. In order to ensure their conservation or restoration, the effects of human uses…
The impact of climate change is very significant on medium-sized European cities such as the city of Mechelen (BE) and the city of Tilburg (NL). Both cities face the increasing challenge of preventing flooding and reducing heat stress. In turn, the adjacent natural and…
Agriculture and people in Europe are increasingly exposed to climate change and extreme weather events. Droughts on the one hand and floods on the other have increased significantly in number and cause considerable damage. Agroforestry (AF) can make substantial contributions to…
Green CURIOCITY: As a consequence of climate change, the European climate is getting warmer and the impact on childhood health and development is insufficiently understood. Equally, the potential to reduce heat related health risks through nature based solutions (NBS), such as…
Coastal erosion is one of the highly growing environmental concerns faced by coastal communities, aggravated by the prospect of accelerated sea level rise due to climate change and the accumulated negative effects of mismanagement practices. Over the past 100 years about 70% of…
The year 2016 was marked by many catastrophes as a result of floods caused by extreme precipitation. Fire brigades and emergency services were in constant use to eliminate the consequences of these disasters. What remains are millions of dollars worth of damage, the realization…
Nutrient loads transported by the Danube affect its ecological status and have to be reduced, active floodplains can have a significant retention potential. But floodplains are subject to multiple human uses which strongly affect water quality of rivers. So far, these uses were…
- Procurement of multifunctional equipment for nature protection in Sungurlare and Süloğlu.
- Conservation activities for nature protection in Sungurlare Municipality - improvenet of the conservation status of natural habitat “91M0 Pannonian-Balkanic turkey oak –…
The main objective of the project was to develop knowledge and implement a new strategy for conservation of the natural environment and the sustainable and multifunctional development of viticulture based on the expansion of organic farming, particularly in areas with high…
INTERLACE brings together a uniquely positioned consortium to empower and equip European and CELAC cities to effectively restore and rehabilitate (peri)urban ecosystems towards more liveable, resilient and inclusive cities. The project applies an integrative, city-driven…
The main purpose of this project is to improve the quality of life for the population through the provision of a healthy and favourable environment and the preservation of the rich nature heritage on the basis of sustainable management of the environment. Activities of this…
Four peripheral small and medium size cities (SMSCs) - Cordoba (Spain), Riga (Latvia), Lucca (Italy) and Nitra (Slovakia) – will take the leadership to test visionary and integrated solutions to foster Inclusive Health and Wellbeing (IHW) in SMSCs with a focus on gender and…
In an increasingly urbanising world, governments and international corporations strive to increase productivity of cities, recognized as economy growth hubs, as well as ensuring better quality of life and living conditions to citizens. Although significant effort is performed by…
The economic values of clean and safe water are well established. Lakes, ponds and reservoirs can provide water for drinking, irrigation, recreation, fish, natural and cultural values and other ecosystem services. Domestic and national tourism in lake districts are often of high…
The project addresses the problem of degradation, eutrophication, and loss of species- and habitat diversity of eight N2000 sites of meadow wetlands, with a steep population decline in subjects of protection and with a diminishing occurrence of the priority habitat inland salt…
For politics and administration, climate change and the increasing loss of biodiversity are inevitable challenges that also affect the green infrastructure in many ways. Green infrastructures are often not yet adapted to the needs of climate change on both sides of the border…
Vellinge, a coastal municipality with 21,500 residents partly located on a low-lying cape characterised by dense urban areas with high natural values, faces an acute need to increase the resilience to increased sea levels. The objective is to enhance the biodiversity on flood…
The common challenge of the Danube area we are jointly tackling in our project is maintaining and promoting of natural and cultural heritage, the protection of biodiversity, environmental awareness raising, assuring the conditions for common water and risk management and…
There are many attempts to use mussels or algae cultivation for nutrient removal in the South Baltic area. However, due to low market value of cultivated products, these developments typically end in the initial stage of demonstration studies and are neither sustainable, nor…
Sound water management is one of emerging challenges that cannot be resolved without an integrated approach. The project will contribute to the implementation of the 3rd RBMP for the Danube (2021-2027) in Slovakia through implementation of measures to eliminate…
There are many attempts to use mussels or algae cultivation for nutrient removal in the South Baltic area. However, due to low market value of cultivated products these developments typically end in the initial stage of demonstration studies and are neither sustainable, nor…
By recognising the pressures on Alpine ecosystems and the services they deliver to wider areas beyond mountain regions, the project aims to strengthen the link between mountain ecosystems and urban centres at the foot of the Alps, based on sound economic and social exchanges.…
The ecosystem-based approach is a strategy for the integrated management of land, water and living resources that promotes their conservation and sustainable use in an equitable way. EBA is a cornerstone of many EU directives but to date there is no clear guidance on how to…
The partner areas affected by the programme are highly exposed to the risk of fires and have a lot of tourists and plant fuel. The general abandonment of farming and animal husbandry has made the situation much worse; the forest area increased considerably and so did combustible…
The Mediterranean is being and will be heavily impacted by Climate Change (CC). There is a global (CBD), EU (Directive on Birds/Habitats) and Med (UNEP/MAP, MAPII, MSSD; Barcelona Convention) consensus to strengthen Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) as key tools to prevent further…