Rising to the Challenge: Nature-Based Solutions for Water Resilience in Europe

27 June 14:00 - 15:45

Location: Sala Martín y Soler

In light of the increasing pressure on water resources in Europe, this session aims to showcase how nature-based solutions for sustainable water management can enhance water resilience in the cities and regions. This workshop will explore concrete adaptation solutions to droughts and floods, discuss policy enhancements, and accelerate the transition for resilient water management in Europe and the Mediterranean.


More concretely, the workshop will cover policies and frameworks related to NbS for water resilience, addressing key policy gaps and challenges. It will highlight the importance of robust policy frameworks in fostering sustainable water management. Discussions will explore the benefits of NbS in urban environments, focusing on their impact on human and environmental health, emphasising the One Health concept and the role of green spaces. The significance of evidence-based decision-making in designing and implementing NbS interventions will be underscored, with key findings on their effectiveness in enhancing water resilience. This comprehensive overview aims to underscore the multiple advantages of NbS and the necessity for supportive policies and evidence-based practices for water resilience in Europe.

This session is part of the Water resilience and the Blue Economy in and beyond the Mediterranean region stream.

Speakers

Aino Kulonen

Municipality of Lahti

Aino Kulonen, Municipality of Lahti

Dr Aino Kulonen works as a climate and biodiversity expert at the City of Lahti, Finland. In her work she coordinates the climate neutrality plan of city, aiming for climate neutrality as soon as 2025 while considering crosscutting issues and co-benefits related to economics, well-being health and biodiversity.

Fabio Masi

R&D&I Head, IRIDRA Srl (Italy)

Fabio Masi, R&D&I Head, IRIDRA Srl

Fabio is R&D&I Manager and Technical Director of the Italian engineering company IRIDRA Srl, since 1998, Vice-President of Global Wetland Technology (companies association) since 2012 and IWA Fellow since 2020. His background is a PhD in Environmental Sciences and a MSc in Environmental Chemistry. He’s been Chair of the IWA SG on Wetland Systems for Water Pollution Control and of the TG on Nature Based Solutions for Water and Sanitation. He is project co-author for over 500 Designs of Constructed Wetlands worldwide and author of more than 100 scientific papers (h-index: 30; citations: 3413). He has been working in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America and involved in EC funded projects in the FP5, FP7, MEDA, ENI CBC MED, Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe, Interreg and Life+ programs.

Paola Lepori

Policy officer for nature-based solutions, European Commission (Belgium)

Paola Lepori, Policy officer for nature-based solutions, European Commission

Paola Lepori is a Policy Officer for Nature-based Solutions at the European Commission, DG Research & Innovation. Her core professional objective is building alliances to trigger transformative change towards an inclusive nature-positive future. Before joining the Biodiversity and Nature-based Solutions team in 2022, she had been working in the field of environment for several years, including in DG Maritime Affairs & Fisheries, as a communication officer. In Italy, Paola worked as desk news and writer for newspapers focusing on international affairs, writing in-depth analyses on current and environmental affairs. Her academic background is international relations, and international cooperation with a focus on the Middle East. Her academic research brought her from Italy to the UK, Jordan, Syria and Australia.
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Stina Kaisa Karlstrøm

Oslo Municipality, Landscape architect

Stina Kaisa Karlstrøm, Oslo Municipality, Landscape architect

Stina Kaisa Karlstrøm is a landscape architect who has been working at the Agency for Urban Environment in Oslo Municipality for the past three years. In her role, she focuses on climate adaptation, stormwater management, and flood mitigation at various levels. She serves as both a project manager and a consultant in her field, holding overarching professional responsibility within the agency.

Tadej Stepisnik Perdih

Project Manager, National Technical University of Athens (Greece)

Tadej Stepisnik Perdih, Project Manager,  National Technical University of Athens

Tadej Stepisnik Perdih (Ph.D. Mech. Eng.) is responsible for partnerships and project implementation and at the Department of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens. His career focuses on cross-disciplinary topics of water/wastewater management including nature-based solutions, water-energy-food nexus and alternative water sources. He has experience in managing projects across several EU funding schemes, including Horizon, PRIMA, Life+, ERC PoC and I3 - Interregional Innovation Investment. Tadej is currently making sure that projects CARDIMED (NBS | Horizon Europe), SureNexus (nexus | PRIMA), INNO4CFIs (nexus | I3) and iWAYS (wastewater treatment | H2020) are running smooth and is also involved in REMEDIES (plastic pollution | Horizon Europe) and Biodaph2O (wastewater treatment | Life+).

