This database gathers European R&I projects on NBS from several major European research and innovation or implementation programmes: BiodivERsA, Horizon 2020, Seventh framework programme (FP7), Interreg and LIFE (EU’s funding instrument for the environment and climate action) over the years 2011–2021. Their project databases were screened using two successive keyword searches (‘biodiversity’ and then ‘services and approaches’) on the title and abstract of each project, and results were screened manually to retain NBS-relevant projects using criteria derived from the European Commission’s definition of NBS (i.e., biodiversity benefits, social and economic benefits and/or Increased resilience, and response to a societal challenge).
Beginning with more than 60.000 projects, the resulting database of NBS projects is composed of 300 projects with 100 projects from H2020 and FP7, 35 NBS projects from BiodivERsA, 86 NBS projects from Interreg and 79 NBS projects from LIFE.
The database was subsequently used to perform a mapping of EU R&I projects on NBS, in terms of types of NBS, societal challenges addressed, environments, approaches studied. This mapping allowed setting the scene of what R&I has been supported so far at European level on NBS. View the key results from analysing this database of EU R&I projects on NBS.
LIFE RESILIENCE aims to develop through crossbreeding pathogen-resistant and productive olive genotypes along with innovate natural vector control methods that are effective in preventing the negative effects of XF. In this way, the project will lead to the production varieties…
The main objective of the LIFE VineAdapt project is to increase native biodiversity in vineyards to maximise related ecosystem services regarding pest control, soil biota, humification (soil organic content), erosion protection, water retention, and greenhouse gas emissions…
The key determinants of the stability of multiple ES delivery and biodiversity in agro-ecosystems and agricultural landscapes, including resilience to climate variability and extremes, much remains to be developed for the scientific foundation of ESS-based approaches. Besides…
ADAFARM aims to analyze ecosystem-based climate adaptation options and nature based solutions for small farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. In line with the SDGS these strategies would be economically efficient, environmentally sustainable and socially equitable. I will use a social-…
In the face of climate change, crop species and agricultural practices will require adaptation to produce high quality food while reducing the impact of agriculture on the environment. The study of mechanisms underlying the anticipated negative impact of climate change on food…
The Catch-C project assesses the farm-compatibility of ‘Best Management Practices’ (BMPs) that aim to promote productivity, climate change mitigation, and soil quality. These are the three overall goals of sustainable soil management. Catch-C will first (WP2) set up a typology…
South West Europe has a lot of oilseeds lands polarized by insects. Nevertheless, due to habitats destruction and bees’ colonies collapse, this polarization has been hardly reduced.POLL OLE GI seeks to curb the decline of pollinating insects on oilseed crops (rapeseed and…
The main objectives of the LIFE IGIC (biodiversity) project are to develop a green infrastructure (GI) network in agro-ecosystems and to demonstrate its potential at regional, national and EU level. On the one hand, this GI will reduce habitat fragmentation by reconnecting…
The project aims to identify the key semi-natural habitats (SNH), outside and within crops, providing essential ecological services (ES). Vegetation traits will be linked to potential ES provision, case studies will measure actual ES levels and inform models which will show…
European agricultural landscapes are undergoing profound changes, but no schemes exist to identify landscape specific ecological infrastructures which are needed to safeguard biodiversity and ESS, and the respective adaptability to changes. The aim of the project is to develop a…
To enable nature-based solutions (NbS) to be mainstreamed into the coastal flood defence systems of coastal urban areas, either as stand-alone projects or integrated into existing grey infrastructure, utilising natural adaptative responses to build climate resilience to sea…
To effectively adapt to climate change (CC), a novel more dynamic approach in governing the oceans is needed. Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) – a public process aimed to allocate human uses at sea while maintaining multiple ecosystem services (ES) – as currently implemented is too…
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…
Coastal zones are complex social-ecological systems playing a crucial role in the economic, social and political development of many countries. However, they are amongst the areas of the world experiencing the highest rates of pressures (Jackson et al. 2001, Lotze et al. 2006).…
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…
CHANGE WE CARE fosters concerted and coordinated climate adaptation actions at transboundary level. The project explores climate risks faced by coastal and transition areas contributing to a better understanding of the impact of climate variability and change on water regimes,…
The overarching objective of FACE-IT is to enable adaptive co-management of social-ecological fjord systems in the Arctic in the face of rapid cryosphere and biodiversity changes. The project will identify ways to manage the impacts of climate change on the cryosphere and marine…
The Mediterranean Sea and specifically the Adriatic coastal and marine areas are particularly vulnerable to climate-related risks. The sea surface temperature of the Adriatic Sea will increase of about +.
