Connecting Nature Innovation summit 2021

Published: 18 March 2021

From 23-25 March, Glasgow will be (virtually) hosting this summit, which will have an international audience with speakers from Europe, Asia and South America, and Councillor Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council, making the opening address.

The summit will bring together an international audience, with delegates exploring how we can shift to sustainable, greener cities that deliver for their citizens using nature-based solutions.  It will share the learning of cities involved in the Connecting Nature project - https://connectingnature.eu/ - and introduce the innovative tools and methods being developed through the project.

Nature-based solutions can be described as actions which help to tackle social, economic and environmental challenges such as health, climate change, water pollution and biodiversity loss by using natural or green infrastructure or methods, and in the process delivering wellbeing and biodiversity benefits. Examples of nature-based solutions range from the planting of trees and woodland to developing green urban areas, raingardens and SUDS ponds.

Each of the days of the summit has a different theme - on 23 March the theme will be Reducing The Risks, (nature-based solutions for biodiversity, climate change mitigation and adaptation, water management and extreme weather events) with the 24 March theme being Healing Sick Cities (nature-based solutions for health, wellbeing, place-based planning, human scale, food growing and food provision) and on 25 March the theme is Routes To Recovery(nature-based solutions for a green recovery from the economic recession following Covid-19, nature-based skills, employability and enterprise).

The presentations on 23 March will look at nature-based solutions in Scotland and Europe; innovating with nature-based solutions in cities; and how cities can use such solutions to meet the challenges of climate change.

On the 24^th, the presentations include a consideration of making the most of data to support nature-based solutions; how these solutions can help the health and wellbeing of people in cities; and the experience of practitioners in Brazil.

On the 25^th, the experience of practitioners in China and South Korea will be examined; and there will be presentations on how nature-based solutions can aid city recovery; and how to support and train nature-based solution start-up businesses.

The summit - co-hosted by Glasgow City Council and Greenspace Scotland - will feature panel discussions, presentations, workshops and opportunities to connect with other delegates.

The summit aims to encourage engagement between Glasgow, the cities of Scotland and other global cities; politicians; urban and environmental practitioners; funding bodies; and policy and decision makers at a national and international level. Through the summit, organisers would like to encourage learning and dialogue between cities, academics, community organisations, environmental businesses, NGOs and third-sector organisations.