Resource description:
This study assesses how far EU policy supports or constrains the use of nature-based solutions, through a qualitative content analysis of 38 EU policies, using ponds and pondscapes as its focus while drawing broader inferences for NbS generally. It finds that EU policy tends to strengthen NbS tied to existing frameworks, Natura 2000 sites and the Birds, Habitats and Water Framework Directives, while ecosystems that fall outside them (as most ponds do) are more easily overlooked, and that Horizon Europe research funding shapes which ecosystems get used and financed. A PONDERFUL project output, it is useful for policymakers seeking to understand where EU policy enables NbS and where gaps leave certain ecosystems unsupported.
Author/Contact:
Simon Ryfisch, Isabel Seeger, Hugh McDonald, Manuel Lago, Malgorzata Blicharska
Uses of this resource:
Policy cycle stage: scoping
