The time for Nature-based Solutions (NBS) to take their rightful place in Spain has arrived. This week, the City of A Coruña (Spain) launched a new UrbanByNature hub to enhance exchange on NBS among Spanish and global cities, connect stakeholders such as municipalities, universities, NGOs and SMEs to policy opportunities, and establish a solid cooperation network around urban greening.

Led by the municipality of A Coruña with the support of the University of A Coruña, the new hub will initially focus on the topics of NBS in urban regeneration, NBS co-production, embedding NBS into city-wide strategies, protecting and recovering biodiversity in urban areas, and the benefits of NBS to health and well-being.

A webinar series commencing in early 2022 will set the programme in motion.

“With initiatives like the launch of this Hub, A Coruña is trying to be a leader in the fight against climate change. In the past, we have been hard hit by environmental catastrophes such as the sinking of oil tankers, and we are now facing an increasingly adverse climate. Being one of the cities that lead the way for the mainstreaming of NBS in Europe and in Spain is a huge opportunity, and we want to be up to the challenge”, said Esther Fontán, third Deputy Mayor and Councilor for Environment and Sustainability in the City of A Coruña.

At the launch of the hub, Beatriz Piñeiro Lago, Innovation Technician at the Galician Health Service – partners in this new NBS hub – expressed: “The Galician Health service is pioneering the implementation of NBS, putting the health sector at the center of a cultural transformation based on sustainability, and we will continue advancing on this path.”

A Coruña is recognised as a leader in sustainability, having recently been awarded the annual prize of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) for local good practices in addressing climate change. The city is also a member of the Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, a signatory of the Green City Accord, and a partner in the Connecting Nature project, through which it is creating a network of urban gardens to connect different initiatives across the city. In addition, A Coruña’s urban garden network made them a finalist for the prestigious Transformative Action Awards 2021.

This new hub has been developed in the context of the UrbanByNature programme. Launched within the Connecting Nature project, UrbanByNature is a capacity-building programme with hubs in Brazil, the Caucasus, South Korea, and China, the latter in collaboration with the CLEVER Cities project. Additional hubs are planned in Scotland, Flandres, South America and South-Eastern Europe. UrbanByNature is powered by ICLEI Europe and hosted by the CitiesWithNature initiative.

“ICLEI Europe is glad to support the growth of the UrbanByNature programme via the launch of three new European hubs in 2021 and 2022, as well as two new global hubs in 2022. By the end of next year, nine hubs will be active around the world, building bridges between regional and global NBS communities and boosting awareness of nature’s potential to tackle urban challenges”, said Daniela Rizzi, Senior Officer, Nature-based Solutions and Biodiversity at ICLEI Europe.

To learn more about UrbanByNature visit https://connectingnature.eu/urbanbynature.