Nature as a source of inspiration for adapting to climate change. Success stories with NbS in the Basque Country

In recent years, Nature-based Solutions (NbS) have been promoted at international and European level as one of the keys to addressing major threats facing society, including climate change and ecosystem degradation. The EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change, promoted by the European Commission and to which the Basque Country is a signatory, considers NbS to be essential to the systemic transformation towards climate resilience.

While climate change adaptation policies and actions are being increasingly developed and applied at all levels of governance, the competence to implement such measures lies within the framework of cities and municipalities, as well as regions. The Basque Country is one of such regions, acting as a benchmark with a long history of promoting nature-based adaptation, as shown in the publication entitled “Nature-based Solutions in the Basque Country”. 20 success stories for adapting to climate change by using NbS” to be presented at this event.

The event will create a space for reflection on the opportunities offered by nature to tackle climate risks, and will generate synergies between Ihobe and other stakeholders in order to identify new strategic lines that will enable the Basque Country to make progress in the adaptation to climate change through Nature-based Solutions. With this in mind, as well as the success stories in Basque municipalities, which will focus on analysing the main barriers encountered in the actual implementation of projects with NbS, measures adopted to overcome these barriers and opportunities arising from this new field, the event will present inspiring experiences from outside the Basque Country.

All this will aim to prove the versatility, replicability and transversality of these solutions when facing climate challenges, as well as their potential to offer environmental, social and economic co-benefits; and it will do so by disseminating and highlighting projects and interventions that integrate NbS both inside and outside the Basque Country, and thus serve as support and guidance for local and regional decision-makers in their efforts to tackle climate change through nature-based adaptation.

The event is aimed at all stakeholders and entities interested in these solutions, such as public administrations, local entities, technology centres, architecture studios, consultancy firms, engineering firms, and NbS installation and maintenance companies, among others.