Developing climate change adaptation; improving risk management and resilience

Room for the Rhine branches

flooded Rhine branches in the Netherlands

The aim of this case study is the creation of ecological flood retention by changing land use, reconnecting floodplains and change of sluice management in summer dikes. Floodplains are reconnected and side channels restored or their creation supported, with longitudinal main channel dams benefitting both shipping and nature.

This case study is one of 17 that are part of the EU Horizon2020 project MERLIN - Mainstreaming Ecological Restoration of freshwater-related ecosystems in a Landscape context: INnovation, upscaling and transformation.

The Nabben Multifunctional Wetland in Åland

A newly built multi-functional urban wetland in the Nabben area, Åland, recently won the Nordic Council Environmental Prize 2022 focused on nature-based solutions. The wetland, which was finished in 2019 and lies adjacent to the coast, aims to increase the biodiversity in the area and contribute to the improvement of the water quality of the Baltic Sea by reducing nutrient runoff. Furthermore, it is used as an area for recreation, social cohesion and education for the city residents. 

There are several components to the Nabben wetland ecosystem. The first separates the microplastics...

Articulación de los espacios verdes públicos del parque Metropolitano Albarregas.

Porción del Parque Metropolitano

Rehabilitar e integrar las áreas del bosque urbano del parque metropolitano Albarregas para la creación de espacios públicos verdes adecuados para la recreación, que sean funcionales y estén interconectados con la ciudad para dar cumplimiento a los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS), y de esta forma dar valor al capital natural de la ciudad mejorando la sostenibilidad y resiliencia al cambio climático.

Kvorning re-wetting

Kvorning area in Denmark

Climate gas emission will be reduced and carbon sequestration will be stimulated by rewetting this area along the Nørreåen stream in Denmark. This restoration will preserve valuable Natura2000 habitats and endangered plant species, while at the same time making land consolidation efforts to support landowners.

This case study is one of 17 that are part of the EU Horizon2020 project MERLIN.

SABICAS - Haldenvassdraget

SABICAS (SAfeguard BIodiversity and improve Climate Adaptation in catchment areas under pressure: tools and Solutions) aims to provide tools and knowledge needed to quantify the benefits and co-benefits of nature-based solutions. The goal is to facilitate dialogue and decision making among stakeholders and managers. SABICAS will engage with all key catchment stakeholders through several activities, including workshops and living labs.

SABICAS - Gausa catchment case study

SABICAS (SAfeguard BIodiversity and improve Climate Adaptation in catchment areas under pressure: tools and Solutions) aims to provide tools and knowledge needed to quantify the benefits and co-benefits of nature-based solutions. The goal is to facilitate dialogue and decision making among stakeholders and managers. SABICAS will engage with all key catchment stakeholders through several activities, including workshops and living labs.

Crop Wild Relatives

A Crop Wild Relative (CWR) is a wild species that is closely related to a cultivated crop. It can for example include wild relatives of food crops such as of cereals, vegetables and fruits, or relatives of fodder and forage crops. NordGen has been working with CWRs in two different projects. A possible continuation of the works is currently being investigated. At this project site you can read more about CWRs, why they’re important and how NordGen is addressing the issue.

CWRs are one of the tools that can be used to address future challenges on food security, adaptation to climate...

Stream and Watershed Restoration in Finland

The state of biodiversity has been decreased worldwide, and the Finnish Wildlife Service organization Metsähallitus will contribute to solving the challenge. With support from the Nordic Council of Ministers, they will restore the entire watershed area around the Mätäsoja Stream in Finland.

“The establishment of protected areas alone is not enough, and in order to halt the loss of biodiversity, we need to be more ambitious in restoring nature,” says Antti Karppinen, leader of the Mätäsoja Stream and Watershed restoration project in Finland. It is Metsähallitus...

Biodiversity in Urban and Coastal Areas in Iceland

Hjörtur Þorbjörnsson in the field with caraway growing in the foreground

The Nature-based solutions in the Nordic region programme has allocated 650,000 DKK to a pilot project in Iceland that aims to increase biodiversity in Reykjavík.
 
Grasagarður Reykjavíkur is the name of the outdoor collection of living plants located in the capital of Iceland. The park conserves some 3000 plant species in eight plant collections. The collections give an idea of the enormous diversity of vegetation in the northern temperate zone.

Among the staff are Hjörtur Þorbjörnsson and...