Image:
Project Updates
- Have you noticed anything not quite right on the NetworkNature platform? Let us know here. We are always improving the platform and want your input!
- There is still time to sign up for the NbS International Congress taking place 2-6 November 2026 in Paris, France. Join more than 500 researchers, practitioners, city and region representatives, national and EU authorities, policy-makers, local and international organisations, investors, businesses, and civil society from the NbS community. The NetworkNature Annual Event and Cities Festival will take place as part of the congress.
- Building on NATURANCE Innovation Labs, DG RTD published the following factsheet: Unlocking nature's potential across systems, sectors and budgets - Publications Office of the EU. It showcases concrete examples of how NbS have been integrated into existing budget lines and business models, replacing more harmful practices and drawing on their many co-benefits.
October
- Online learning session “Snake Talk” with Tyson Yunkaporta (Co-Creation with the More-than-Human sandbox)
Date: October 7, online
Our 17th learning session, Snake Talk, in dialogue with Aboriginal scholar Tyson Yunkaporta, will take place on Wednesday, October 7, at 12 pm CEST | 11 am BST. In this session, Tyson Yunkaporta, the author of Sand Talk and Right Story, Wrong Story, joins us to explore how ancient serpent stories, of creation and destruction moving between the physical and spiritual worlds, between story and history, and weaving across earth and sky, can guide us today. Drawing on his recent book Snake Talk, we'll uncover and discuss insights from conversations with Indigenous knowledge on how serpent knowledge can help us understand our roles and align our human gifts with the patterns of creation. Register here! - Planning Just Urban Nature - Tools, City Challenges, and Practical Approaches
Date: 8 October 2026; Location: online
Focusing on contributions from the UNP+, NetworkNature, JUSTSAFE and other projects, the webinar will briefly introduce key resources and frameworks developed to support the integration of justice principles into urban nature planning, implementation, and monitoring. The session will connect these resources with practical municipal experiences, exploring challenges cities face when embedding justice into Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and the tools and approaches that can help practitioners address them. Register here! - European Week of Regions and Cities
Date: 12-14 October 2026; Location: Brussels, Belgium
The European Week of Regions and Cities is the largest annual event held in Brussels dedicated to regional and urban policy. It provides cities and regions with a platform to demonstrate their role in fostering growth and employment, implementing EU Cohesion Policy, and highlighting the importance of the local and regional level in effective European governance. Registrations are open here! - Brussels Climate Week Conference
Date: 12-15 October 2026; Location: Brussels, Belgium
The Brussels Climate Week Conference is the central forum of the Week, bringing together European institutions, Member States, industry, cities, investors, and innovators to shape the future of Europe’s climate-industrial transition. Over five themed days, the Conference will explore how Europe can advance resilience, competitiveness, and sustainability through high-level dialogues, curated roundtables, and cross-sector networking that turn ambition into action. Register here! - Financing Nature-based Solutions: From Business Cases to Investments
Date: 13 October 2026; Location: Online
The webinar will bring together experiences from the EU projects LAND4CLIMATE and DesirMED, combining technical expertise and regional implementation experience to explore how Nature-based Solutions can be financed and scaled in practice. If NbS create so much value, why do so many projects still struggle to secure investment? That will be the main question addressed. Register here! - The New European Bauhaus Prizes 2026
Date: 15 October 2026
The finalists of the International Prizes have also been announced and can be found on the New European Bauhaus website. The winners of the New European Bauhaus Prizes 2026 will be announced at the NEB Awards Ceremony on 15 October 2026. Stay tuned for more! - NATURELAB International Workshop II
Date: 15-16 October 2026; Location: Lima, Peru
Join the NATURELAB 2nd International Workshop! Following the success of the 1st workshop in 2025, this event will share the project’s most significant findings and will include open discussions and practical experiences in Nature-based Interventions (NBI), meant to embed all actors with real-life experiences that are known to bring new awareness and behavioural changes. Find out more and register in here! - CBD COP 17
Date: 19-30 October 2026; Location: Yerevan, Armenia
The 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is a major global summit where governments, experts, Indigenous Peoples, civil society, and other stakeholders come together to review progress and define new commitments on the protection and restoration of biodiversity. NetworkNature will be there - will you? - XII AESOP Sustainable Food Planning Conference
Date: 21-24 October 2026; Location: Venice, Italy
The Conference will bring together researchers, practitioners, activists and policymakers to explore how food systems and their values are shaped in contexts of environmental, social, economic and political fragility. The conference will address challenges such as climate change, conflict, inequality and governance, focusing on how food planning can contribute to more resilient and sustainable territories. - 9th Summit for Subnational Governments and Cities
Date: 24 October 2026; Location: Yerevan, Armenia
The summit will bring together local and subnational governments and their partners to strengthen collaboration, accelerate implementation, mobilise finance and advance multilevel action for nature. Building on two decades of collaboration between ICLEI, the CBD Secretariat, Regions4 and other key partners, the Summit will continue to amplify the voice of cities and regions in global biodiversity policy and action. Register here!
