RENATURE
Nature-based solutions for a stronger, more sustainable future. Designed to support ecosystems and empower communities.
The RENATURE Project
RENATURE was conceived with a clear objective: to strengthen education on climate and sustainability by making it more practical, accessible, and future-oriented through the use of Nature-based Solutions (NbS). NbS are solutions inspired by nature that enhance the resilience of both ecosystems and communities to climate change, providing effective, sustainable, and often low-cost responses.
A key feature of NbS is their low level of engineering, which makes them cost-effective and socially equitable: they do not require large initial investments nor highly complex technical skills for long-term implementation and co-management. For this reason, NbS are now central to European strategies, from the Green Deal to major research and innovation initiatives, and represent one of the most promising tools to drive a resilient and inclusive green transition.
Our results
A comparative report on the state of the art of NbS in the partner countries, analysing best practices, criticalities, and development trends across environmental, economic, and social dimensions.
An introductory educational programme on NbS, providing foundational knowledge on their role in climate change mitigation and adaptation.
An advanced educational programme, focused on the practical application, co-management, and professional use of NbS in natural, semi-natural, and urban systems.
A digital application enabling interactive exercises, self-assessment, and the development of personalised competence profiles aligned with GreenComp.
A comprehensive RENATURE e-book, including methodological guidelines, testing results, good practices, and recommendations for the replication and upscaling of the project approach.
State of the Art and Comparative Analysis of Nature-based Solutions
The Work Package 2 (WP2) aims to build a clear, updated, and comparative overview of the development of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in Europe, analysing how these solutions are applied, transferred, and co-managed in the most advanced contexts.
The work is based on a qualified partnership composed mainly of universities, inter-university consortia, and technology parks, distributed across six European countries — Italy, Spain, Greece, Germany, Lithuania, and Finland — selected both for their level of advancement in the sector and for their representativeness of the main European biogeographical regions: Mediterranean, Continental, Atlantic, and Boreal.
This configuration ensures outputs that are truly state-of-the-art and representative of the European landscape.
Introductory Educational Programme on Nature-based Solutions
The Work Package 3 (WP3) aims to transform the knowledge developed within the project into concrete, accessible, and immediately usable learning tools. In particular, WP3 develops an introductory educational programme on Nature-based Solutions (NbS), designed to help students, learners, and teachers understand how these solutions can counteract the impacts of climate change and strengthen the resilience of ecosystems and communities.
The programme is structured as a modular system of digital Open Educational Resources (OERs), organised around the three dimensions of sustainability — environmental, economic, and social — to provide a comprehensive and integrated understanding of the role of NbS. This approach connects theory and practice, showing how different types of NbS can be applied to address specific climate challenges.
Advanced Educational Programme on Nature-based Solutions
The Work Package 4 (WP4) represents the advanced level of the RENATURE training pathway and aims to provide in-depth operational competences on Nature-based Solutions (NbS), with a specific focus on their practical application, management, and co-management across different contexts. The programme is designed to support students and learners in developing the ability to effectively use NbS in professional settings, contributing to green jobs opportunities and strengthening the resilience of natural and human-modified systems.
WP4 develops an advanced educational programme based on digital Open Educational Resources (OERs), structured around three main environmental contexts in which NbS are applied: natural systems, semi-natural systems, and anthropized systems. This approach allows NbS to be understood not only as environmental solutions, but as operational tools to improve the sustainability of human activities across different sectors.
Digital Application for Exercises on
Nature-based Solutions
The Work Package 5 (WP5) aims to develop an interactive digital tool that enables users to apply and assess the knowledge and skills acquired through the educational programmes developed in WP3 and WP4. The application represents a key step in the RENATURE pathway, as it transforms learning into an active experience, fostering a deeper understanding of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and their role in the green transition.
Through a system of interactive exercises, the application allows learners to evaluate their level of knowledge in relation to the contents covered in both the introductory and advanced programmes. The activities are designed in line with European competence validation systems, ensuring a structured and progressive assessment of the skills acquired.
E-book and Guidelines for the Use of RENATURE Results
The Work Package 6 (WP6) aims to consolidate and make fully accessible the results of the project through the development of a structured and operational e-book, designed as a true user manual for RENATURE. This tool brings together, in an organised way, the project’s philosophy, methodological approach, results, and outputs, while providing concrete guidance on how to use them in different educational and training contexts.
The e-book is designed to directly support teachers, trainers, and stakeholders within VET systems, showing how the developed Open Educational Resources (OERs) can be used as practical, flexible, and reusable resources. Particular attention is given to content customisation pathways, enabling users to adapt the materials to their specific teaching needs and to integrate them into various learning formats, such as classroom-based learning, blended learning, distance learning, and self-learning.
Explore more
