S-UMMATION

The S-UMMATION project will provide insights on how nature-based solutions (NBS) are implemented in the Nordic countries. 

Background

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are in short “actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural and modified ecosystems that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously benefiting people and nature”.

It means that we find solutions to problems in society, such as floods caused by climate change, that are based on nature’s own functions, for example by restoring a natural wetland.

Such solutions should benefit both biodiversity and human wellbeing, and are highlighted by the UN, EU and more as important ways of tackling climate change and biodiversity loss simultaneously.

What is S-UMMATION

S-UMMATION is a project that will summarize and share experiences, knowledge, barriers and advice from eight NBS pilot projects in the Nordic region. As part of the Nordic countries’ aim to become the most sustainable region in the world by 2030, the Nordic council of Ministers (NCM) have launched a programme on nature-based solutions. 

It finances both research and practical implementations of NBS pilot projects. The S-UMMATION project will build on the IUCN global standard on NBS and on the framework developed in S-ITUATION, which is the first research project under the Nordic NBS programme.

S-UMMATION is conducted by the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) and the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) and runs in 2022-23.

Aims

Through surveys, workshops and literature review, we will systematically gather information on the experiences and new knowledge from the NBS pilots funded by the NCM.

The knowledge will be summarised in a project catalogue and a report by S-UMMATION and published in November 2023. The final report will include a description of measures to track and evaluate the impact of NBS, including proposed indicators and ways to monitor the outcome of the NBS pilot projects.

We will also summarize the knowledge the pilot projects have contributed and what new questions they have raised. These findings will be key for advising the future implementation of NBS in the Nordics.