Climate change will have dramatic consequences for the quantity, quality, and seasonal distribution of water in cities. One result will be increased flash-flooding and soil erosion in urban areas. Water-based nature-based solutions (“aquaNBS”) such as wetlands, streams or stormwater ponds are implemented in many European cities, but their role in improving the climate resilience of cities and simultanouesly enhancing local biodiversity are understudied. The BiNatUr project will analyze the role of biodiversity and its linkages with ES in urban aquaNBS. We employ a SETS (social, ecological, and technological systems) framework, a holistic approach for the study of complex and strongly interactive systems, to analyze the complex SET interactions of aquaNBS at three spatial scales in five European cities. The overall aim of the project is to improve biodiversity-friendly planning, building, restoration, and management of aquaNBS.

2022

2025