Urban areas are under immense strain from urban sprawl and the conversion of open spaces, as well as environmental pressures like climate change and pollution. This can harm natural habitats and put human health and well-being, biodiversity, and the provisioning of ecosystem services at risk. Applying nature-based solutions to restore degraded, damaged, or destroyed urban ecosystems can help to address such challenges. Such solutions can foster ecosystem recovery as a means to increase resilience and conserve biodiversity, while also benefiting society, the environment and the economy.
Cities are increasingly recognising the potential of nature-based solutions and striving to restore, protect and increase access to urban green areas. INTERLACE supports these ambitions, and utilises NBS to restore, rehabilitate and (re)connect ecosystems along the urban-rural interface. Further INTERLACE will advance the state of knowledge, build capacities for coherent urban planning, and foster exchange and collaboration on restorative nature-based solutions.