UNP+ joins the Horizon Europe NbS Community and Chooses Nature at the NetworkNature Annual Event
The Cambridge Dictionary defines clustering as the act of forming a group, sometimes by surrounding something or someone. Clustering with other projects and initiatives around sustainable action is a core component of Horizon Europe and mission projects.
Last week, UNP+ joined the main Horizon Europe Cluster 6 event of the year - the NetworkNature Annual Event. Joining over 300 people, SPADES representatives traveled to Brussels, where they explored intersections and challenge points between competitiveness, prosperity, biodiversity, and business. Under the theme Choose Nature: Unlocking pathways to a resilient economy for people and the planet, the event explored different means to align biodiversity and economy in times of urgency, building on the concept of Nature-based solutions.
As climate extremes intensify, biodiversity continues to decline, and economic uncertainties grow, nature - including soil ecosystems - is increasingly recognised as a vital ally. The event provided a space to connect across sectors, exchange solutions, and reaffirm that building resilience means putting nature at the centre of decision-making. UNP+ city Belgrade is also a NetworkNature nature-based solutions hub, and took advantage of the opportunity to connect with other hubs on local capacity building initiatives.
As UNP+ prepares for the next in-person Urban Nature Exchange in Mannheim, Germany, we are pondering these key takeaways from Annual Event Speakers.
We cannot exist without breathable air, clean water, edible food and the ecosystems that provide them...The current legal and regulatory framework is not protecting the planet. This must change. -Sue Miller, Stop Ecocide International.
Some things, like biodiversity, are irreplaceable. We know from the geologic record, recovery takes millions of years. -Humberto Rosa, DG Environment.
Globally and locally it is the vulnerable who suffer most and bear the highest impact of biodiversity loss. These groups are also the least to blame. At the same time, we all care. Let’s use this emotion as a force. -Sander Jacobs, INBO (Research Institute for Nature and Forest - Instituut voor Natuur- en Bosonderzoek).
UNP+ integrates city-led initiatives with national sustainability strategies to develop transformative green solutions that benefit everyone. Sign up for our newsletter to see how our cities are putting the NN+ inspiration into action!
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