Abstract:

Nature-based solutions (NbS) have the potential to build climate resilience and tackle key societal challenges while also providing multiple co-benefits to biodiversity and human well-being. The demand for nature-based innovation is strongly felt in Malta – a small island state, with the highest population density in the European Union. Learning and training play a pivotal role in the endeavour to create sustainable societies. Current environmental, social and economic challenges to meet the balance of the four dimensions of sustainable development (social, environmental, economic and governance) require new ways of thinking and acting. The EU-funded project ReNature helps to facilitate international knowledge exchange for the mainstreaming of NbS, via holistic and interdisciplinary stakeholder education. This will be demonstrated through increasing outstanding research initiatives in NbS for innovation, sustainable economic growth and human well-being in Malta. The ReNature consortium is working towards increasing the range of appropriate learning opportunities and sharing experiences about NbS implementation around the Mediterranean basin. This includes establishment of twinning between the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST) and leading research-intensive international institutions within this rapidly developing field, the raising of stakeholders’ awareness and development of networking. The outcomes of this project will foster capacity building and enhance research excellence in the field of NbS through a number of strategically designed training activities and project outputs in topics related to the key areas of this concept. This article is aimed at presenting the ReNature capacity-building framework and learning model. We believe that these tools are setting a direction for learning that is based on values, principles and practices which are indispensable to respond effectively to current and future challenges.

Keywords:

Nature-based solutions, capacity-building framework, learning model, stakeholder education, sustainable development.