ARCADIA team at Naturmøde 2025
22-24.05.2025
The ARCADIA team of the Department of Biology participated in this year’s Naturmødet, taking place from May 22nd to 24th in Hirsthals. We have had a very nice few days sharing with the public some key concepts regarding Natura-based Solutions and ecosystem services.
ARCADIA is dedicated to accelerating climate adaptation through the strategic use of Nature-based Solutions (NBS) across Europe. That’s why our presence at Naturmødet will focus on active public engagement.
What happened at our booth?
We designed a series of interactive activities to engage families, kids and experts for increasing awareness and knowledge on climate change related issues. This gave the people who stopped by our tent a chance to explore the challenges of climate change, discover nature-inspired solutions, and share their thoughts and ideas to help shape ongoing research.
- Survey on cultural ecosystem services
- Wall posters to write and draw NbS in Denmark
- Workshop en eelgrass
- Postcards with illustrations and descriptions of NbS in Denmark
The feedback from the participants was good and we have collected a lot of insightful information for strengthen our research.
ARCADIA LAB1 latest development
12.05.2025
Online workshop
On the 25th of April, Prof. Sara Egemose and the Phd student Lotte Reuss from the Biology Department of the University of South of Denmark, organized an Online workshop with the purpose of making suggestions for placement and type of Natural based Solutions to improve the quality of nature and biodiversity. Several stakeholders were present, including the water management company and Odense Municipality.
The online discussion was very interesting and new points of view have been added to the research.
Workshop about nature in Vollsmose and possible NbS to increase nature quality in the freshwater system
On the 12th of May, Phd student Lotte Reuss from the Biology Department of South of Denmark University, organized the workshop for analyzing potential Natural Based Solutions with the aim of improving the freshwater system quality. The water utility company was attending, together with the Odense Municipality, several options on Natural based Solutions have been discussed, together with innovative techniques for nature restoration and biodiversity conservation giving important inputs to policy makers and private company´s manager for the future development of Vollsmose.
First field trip to Vejrup Å with Lab2
02.05.2025
The ARCADIA Living Lab 2 in Funen Region has officially started with a windy and humid field trip to the coastal wetlands and agricultural fields in the vicinity of Vejrup Å (Odense Municipality).
The trip was organized by lead investigator Paula Canal-Vergés involving several professionals from the Department of Biology at SDU. We were aiming at gathering some preliminary data on botanical species and habitat distribution and topography of the area. Because of bad weather we weren't able to fly the drones for collecting images but we did map some botanical species using a GIS app. We are looking forward to our next field trip in hopefully better weather.
Lab2 will work on setting up an innovative framework for ecosystem services assessment, for both biotic and abiotic nature, with focus on turning agricultural land into coastal wetland. It will run for the next nine months.
ARCADIA General assembly in Zagreb, Croatia.
8-10.04.2025
The ARCADIA Festival on Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), took place on April 9 in Zagreb, Croatia. This inaugural event was dedicated to empowering change-makers for climate resilience through NBS. By fostering the exchange of knowledge, tools, and best practices, the festival aims to equip local and regional actors with the means to adapt to climate challenges and implement effective, sustainable solutions. The initiative highlights the importance of collaboration, innovation, and community engagement in building a climate-resilient future.
Festival objectives:
- Understanding the needs of European local decision-makers: identifying the specific requirements and challenges faced by policymakers in implementing NBS.
- Raising awareness about the urgency of climate change adaptation and the potential of NbS: highlighting the critical need for immediate action and showcasing how NbS can serve as effective solutions.
- Exploring opportunities to improve legislative frameworks and standards for implementing NBS: discussing potential enhancements to policies and regulations to facilitate NBS adoption.
- Showcasing the latest tools and methods for planning, implementing, assessing, and monitoring NBS projects: presenting innovative approaches and technologies that support NBS initiatives.
- Highlighting best practices and lessons learned from international contexts: sharing successful case studies and experiences to inform future projects.