Marie-Caroline Vallon

Projet manager Direction de la Transition Energétique et des Territoires

Marie-Caroline Vallon, Projet manager Direction de la Transition Energétique et des Territoires

Marie Caroline Vallon, a graduate of the Institut d'Etudes Politiques and holder of a master's degree in regional development and planning, has been working for over 20 years with local authorities in the Region Sud on all aspects of sustainable regional development (biodiversity, energy, land, natural resources, housing production), developing a global, decompartmentalised and uncomplicated approach to urban issues and practices. From 2017 to 2022, she was project manager for the Nature For City LIFE project and developed training initiatives for city stakeholders, such as a moocnatureforcitylife.eu, and a number of tools for mobilizing people to better manage nature with a view to adapting cities to climate change. As a partner in the CARDIMED project, it is part of the French team piloting a demonstration site on university campuses where SFN (de-waterproofing and micro-forests) are being tested with teams from Aix Marseille University, SEMIDE and the Empan consultancy.

Eliza Nika

Researcher, Imperial College London (UK)

Eliza Nika, Researcher, Imperial College London

Dr. Eliza Nika is a distinguished Environmental Engineer and Research Fellow at Imperial College London, specializing in the measurement and assessment of Circular Economy and Sustainability. She earned her PhD from Brunel University London, her M.Sc.Eng. in Environmental & Water Resources Engineering from the Technical University of Denmark, and her B.Eng. from the Technical University of Crete. Her primary research focuses on Circular Economy frameworks, notably in water, energy, and bio-based value chains, and the Water-Energy-Food Ecosystems nexus. Her expertise extends to developing SMART indicators, integrated frameworks, and predictive resource flow models, making her a pivotal figure in strategic sustainability assessments and strategy development.

Natalie Mueller

Assistant Research Professor, ISGlobal

Natalie Mueller, Assistant Research Professor, ISGlobal

Natalie Mueller, PhD, is an Assistant Research Professor and environmental epidemiologist at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal). She has strong expertise in health impact assessment (HIA) methodologies. She has led and conducted various HIA studies, studying different counterfactual scenarios aimed at sustaining and improving health in cities through changes in urban form and transport systems, combining comparative risk assessment with other novel modelling approaches. Furthermore, her interests include putting evidence into practice, engaging with stakeholders to provide advice and technical support on the integration of health considerations into urban developments.

Arnoud Molenaar

Chief Resilience Officer, City of Rotterdam

Arnoud Molenaar, Chief Resilience Officer, City of Rotterdam

After graduating in Physical Geography, Arnoud started his career with ambitious trainee posts and jobs abroad. As deputy head of the Rotterdam Water Management Department, he was responsible for the Waterplan2Rotterdam. In 2008, he was appointed manager of the Rotterdam Climate Proof program. Rotterdam’s first climate adaptation program. Arnoud is editor of the book “Resilient Cities and Climate Adaptation Strategies” (2014). As Rotterdam’s first Chief Resilience Officer, appointed in 2014, he was responsible for Rotterdam’s first Resilience Strategy (2016) and part time joined the Global Center on Adaptation as strategic advisor cities (2018). In 2019 he hosted the Global Urban Resilience Summit in Rotterdam and joined the Global Steering Committee at the Resilient Cities Network. In 2022 he coordinated the development of the ‘Resilient Rotterdam Strategy 2022-2027’.

Moderator

Elena Petsani

Expert, Resilience and Climate Adaptation, ICLEI Europe

Expert, Resilience and Climate Adaptation, ICLEI Europe

Elena Petsani is an Urban Resilience & Sustainability Planner (MSc & MEng.). She has a strong professional background with seven years of experience in inclusive and climate-resilient urban development, sustainability strategies, policymaking, and academic research at the national and local government level. She has supported strategic urban planning and territorial development, climate adaptation policies, and spatial tools for multi-stakeholder engagement in the decision-making process. Elena is involved in EU funded projects focused on adaptation to climate change and Nature Based Solutions such as REGREEN, CARDIMED, RECREATE, MULTISOURCE, Pathways to Resilience and UP2030.