November
- NbS International Congress
Date: 2-6 November 2026; Location: Paris, France
The NbS International Congress will bring together more than 500 researchers, practitioners, city and region representatives, national and EU authorities, policy-makers, local and international organisations, investors, businesses, and civil society from the NbS community. Through different thematic tracks —from science to policy and practice, and across diverse ecosystems and topics— the congress will offer a week of exchange across science, practice and policy, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing within the international network.- Scientific Conference: Organised by PERP SOLU-BIOD, the Scientific Conference will take place on 4, 5 and 6 November 2026 at Sorbonne University. A registration fee will be required. The call for sessions is now open! Registration here.
- NetworkNature Week: Running from 2 to 4 November 2026, the NetworkNature Week will feature a series of events designed to inspire and build the capacity of the NbS community and beyond to continue taking action for nature. Key events not to miss:
- Smart City Expo World Congress
Date: 3-5 November 2026; Location: Barcelona, Spain
Held annually in Barcelona since 2011, the Smart City Expo World Congress is the world’s largest and most influential event dedicated to cities and urban innovation. It brings together leaders from global companies, governments, and organisations to explore how cities can evolve towards more sustainable, efficient, and inclusive futures. The event aims to turn urban ambition into concrete solutions by fostering partnerships, collaboration, and knowledge exchange to address the most pressing challenges facing cities today.
Get your pass here. - COP 31 of UNFCCC
Date: 9-20 November 2026; Location: Antalya, Turkey
At the summit, world leaders, experts, and civil society representatives will discuss joint solutions to combat climate change and build a sustainable future. Hosted by Türkiye, this conference will be an important gathering for shaping global climate policies. - European Mission Soil Week 2026
Date: 17-18 November 2026; Location: Dublin, Ireland
The fourth European Mission Soil Week will bring together a wide range of stakeholders, including policymakers, researchers, farmers, businesses and citizens. The event will be hybrid and will focus on sustainable soil management, providing opportunities to exchange knowledge, explore innovative solutions, strengthen collaboration and support the implementation of the EU Mission Soil across Europe. Register now! - Re-Value Final Forum
Date: 18 November 2026; Location: Bruges, Belgium
Organised by Re-Value, the Forum will celebrate the journey of 9 waterfront cities towards climate neutrality through inclusive urban planning and design. Save the date!
Calls for Proposals (Events)
- Nothing to report
Calls for Abstracts (Publications)
- Submit to the Special Issue: Climate Adaptation, Urban Regeneration, and Regreening Processes: Challenges and Opportunities for Contemporary Cities
Deadline: 10 May 2027
Other Opportunities
- European cities invited to benchmark capabilities for democratic green transitions
The GreenDEMO Capability Check for Cities is a 15–20 minute survey for European city officials exploring how city administrations support democratic green transitions.Cities with at least five respondents will receive a tailored capability profile benchmarking their city against other participating cities.
Take part! - EU twinning on climate adaptation
Is your region grappling with a mining legacy, contaminated land, or the challenge of turning pilot projects into municipal-wide action? Adaptation Hubs is opening its first EU twinning exchange, connecting regions facing similar climate challenges with frontrunner regions ready to share what works. The exchange takes place on 7-9 October 2026 in Chodov, Karlovy Vary region (Czechia), mentored by the municipality of Chodov and the region. Apply by September 4. - NbS featured in distilled European science
The European Commission's Science for Environment Policy picks out the most policy-relevant environmental research and summarises it in a few minutes' read. The latest edition has plenty for NBS enthusiasts. Allotment gardens cool an area 2.8 times their own size and reduce temperatures there by almost 3°C, with the most efficient cooling found in Benelux cities. Meanwhile, a study from suburban Paris finds that home vegetable growing and wild biodiversity go hand in hand, with no conflicts between the two. Read about allotment gardens or subscribe to the newsletter.
