Nature Based Solutions for Atlantic Regional Climate Resilience

Project Information

NBRACER

Grant agreement ID: 101112836

DOI

10.3030/101112836

EC signature date 23 May 2023

Start date 1 October 2023

End date 30 September 2027

Funded under

• Climate, Energy and Mobility

Total cost

€ 18 140 252,02

EU contribution

€ 17 438 626,25

Coordinated by

STICHTING DELTARES
Netherlands

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - NBRACER (Nature Based Solutions for Atlantic Regional Climate Resilience)

Reporting period: 2023-10-01 to 2025-03-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Over the course of its first 18 months, the NBRACER project has been advancing well according to activities planned in its Grant Agreement. Overall, NBRACER is successfully supporting the European Mission on Climate Adaptation (MACC) by developing and scaling nature-based solutions tailored to regional landscapes. Through innovation, community involvement, and cross-sector collaboration, it is creating practical, place-based strategies that build resilient, healthy, and just regions. In this first reporting period, the project has submitted 11 deliverables and has completed 4 milestones conforming to deadlines established.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Although many of the ‘results’ are aligned with the timeline of the NBRACER deliverables, the Project Management Team (WP9) decided to implement a list of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) to facilitate the monitoring and reporting of NBRACER’s progress. For each task or activity output the Project Management team (WP9) has developed a set of specific and quantifiable KPIs, which are further categorised into three primary groups: ‘Socio-Economic’, ‘Scientific’ and ‘Communication, Dissemination, Networking & Engagement’. Intermediate KPIs have also been introduced, when possible, to assist in setting priorities and guiding the early stages of the project. These intermediate KPIs align with the reporting periods, notably M18 (1st Reporting Period), M36 (2nd Reporting Period) and M48 (3rd and Final Reporting Period).

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

NBRACER is anticipated to generate significant scientific, economic, and societal impacts both during the project and in the long term. This section outlines how the project's research outputs and results have supported the expected outcomes of the w
• SoA in NBRACER – M1-18: This process has started in all of our NBACER Demonstrating and Replicating Regions with the involvement of many stakeholders and citizens in activities related to setting up the baseline in WP1 and is now progressing with the co-design and demonstration of solution portfolios across landscapes in WPs 2-3-4. The WP6 and WP7 activities and for initiatives of Finding Answers Together (FAT) teams and Connecting NBRACER workshops support the involvement of regions and communities. The adaptation pathway work has not yet commenced in the project planning.
• SoA in NBRACER – M1-18: Solutions are tested and demonstrated in the Demonstrating Regions and efficiency is monitored based on monitoring plans aligned across regions. The project actively reaches out to find and link other NBS across regions to increase the portfolio per region. In this sense, the cooperation with sister projects (NBS4EU cluster), such as DESIRMED, is very relevant. This activity will be strengthened in the future with the evaluation of monitoring data and when the economic tooling of WP6.5 is activated.
• SoA in NBRACER – M1-18: Communities in both Demonstrating and Replicating Regions are and will be involved in various interactive formats supported by WP6 and WP7 to further strengthen their understanding of the issues, potential of solutions and commitment to further transformation. This will be supported by the tooling (guidelines, maps and models) and expertise from WP5 and WP6.
• Scientific and societal impact, with connections to HLO 2 and 3 and with link to work carried out under WP1, with its regional scale activities; WP5 and WP6, with the development of the technical and process frameworks and WP8, with its communication and dissemination activities. We initiated and further developped the collaboration with MACC platforms (MIP4Adapt and NN) and sister projects across biogeographical (NBS4EU cluster). In this manner, we can outreach to many regions outside NBRACER.
• Scientific and economic impact, with connections to HLO 1, 2 and 3 and with link to work carried out under WP8, with its role and impact in communication and dissemination activities, and WP9.3 Through the active involvement in MACC platforms NetworkNature and MIP4ADAPT, the cluster NBS4EU, involvement in platform webinars and conferences, and aiming for creating policy briefs we are proceeding in creating more and more support for regions and communities to understand and address climate risks and opportunities to adapt.
• Scientific and economic impact, with connections to HLO 2 and 3, with link to work carried out under WP5 and 6, with the development of the NBRACER toolbox consisting of the technical and process frameworks; under WP8, and under WP9.3 thanks to interactions with MACC platforms. The project directly supports 8 regions, through NBS4EU it is connected to around 60 and via projects and platforms such as P2R and MIP4ADAPT 250 regions can be reached. For example, the project is progressing on storytelling with MIP4ADAPT and on tool sharing with P2R (led by partner CKIC and co-led by Deltares).
• Economic and scientific impact, with connections to HLO 2 and 3, with link to work carried out under WP2-3-4, supported by the monitoring of project KPI 16.
• SoA in NBRACER – M1-18: NBRACER regions are leading the way in developing NbS rich innovations portfolios. Similar work is done in the NBS4EU sister projects. Together this result will go a long way toward the impact needed to further the MACC objectives. We strive to involve P2R project as a landing platform and conduit to support and extend the demonstrations to as much as possible regions.
• Societal, scientific and economic impact, with connections to HLO 1 and 2, with link to work carried out under WP7, by carrying out capacity-building workshops with the aim to assist Replicating Regions in learning and harvesting knowledge and lessons learnt by the Demonstrating Regions. This is supported by the monitoring of the following project KPIs: 27, 28, 29. Experience and methodologies from the NBRACER project are embedded in the NBS4EU cluster and our partner ICLEI is utilizing its channels (URBAN4NATURE, NetworkNature) to create impact beyond the scope of NBRACER.