Oxford to host global conference on Nature-based Solutions

The international Nature-based Solutions conference will bring together a global community of scientists, artists, Indigenous leaders, wisdom keepers, governments, and economists to share advancements and best practices in nature-based solutions. These approaches involve working with nature, as part of nature, to address societal challenges, supporting human well-being and biodiversity locally.

A key mission for the conference is to co-create an action agenda that will form a roadmap for scaling community-led nature-based solutions worldwide. This will form the groundwork for policy discussions, in particular in the build-up to the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 30), being hosted by Brazil, the most biodiverse nation on Earth.

Panel topics during the event include:

• The evidence for the benefits of nature-based solutions beyond climate change mitigation, in particular for human and ecological health;
• How nature-based solutions can build resilience for human and ecological communities, including climate change adaptation and food security;
• How we ensure that governments, markets, and finance support rather than degrade nature;
• How we can reconfigure economic models to value nature as it should be;
• How we can restore and deepen our relationship with nature.

Alongside the main sessions, a cultural programme will explore our intrinsic connection with nature through a range of different activities, many being led by local or Indigenous artists from different parts of the world. These include musical performances, a mural made in real-time, films about nature-based solutions, weaving, artworks, and guided walks. In addition, the conference will open and close with a traditional fire ceremony to hold delegates’ intentions and hopes for the week.

Examples of nature-based solutions include community-led restoration of river and coastal ecosystems to protect against flooding and erosion; implementing agroforestry to make crops more resilient to unpredictable growing conditions; and establishing native forests, parks, and wetlands within and around urban areas for cooling and to reduce flood risk. In addition to supporting human adaptation to climate change, such actions can increase carbon storage to help mitigate climate change and protect biodiversity.

You can find more examples of Nature-based Solutions from around the world here. Tickets for in-person attendance are sold out but you can register to attend the sessions online.

Contact for media requests Cerian Putman: cerian.putman@biology.ox.ac.uk