- Providing a platform for open discussions and fostering collaboration among peers, scientists, and innovators: encouraging dialogue and partnerships to drive NBS forward.
The Biology Department from the University of South of Denmark was present at the Festival with Prof. Gary Banta, Sara Gentilini and Haley Kujawa. We had the chance of sharing good practices Natural Based Solutions, for Climate Adaptation and Mitigation with more than 40 partners around Europe. The group was leading the workshop on scientific outcomes which contributed to gathering insights regardin existing and potential scientific papers within the project Consortia to strengthen scientific collaborations with other research institutions.
ARCADIA Model Region Funen met Skåne Region from Sweden.
16-17.11.2024
On November 16th and 17th, the Skåne Region from Sweden visited Odense in Southern Denmark. Both regions , as Model Regions, are involved in the ARCADIA project with the aims to stimulate smarter, faster, systemic, and nature-based transformations to resilience at the local and regional levels, seeking to build open co-innovation laboratories to design, test, and foster the adoption of the most promising solutions, and to catalyse impact at scale by stimulating policy and business conditions for transformation across sectors and policies.
Participants shared their latest achievements, ideas, and common challenges while visiting several intriguing nature-based solution projects in both rural and urban areas, led by the local water utility company. They also discussed future implementation strategies, the potential scientific collaborations and start discussing the next study visit in Skåne, during 2025.
ARCADIA at Nordic Nature Based Solutions Conference
01.10.2024
Recently, Sara Gentilini, Haley Kujawa and Marie Helledie Olsen from the Department of Biology here at University of Southern Denmark attended the Nordic Nature-based Solutions Conference in Malmö organized by the Nordic Council of Ministers.
The Conference gathered experts, researchers, and policymakers from across the Nordic region to discuss innovative approaches to addressing climate change. The event focused on how nature based solutions can help mitigate and adapt to climate challenges while promoting environmental sustainability. Various projects from the six Nordic countries were presented, showcasing diverse strategies to overcome societal, cultural, and natural barriers through holistic solutions. Participants emphasized collaboration, interdisciplinary efforts, and the integration of local knowledge to advance climate resilience.
The primary characteristics of nature-based solutions adopted in the Nordic region are:
- Integrated Planning: The solutions often integrate urban planning, agriculture, forestry, and coastal management with nature conservation efforts.
- Community Engagement: Many projects include community involvement to ensure that local knowledge is integrated and to build public support.
- Policy Support: Strong environmental policies and regulations, such as the Nordic Council's initiatives, facilitate the implementation of these natural-based solutions.
The Nordic approach to natural-based solutions emphasizes the synergy between human well-being, economic development, and environmental sustainability, making the region a global leader in demonstrating how nature can be leveraged to address pressing societal challenges effectively.
Gary Banta at Climate Neutrality Conference at SDU Sønderborg
17.09.2024
Yesterday, Gary Banta Head of the Department of Biology attended the annual Climate Neutrality Conference in SDU Sønderborg.
Gary presented some work from Department of Biology's researchers work with aquatic nature-based solutions together with ARCADIA and the Aqua-NbS elite center at SDU Climate Cluster. He presented some of the latest outcomes from ARCADIA project from SDU, Odense Kommune and the Wageningen University developed with the scientific support of Sara Egemose, Paula Canal Vergés, Marie Helledie Olsen, Sara Gentilini, Haley Kujawa and Gary Overvad Frederiksberg from here at the Biology Department at SDU. The main message was about the multiple benefits, but also tradeoffs and considerations in the use of aquatic NbS.
Among the highlights was a panel debate with Sebastian H. Mernild and and others about the status of climate and needed societal change.
Fieldtrip to Vollsmose
23.08.2024
On Wednesday, the ARCADIA project group was on a tour of the green Vollsmose, which has been selected to be the area for the region's first Co-innovation laboratory as a part of ARCADIA.
It was an exciting trip that gave both an insight into the plans for the area and ideas for working with nature-based solutions and blue-green infrastructures – and which of course sent people into the water after tests.