1.5/1.6°C in 2050 and sea level will increase of +7 cm with…
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 proposed European Training Network, MARmaED, connects science, policy and people and transcends national borders, disciplinary barriers and sectorial divides. By building a greater knowledge base and train the next generation of scientists to think across disciplines,…
The EcoScope project will develop an interoperable platform and a robust decision-making toolbox, available through a single public portal, to promote an efficient, ecosystem-based fisheries management. It will be guided by policy makers and scientific advisory bodies, and…
Protected areas in Lithuania cover 12 percent of entire territory. The percentage of protected areas in Poland, including Natura 2000 sites is nearly 20%. Local communities of such areas face some difficulties relating with economic activity because manufacturing is limited due…
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…
Coasts worldwide are experiencing ever-increasing flood risk and coastal erosion. To simultaneously enhance the efficiency of coastal defence and improve the ecological status of coastlines, the scientific community has recently proposed the use of nature-based solutions.…
The project will reduce nutrients from the Baltic Sea and improve water quality especially in the coastal areas by piloting and developing seabased activities. Although nutrient load from land-based sources to the sea has reduced significantly, good ecological status has not…
Aquaculture expansion is a necessary step to respond to increase protein demands while limiting the reliance on wild fisheries and imports.Bivalve aquaculture is considered to be one of the most sustainable, although some potentially negative environmental impacts arising from…
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…
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…
LIFE DUNASs main objective is to improve the resilience of Porto Santo Islands dune ecosystems to the impacts of climate change. The project aims to achieve this through ecosystem-based approaches, nature-based solutions and long-term sustainable use of pre-dune areas.
The…
The Mediterranean Sea climate will undergo rapid changes over the next decades. Direct evidence of climate change (CC) is already being observed at Mediterranean coast, including marine protected areas (MPAs). The need for building resilience in both social and ecological…
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…
Reef ecosystems are among the most productive areas of the planet, they play a major role in coastal fisheries as nursery and feeding grounds, and they further provide a huge array of ecosystem services. Coastal ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to human actions causing the…
Preserving marine ecosystem services is a key priority for the European Union as they support the livelihood and well-being of millions of its citizens. The delivery of ecosystem services is nowadays jeopardized by alterations to species composition and functional diversity.…
Marine fisheries constitute a major source of provisioning services (proteins), and it is estimated that about 45% of the world’s fisheries and 90% of fishing employment are linked to small-scale artisanal fisheries. Nevertheless, artisanal fisheries are declining globally due…
Vibrio – microbes that are part of the natural bacterioplankton in temperate marine waters – have in recent years flourished in the Baltic Sea, probably stimulated by elevated surface water temperatures. Several Vibrio species are human pathogens. It is hence of great concern…
EcoFishMan seeks to develop a responsive fisheries management system (RFMS) based on results-based management (RBM) principles. The intended context of application of the RFMS is complex, mixed-fisheries and multi-stakeholder fishery sectors like those found in the EU/Common…
Guadeloupe is regularly exposed to extreme weather events. These are expected to get stronger and more frequent with climate change. The Caribbean is home to coral reefs, mangrove forests and seagrass meadows land and marine ecosystems, which provide essential defense infighting…
The EU 2020 Biodiversity strategy and 7th Environment Action Programme highlight the importance of halting the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services (ES) by preserving ecosystems and fully integrating environmental requirements into policymaking to face climate change (CC…
The project MERCES is focused on the restoration of different degraded marine habitats, with the aim of: 1) assessing the potential of different technologies and approaches; 2) quantifying the returns in terms of ecosystems services and their socio-economic impacts; 3) defining…
