• A man standing in the par with an umbrella in Turku, Finland. Teksti: Sofia Suomalainen, Demos Helsinki. Picture by Agustin Garagorry.

We face an urgent urban challenge: cities are getting warmer, losing biodiversity, and facing increasing uncertainty. In addition, they are dense, often located in risky environments, and reliant on increasingly fragile regional and global systems. Freshly launched European section of the Global Roadmap on Nature-based Solutions helps cities to prepare for the unknown futures.

While nature provides the foundation for our societies, intentionality is required to build sustainable and resilient cities. The European section of the Global Roadmap on Nature-based Solutions (NbS) was launched in November 2025 at the Think Corner in Helsinki, Finland, to support cities in this important task.

The report connects global NbS findings – both research and practice – to the specific challenges and opportunities in the European and Nordic context. It informs decision making and city planning on current evidence-base and examples for successful NbS practices and processes.

The launch event brought together researchers, policymakers, city representatives, and practitioners to chart a course for NbS implementation. The event contributed to addressing the requirements of both EU and Nordic policies, including the Nature Restoration Regulation, the EU’s New European Bauhaus initiative, and strategic urban nature plans.

Key messages of NbS trends and challenges in Europe

Urban Nature-based Solutions in Europe have gained prominence as multifunctional strategies that address intersecting challenges including climate change, biodiversity loss, and public health concerns. Researchers Oriol García Antúnez and Eugenia Castellazzi presented the key findings of the European section in Think Corner’s Main Stage:

  • Europe is strongly investing in urban NbS, reflecting a vision to position itself as a global NbS leader.
  • Urban NbS initiatives in Europe have focused on the restoration and creation of new green spaces, with not enough efforts dedicated to safeguarding and managing existing ecosystems in urban areas.
  • Multi-stakeholder partnerships are central to project success, though private sector engagement remains weak.
  • Co-creation and inclusion are emerging as powerful enablers of NbS, but require deeper institutional support, recognition of value pluralism, and sustained community stewardship.
  • Europe has a robust policy and regulatory framework for NbS, but further efforts are needed for policy coherence and institutional coordination.
  • Technical gaps – notably in long-term monitoring and evaluation – undermine the sustainability and resilience of NbS.
  • Scaling remains a key challenge despite successful local pilots.

Biodiversity is often overlooked when addressing human issues

A panel discussion featuring experts from the Finnish Ministry of the Environment, the City of Paris, NATURA GRM, EU Urban Nature Plans, and Fiskars Group explored the practical implications of the report findings. The panel agreed on the relational value of nature-based thinking: when things work for nature, they work for humans too. Panelists noted that biodiversity has too often been forgotten in the rush to solve human problems.

The panelists concurred that the European Roadmap offers several critical contributions:

  • Urban Focus: It provides a much-needed assessment focused specifically on the urban context, where competition for space and resources is fierce.
  • Robust Methodology: It delivers a scientifically sound foundation with clear examples and concrete recommendations.
  • Sharing Lessons: It is essential for cities to learn not only from successful projects but also from failures to avoid repeating mistakes, stressing that how NbS projects are communicated is key to their success.

While Nature-based Solutions offer profound potential to build just, climate-smart urban green infrastructure, their successful implementation requires clear policy, dedicated funding for long-term monitoring, cross-sectoral governance, and genuine, sustained public engagement. The European Roadmap can be used as a critical guide on this journey.

Text: Salla Kässi, Demos Helsinki
Picture: Agustin Garagorry

The launch event of the European section of the Global Roadmap on Nature-based Solutions (NbS) was a collaboration between Nature-based Solutions for Urban Resilience in the Anthropocene (NATURA), Enabling multispecies transitions of cities and regions (MUST) and From Nature Plan to Nature Practice (UNP+) projects and Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS).