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
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…
The main objective of the LIFE PALU QdP project is to conserve characteristic habitats and species of the 'Palù del Quartier del Piave' Natura 2000 network site in the Veneto region of Italy, by reintroducing sustainable agroforestry and traditional meadow management…
Natural pastures result from the combined influence of local environmental characteristics (mainly climate and soil properties) and centuries of managed livestock grazing. Properly managed pastoral farming is recognised as making a significant contribution to ecosystem carbon…
The intensification of natural (extreme weather events and other climate change consequences, biological invasions) and anthropogenic (atmospheric pollution, climate change, change of land use such as the expansion of urban areas, loss of forest management practices,…
NBSINFRA supports the enhancement of the local urban critical infrastructures protection against natural and manmade hazards through the Nature-based solutions (NBS) co-design and co-creation for a climate change resilient society. NBSINFRA will demonstrate that the Nature-based…
The overall objective of the LIFE RedBosques_Clima project is to achieve a greater capacity for adaptation to climate change in forests, promoting forestry with conservation objectives (promoting maturity, increasing heterogeneity and diversity) under the umbrella of ecosystem-…
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 project “SpongeBoost - upscaling the natural sponge functions of freshwater ecosystems to deliver multi-benefit Green Deal solutions” gathered a consortium of 10 partners from 7 European countries with interdisciplinary backgrounds in research, policy and management, to…
GoGreenNEXT will deliver a comprehensive evidence-based policy oriented approach model to convey how ecosystem health and human health are connected. We propose to follow the pathway outlined foA complex array of interrelated problems arising from climate change and biodiversity…
The LIFE SORIA FORESTADAPT project aims to increase the resilience of southern European forests to climate change, including through adaptation measures in public and private forest management plans. A Technical Reference for Forest Management with climate change adaptation…
In recent decades, new planning paradigms have reshaped cities. Urban regeneration has renovated public spaces, redeveloped city centers, and established innovation districts. Smart cities have implemented technological systems, such as transport management, water and…
The LIFE TERRACESCAPE project aims to demonstrate, on the Aegean island of Andros, the use of drystone terraces as green infrastructures resilient to climate change impacts. The project will promote climatic adaptation by mobilising scientific knowledge, traditional farming and…
ReGreeneration is a public-private consortium including 9 European cities that will design & experiment together for 4 years Nature Based Solutions to regenerate deprived neighbourhoods for climate resilience, GES reduction and local ecosystem dynamization through…
Our oceans provide food security, nutrition, poverty alleviation, and livelihoods for millions of people worldwide. However, environmental and social pressures (e.g., overfishing, climate change, population growth, globalization) threaten the oceans, the marine resources and the…
SUPERB pursues the overall goal to create a lasting enabling environment for transformative change towards large-scale forest and forest landscape restoration, which empowers decision makers to take just and informed decisions for restoration of biodiversity, ecosystem services…
The main objective of the LIFE The Green Link project is to demonstrate an innovative growing method which replaces irrigation by using ?water buckets? in desertified areas where the failure rate of restoration can reach 70%. The so-called Cocoon system is made out of recycled…
It is now widely acknowledged that to make adequate and timely progress in the direction of biodiversity mainstreaming, three critical aspects – previously overlooked or insufficiently handled by supranational policies – need to be emphasised and further explored in their…
Nature-based Solutions (NbS) provide multiple benefits for urban residents, including mitigating climate risks. Yet, NbS do not contribute by default to a socially inclusive, economically vibrant and ecologically resilient society. GREEN-INC will perform a systematic evaluation…
Improving the design of nature-based solutions to manage stormwater (NBSsw)can play a pivotal role in climate adaptation, resilience of urban vegetation, and enhanced social benefits in cities. The GreenStorm project is set to assess, based on coupled monitoring/modelling, how…
The LIFE VIMINE project aimed to demonstrate an integrated approach to the conservation of interior Venice lagoon salt marshes based on prevention through routine, temporally-continuous and spatially-diffuse actions of monitoring and maintenance, as opposed to one-off protection…
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 main objective of the LIFE VinEcoS project is to optimise ecosystem services in vineyards by testing climate-adapted methods in viniculture. In the first part of the project, relevant methods will be implemented on demonstration areas of the Kloster Pforta vineyard in the…
Renewable energy developments are essential to fighting climate change but we do not yet fully understand their global spatial patterns and impacts on biodiversity conservation. Moreover, they could interact with other human pressures that are already threatening wildlife…
TRANS-lighthouses aims to gather evidence on material and immaterial results of NBS in order to rethink and reframe the main elements that compose the complexity of creating social and ecologically just NBS. More than a driving process, the collaborative work on planning and…
The project “transformation for sustainable nutrient supply and management” (trans4num) aspires to substantiate and broadly promote Nature-based solution (NBS) innovations for sustainable agriculture in Europe and China. In particular, trans4num will focus on nutrient management…
The TRANSEATION main objective is to demonstrate the effectiveness of marine and coastal hybrid blue-grey infrastructures and validate a new level of ecosystem-based management combining nature-based solutions, social implication digitalization to the protection and restoration…
