NICHES presented at the CONEXUS conference
From May 15 to 17, 2024, Barcelona hosted the CONEXUS Conference, a key event that brought together over 100 experts from Europe and Latin America to discuss nature-based solutions (NbS) for building climate-resilient cities. The conference served as a dynamic platform for exchanging ideas on the economic, social, environmental, and political dimensions of NbS implementation.
The NICHES project coordinator, Dr. Ulf Stein of the Ecological Institute in Berlin, presented findings from the project, which tackles urban stormwater management and aims to mitigate Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) issues in five cities: Berlin, Barcelona, Boston, Rotterdam, and Sheffield. His presentation emphasized governance frameworks and institutional approaches within urban water Socio-Ecological-Technological Systems (SETS).
Dr. Ulf Stein presenting the NICHES project. Photo by McKenna Davis.
Drawing on literature reviews and stakeholder interviews, the analysis highlighted effective governance models, policy tools, and the enablers and obstacles to NbS adoption. Dr. Stein revealed the complexities of institutional coordination and processes while identifying best practices across cities.
A key takeaway was the importance of blending traditional and innovative governance approaches to foster NbS implementation. These findings provide practical guidance for decision-makers worldwide to integrate NbS into urban water management, addressing climate challenges effectively.
Moreover, project member Svetlana Khromova of the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology also presented the NICHES project at the CONEXUS conference.
Her talk focused on showcasing the NICHES integrated approach for informed NBS prioritisation and allocation, which is Social-Ecological-Technological vulnerability assessment under the risk approach.
Understanding the complex dynamics of water-related risks and piecing together the fragmented puzzle of hydrological hazard perception are key points of project work.
Svetlana Khromova presenting the NICHES project.
