BirdLife International and VertigoLab would to give you a quick “The economics of Nature-based Solutions: opportunities for the Mediterranean coastal wetlands”. Due to some availability issues, the second webinar of this series will take place on on 5 April, 2022 at 2PM CET time instead of the 22 of February.. 

We invite you to register here before the 1rst of April .  

This second webinar will detail the methodology to perform a cost-benefit analysis. This will include how to assess ecosystem services aiming at providing the economic return on NbS implementation.

Below you will find more information about this series of webinars, as well as the links to register to the third and final webinar.           

Please feel free to share this invitation with any local decision-makers and colleagues working in the Mediterranean basin that may be interested by these webinars.  

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact Naima CROTTI at: Naima.Crotti@birdlife.org 

We hope you will join and look forward to hearing from you! 

All the best,

BirdLife International and VertigoLab

 

BACKGROUND  

Coastal wetlands provide a range of benefits, namely ecosystem services, to our daily lives and protect biodiversity. For example, they enable fish and salt production, support bird habitats, and contribute to improve water and soil quality and to capture and sequester carbon. Yet, they remain largely misunderstood, especially when it comes to their contribution to local economies and social development.  

With the new targets currently being defined at global level such as the Sustainable Development Goals, the Aichi targets, the EU Green Deal as well as the new post-2020 agenda of the CBD, governments will be urged to apply measures that recreate resilience and increase benefits to people. 

In this context, Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in coastal wetlands offer a perfect example of economic development based on natural resources which can be preserved in the long term. Those NbS are multi-functional solutions that could help answer a great number of challenges related to climate change, biodiversity loss and the need to maintain natural benefits to people. Still, today, no common framework exists to highlight and assess the multiple interests of such solutions. 

WHY THESE WEBINARS  

Deciding to restore is not sufficient, and with the upcoming global conservation strategy, there is a crucial need to demonstrate:  

• the impacts of restoration versus any man-made solution, or, business-as-usual scenario;  
• the opportunity created by healthy coastal wetlands at the economic, social and cultural levels 

In order to help coastal wetland managers, practitioners and decision-makers to understand and implement solutions where nature and socio-economic aspects can live in harmony, we are organising a series of webinars between this autumn and next spring, at the following dates:

> Thursday December 2nd, 2021 – 14.00pm to 16:30pm CET  
This first webinar will introduce the concept of NbS and ecosystem services, and the purpose of assessing the economics of those solutions through cost-benefit analysis. 

> Tuesday 5th April, 2022 – 14.00pm to 17:00pm CET 
This second webinar will detail the methodology to perform a cost-benefit analysis. 

> Tuesday May 3rd, 2022 – 14.00pm to 16:00pm CET 
This third webinar has as theme” The economics of NbS: pledge and communication for policy decision-makers and businesses »
Note: These webinars are interactive and you will be able to share your experience. 

OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY  
The webinars will be based on pragmatic approaches and concrete examples to provide you with the right tools that will help you to:  

1. Integrate Nature-based Solutions, based on cost-benefit analysis, in your management plans and land use planning;  
2. Connect and build dialogues between the different local actors and sectors that take into account needs and benefits for all;  
3. (Re-)Create a sustainable balance between human needs and natural resources availabilities in your country/region.  

WHAT THESE WEBINARS WILL BRING YOU  

• A background on Nature-based Solutions and ecosystem services, with a clear understanding of the economics of NbS in the Mediterranean.  
• The tools to understand and run a cost-benefit analysis under different scenarios.   
• Guidelines for conservation practitioners in the Mediterranean.  
• Tools to convince decision-makers and inform policy on the importance to restore and preserve wetlands through a Nature-based Solution approach.  

REGISTRATION LINKS 
Webinar 2 > Friday 5th April,2022
Webinar 3 > Tuesday May 3rd, 2022  

You can register separately to each webinar.  

Deadlines to register to each webinar: 
Webinar 2> by Friday the first of April 2022
Webinar 3> by Friday 29th of April 2022 

ADDITIONAL DETAILS
This series of webinars will be held in English and is free of charge.  

These webinars will take place on Zoom. Please make sure you have installed the desktop or mobile app beforehand to participate. 

Please note: this event will be recorded. All participants agree to the possibility of appearing on these recordings by virtue of attending the event. You will be muted when joining the webinar, and we ask the participants to keep this setting until the ‘Discussion’ part of the webinar for which you will be invited to unmute yourself.