The overall objective of TRANSFORMIT is to demonstrate and improve the effectiveness of integrative forest management (IFM) to combine productive forestry and biodiversity conservation by integrating existing practical and scientific knowledge, and to stipulate collaboration and…
The loss of high-status waters has been identified as an important issue within Irelandand across Europe. The protection and restoration of these waters is one of the underpinning principles of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). This is recognised, with appropriate commitments…
Nature-based Solutions (NbS) have the potential to address urban challenges in economically viable and socially equitable ways. However, there are constraints to their optimal implementation, such as rigid governance structures, high costs, land use conflicts and social…
The LIFE4DELTA_PL project aims at improving the water conditions of the inland delta of the Nida River in Poland; thereby contributing to the restoration of the area?s unique ecosystems and mosaic of habitats, and the conservation status of its charateristic species. …
In urban areas across Europe, unequalaccess to nature-based solutions (NbS) is achallenge for urban planning. The NATUROproject will explore how mosaic governancehas the potential to repurpose existing urbanNbS in Micro Urban Living Labs and improvethe quality of life of…
1. Introducing innovative adaptation technologies in Portuguese and Spanish Montado and Dehesa (M/D) landscapes and communities, through demonstration of sustainable and profitable Integrated Land Use (ILU) systems, which help…
Cities around the world are undergoing significant transformations and are facing substantial challenges in the form of urban of climate change and ongoing urbanisation. The idea that we can work with nature to improve our cities is now seen as vital. The concept of Nature-Based…
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…
The objective of LIFE PollinAction is to mitigate this pollination crisis by creating a green infrastructure (GI) network, made up of natural and semi-natural areas, in rural and urban landscapes in North-East Italy. This will involve habitat restoration and the implementation…
Today more than half of the planet’s inhabitants live in cities and this is projected to increase. The world-wide migration of rural people to cities is particularly prominent in West Africa. This leads to increased practicing of peri-urban agriculture, supported by a) the lack…
The LIFE+ GARAJONAY VIVE achieved its objectives of supporting the natural regeneration of laurel forest habitats and the recovery of populations of threatened species damaged by the fire of 2012 on the Spanish island of La Gomera, in the Canary Islands, as well as reducing the…
The LIFE+GP project aims to restore the eco-hydrological situation in Groote Peel National Park. It is aiming to improve the quality of the regenerative raised bogs and the species that depend on them ? from an unfavourable to a favourable conservation status. As a result, the…
The LIFE+SCALLUVIA project successfully met all its objectives, with many stakeholders collaborating to efficiently combine nature conservation, flood protection and recreation in an area of the Kruibeke-Bazel-Rupelmonde in Flanders, Belgium.
The main LIFE Anillo Verde project objective is to contribute to nature conservation in seven municipalities of the Bay of Santander, by improving and restoring ecosystems and habitats, and enabling the population recovery of species. It will also aim to halt the loss of…
The Duero river basin is an international basin shared by Spain and Portugal. It is located mainly within a Mediterranean climatic area, though water availability and desertification are not significant problems when compared with other Spanish catchments. However, the basin is…
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…
WaterLANDS aims to enable an upscaling of the restoration of wetlands. Socio-economic factors, insufficient stakeholder engagement, lack of government commitment, lack of funding and inadequate exchange of knowledge of restoration methods have all been identified as barriers to…
The cost of inaction on climate change is significant for Denmark and the wider EU. As a result, the Danish government made it mandatory in 2013 for municipalities to draw up CCA plans. It also encourages the integration of the CCA action plans into the municipal spatial…
Wetlands are key biodiversity hotspots that provide numerous ecosystem services such as water purification, flood control and climate change mitigation due to their capacity of sequestering carbon and modulating the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases. Despite their…
For many years, developments within farming in Denmark have aimed at specialisation and economies of scale in cattle and pig farming, and in arable farming. In combination with the generally easily-farmed topography of Denmark and extensive drainage, these developments have…
The European Union aims to reduce net carbon emissions by 55% in 2030, and become climate neutral by 2050. These goals can only be met if it boosts carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystems, preferably while fostering socio-environmental co-benefits such as conserving…
Using historical maritime archaeological methods, this project will investigate the role of Indigenous women in oceans’ activities in the Pacific Islands in order to highlight the importance of Indigenous women knowledge for environmental security. This study will be aligned…
In Europe, the frequency and severity of flood and drought events, together with their negative impacts on society and ecosystems, have increased over recent decades, and this trend is projected to continue in the future. Risks connected to extreme floods and drought present a…
The general objective of the Steps for LIFE project is to transform cultural and tourism infrastructures (LDNMW) into multifunctional green infrastructures (GIs), integrating conservation and improvement of biodiversity, optimising ecological connectivity, providing ecosystem…
Cities are major energy consumers and significantly contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. They have a high density of socio-economic activities and a built environment design that enhance these issues. In this regard, especially developed cities can be exemplars in…