As Europe faces increasingly severe climate impacts, Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are gaining recognition as essential tools for effective and long-term climate adaptation. Among the key initiatives advancing this transition is the Transformative Nature-based Solutions Festival, organised within the framework of the ARCADIA project. The festival provides a dedicated space to exchange knowledge, strengthen cooperation, and accelerate the implementation of NbS across European regions.
What is the Transformative NBS Festival?
The Transformative Nature-based Solutions Festival is a flagship event series of the ARCADIA project, a Horizon Europe initiative focused on accelerating climate adaptation through the strategic deployment of NbS. Conceived as a recurring milestone throughout the project’s lifetime, the Festival series brings together policymakers, researchers, practitioners, and local stakeholders to explore how NbS can drive systemic and transformative change.
Three Festivals are planned during the project:
- First festival in Croatia, April 2025
- Second festival in Denmark, 2026
- Third festival in Bulgaria, 2027
Each event builds on the outcomes of the previous one, creating a continuous learning journey that supports the scaling and replication of NbS across different territorial contexts.
The first Festival of Transformative NbS : Zagreb, 9 April 2025
The first Transformative NBS Festival took place in Zagreb, Croatia, on 9 April 2025, marking an important milestone for the ARCADIA project. The event gathered nearly 200 participants, including regional and local decision-makers, technical experts, researchers, and representatives from European projects working on climate adaptation.
The festival aimed to empower participants with practical knowledge, tools, and examples to support the design and implementation of NbS, while fostering dialogue across governance levels and sectors. Particular attention was given to the needs and challenges faced by local and regional authorities when translating NbS strategies into concrete actions.
Key Objectives and Themes
The festival addressed several interconnected themes that are critical to advancing NbS implementation:
- Identifying governance, regulatory, and policy gaps that hinder the uptake of NbS
- Presenting tools and methodologies to support planning, implementation, and monitoring
- Exploring financing mechanisms and the value of ecosystem services
- Showcasing real-world examples and success stories from across Europe
- Encouraging collaboration and peer learning among regions and cities
The programme combined plenary sessions, parallel thematic sessions, and interactive discussions, enabling participants to engage with both strategic and operational aspects of NbS.
A Platform for Dialogue and Learning
Throughout the day, speakers and participants shared experiences from diverse territorial contexts, highlighting lessons learned from urban, rural, and regional NbS interventions. The festival also emphasised the importance of co-creation, community involvement, and cross-sector collaboration in achieving long-lasting climate resilience.
Beyond knowledge exchange, the festival functioned as a networking platform, strengthening links between European initiatives working on NbS and climate adaptation, including projects from the NBS4EU cluster.
Relevance for NBRACER
The Transformative NBS Festival aligns with NBRACER’s mission to support regions in advancing climate resilience through nature-based approaches, as part of the NBS4EU cluster. By addressing policy frameworks, governance challenges, technical tools, and financing mechanisms, the festival contributes to the broader European effort to mainstream NbS into climate adaptation strategies.
The outcomes and insights generated through the ARCADIA Festival series provide valuable input for regional actors, including NBRACER partners, as they work to design, implement, and scale NbS tailored to their local contexts.
As the ARCADIA project moves forward with the next Festivals in Denmark in 2026 and Bulgaria the following year, the foundation laid in Zagreb will continue to support collective learning and transformative climate action across Europe.
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For press inquiries, please contact Natalia.brack@iid-sii.org or Jessica.bailloux@iid-sii.org
