Imagine trying to fix a city's heat or flooding problems by planting forests or restoring wetlands, but accidentally making the neighborhood more expensive for the people living there. This work creates a guidebook to ensure these green projects actually help everyone and don't just benefit a few. It tests these strategies in 30 different areas across the globe to see what actually works in the real world.
Nature-based projects often fail or face public backlash because they ignore social equity and local political dynamics. This leads to wasted investment and failed climate targets.
A set of assessment tools and 'theories of change' to measure and improve the social readiness of nature-based solutions across 30 urban areas.
If you are a consultancy dealing with city heat islands and flood risks — this project developed assessment tools that ensure green infrastructure projects are socially fair and effective. This prevents costly public opposition and project delays.
If you are a firm dealing with biodiversity loss in Latin America or the USA — this project developed tested theories of change that help implement nature-based solutions at scale. This allows for more predictable project outcomes across 12 in-depth case studies.
If you are an investor dealing with the risk of 'greenwashing' or social backlash in climate projects — this project developed a way to measure the social readiness level of nature projects. This reduces financial risk by ensuring projects are socially just.
Based on available project data, there is no specific pricing or cost mentioned for the tools; the project is funded by an EU contribution of EUR 7,087,446.
Yes, the project specifically analyzes 30 functional urban areas and 12 in-depth case studies to ensure the solutions can be replicated across diverse landscapes in Europe, the USA, and LAC.
Based on available project data, specific licensing terms are not provided, though the project involves a consortium of 11 partners including universities and NGOs.
The project focuses on governance, human rights, and social justice within the context of climate action and biodiversity conservation.
The project runs from 2023-12-01 to 2027-11-30, with a phased approach moving from research to real-world testing.
The consortium is heavily academic, with 6 universities and 4 other organizations, but includes critical global implementation partners like The Nature Conservancy and WWF. With only 1 SME and a 9% industry ratio, the project is driven by research but anchored in practical application through a leading consultancy in LAC (Grupo Laera).
Contact Universiteit Utrecht regarding the 'societal readiness level' tools for NBS.
Contact SciTransfer to connect with the NATURESCAPES consortium for early access to their social readiness toolkits.
