S-ITUATION: A synthesis of implementation of NBS in the Nordic countries

S-ITUATION (2021-2022) is the first of five projects in the Nordic Council of ministers’ four-year programme on nature-based solutions in the Nordics.

The S-ITUATION team is made up by researchers from respected and well-known natural science institutes in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Finland.

This composition of different areas of expertise, experience and languages puts us in a unique position to synhtesise existing knowledge on NBS in all the Nordic countries.

Project description

The purpose of S-ITUATION is to synthesize and present existing research on Nature-based Solutions relevant to the Nordic context. The scope of the overview is based on the IUCN Global Standard, and will include relevant projects and experiences, policies, knowledge gaps and cost-benefit analyses.

The project will be carried out by highly experienced researchers in the field, representing research institutes in all five Nordic countries. Communication and dissemination activities, including stakeholder consultations, will be integrated throughout the project. The synthesis will facilitate knowledge-sharing and provide a basis for the development of future research projects in the Nordic Council thematic programme on NbS.

S-ITUATION consists of an international research group lead by project
manager Dr. Leonard Sandin. The project consists of four work packages (WPs) and a clearly defined organisation of the project work. NIVA will lead all WPs and work will be divided according to ecosystems and languages.

Synthesis

A key output from the project is a compilation of existing NBS projects and actions in the Nordic Countries. S-ITUATION will synthesize and summarize the experience from these (both positive and negative).

To do this a synthesis (combining scientific literature and targeted NBS projects) is needed, covering the breadth of Nordic terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems as well as cost-benefit aspects potentially associated with these. We therefore aim to extract the most important knowledge and results relevant to underpin future application of NBS within the Nordic countries.

Knowledge-sharing

The Nordic countries have different approaches to planning and implementing nature-based solutions for biodiversity, climate change adaptation and mitigation. Implementation mechanisms and guidance to different target groups may also vary across the Nordics.

We therefore aim to provide a catalogue that gives an overview of the wide range of NBS projects in order to compare and share experiences among the Nordic countries. This will form a basis for knowledge sharing and development of future projects on the topic.