New European project: Naturescapes

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are interventions designed to use the properties of nature to address multiple sustainability challenges and contribute to biodiversity. They are increasingly recognised as a crucial means through which the intertwined challenges of climate change, the loss of biodiversity and social injustice can be addressed. Yet despite their growing popularity, we lack an understanding of the synergies and trade-offs that multiple NBS bring and of who benefits, under which conditions. At the same time, the challenge of implementing NBS remains significant. Collaboration and partnership are essential ingredients for successful NBS implementation, yet moving from individual NBS to the landscape scale raises significant challenges for how the governance and finance needed can be achieved. 

This European Horizon Project brings together 8 partners from across Europe, USA and South America, including the Department of People and Society at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Professor Kes McCormick is part of the management team for Naturescapes and coordinator for a work package on “Theories and Practices of Transformative Change for Naturescapes”.  In the project, we define naturescapes as the assemblage of NBS within a landscape whose character is the result of the action and interaction of natural and societal factors. We urgently need to understand how NBS can play a role in achieving transformative change on the ground. Rather than being a primarily technical issue, addressing these challenges requires focused engagement with the social, political, ethical and cultural dimensions of the design and implementation of NBS.