The link between the provision of key ecosystem services (e.g. soil retention, temperature regulation, pollination) and socio-ecosystems (e.g. mountain Mediterranean scrub, coastal dune forests) in three Mediterranean Natural Protected Areas (NPAs) is well established on the…
The LIFE Olivares Vivos project aims to define an innovative model of olive growing with high demonstration value. The model will be agriculturally, economically and socially viable, while contributing to the halt in the loss of biodiversity in the EU by 2020. Specifically the…
The main goal of the LIFE Olivares Vivos + project is to halt biodiversity loss in the EU by accelerating the expansion of the Olivares Vivos (OV) model and increasing its replication potential. The intention is not to preserve a given species, habitat or group of species, but…
Global change may endanger agricultural landscape functioning in the future. Biodiversity has the potential to buffer agro-ecosystems against change and stabilize ecosystem functions and services. However, the suitable level of biodiversity to maximize ecosystem services in…
New approaches are needed to secure food production while creating sustainable agricultural systems requiring as few external inputs as possible. The interaction between biodiversity and ecosystem services (ESS) is recognized to play a key role in this context although large…
World-wide increase in human population, market’s globalization, dietary shifts and urbanization are increasing the pressure on natural resources and have become a high priority on the political and scientific agenda. Most of these processes lead to multiple competing demands…
Agrobiodiversity is a vital subset of biodiversity and is the result of the interaction between the environment, genetic resources and management systems used by culturally diverse people. It is a crucial prerequisite for ecologically and economically sustainable agricultural…
The objective of the LIFECOASTadapt project is to demonstrate ecosystem-based measures against coastal erosion and floods that also strengthen coastal biodiversity and ecosystem services. The project will also contribute to the 2002 EU Recommendation on Integrated Coastal Zone…
CYCLADES Life led to the designated and established of a Wildlife Refuge in the marine area around the island of Gyaros. This new Marine Protected Area was established based on the Ecosystem Based Management approach. The project improved habitats, and greatly increased the…
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…
The objective of SponGES is to develop an integrated ecosystem-based approach to preserve and sustainably use vulnerable sponge ecosystems of the North Atlantic. The SponGES consortium, an international and interdisciplinary collaboration of research institutions, environmental…
In the EU, more than 80% of the fishing fleet is composed of small vessels less than 12 m of length. These vessels belong to the so called Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF) sector that provides around 100,000 direct jobs for fishers and a similar number of indirect jobs for women.…
SEAwise will address the key challenge preventing implementation of a fully operational European Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management: the need to increase fisheries benefits while reducing ecosystem impact under environmental change and increasing competition for space. The…
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 services…
CABFishMAN supports stakeholder cooperation within small-scale fisheries (SSF) to address shared transnational challenges that enhance (i) the protection of marine resources by improved spatial distribution of SFF activity knowledge towards an ecosystem-based approach to…
DiMoC is a proposal for the BiodivERsA Pan-European call for transnational research proposals on “Effects of biodiversity status and changes on animal, human and plant health”. The DiMoC project includes 4 institutions from 3 countries (De, Fr, Be). The project will be linking…
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 Posbemed 2 project will gather for the first time the key stakeholders involved in coastal management across the Mediterranean to work together in testing actions for a sustainable management of Posidonia landscape and beaches with Posidonia banquettes in Protected Areas(PAs…
The present competition for coastal and maritime space triggered by human activities, as well as climate change effects and both natural and manmade hazards, impact coastal and marine environment, resources and ecosystems. The physical characteristics, especially the shallowness…
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 primary aim of the LIFE-PLETERA project was to carry out a comprehensive restoration of the La Pletera coastal lagoon system, in particular, to recover the ecological functions that have been altered by building works. The project?s specific objectives were to ensure that…