As part of the Presidency of the Estonian Republic of the Council of the European Union, a
flagship conference “Nature-based Solutions: From Innovation to Common-use” will be held in
Tallinn from 24 to 26 October 2017. The conference is organized by the Ministry of the
Environment of Estonia and the University of Tallinn.

Nature-based solutions offer ways of tackling societal challenges such as climate change, water
security, food security, human health, and others though sustainable management and use of
nature. For example, greening roofs or walls of buildings in urban areas can keep temperatures
cooler during hot seasons, capture storm water, reduce air pollution, and increase human wellbeing
while enhancing biodiversity.

The conference will also highlight the latest Information and Communications Technology (ICT)
solutions that can have a strong supporting effect on the development of nature-base solutions
such as environmental data analysis and applications for monitoring, planning and better
management of natural systems.

The conference will host leading scientists, politicians and entrepreneurs from around the world
who will share their experience on how nature-based innovation and eco-innovative
technologies can be implemented in many areas of life.

Keynote speakers include Siim Kiisler (Minister of the Environment of Estonia), Stewart
Maginnis (IUCN), Hans Bruyninckx (EEA), Patrick Child (European Commission), Lena Ek
(Södra), Ostap Semerak (Minister of Ecology of Ukraine), Marjolein Helder (Plant-E; European
Innovation Council), Mette Løyche Wilkie (UNEP), Shardul Agrawala (OECD), Vasco Ferreira
Costa (EIB) and others.

The conference covers governance, policy, research and innovation of nature-based solutions
and the focus is on five main topics:

Blue-green infrastructure in smart cities;
 Integrated water management through natural systems;
 ICT as a supporting tool for nature based solutions and ecosystems;
 Ecological restoration through eco-innovation;
 Nature-based solutions in circular economy.

In addition to the main conference, several side-events are planned such as an open JPI
workshop, a local workshop on NBS in Estonia. Several NBS projects such as EnRoute and
ThinkNature are also holding their meetings during the conference.

For further information and the registration form, please see http://www.nbs2017.eu.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and
innovation programme under grant agreement No 769003.