Cities are increasingly recognised as key arenas for governing and tackling global environmental challenges, including the interlinked climate and biodiversity crises. Urban nature-based solutions have the potential to jointly address these issues. However, evidence shows that nature-based solutions implemented to address climate change usually don’t explicitly target biodiversity goals. 

This briefing note, published within the EU-funded Horizon 2020 project NATURVATION, takes a critical look at the value and limits of climate nature-based solutions to deliver on biodiversity goals. Building on research findings from NATURVATION, the brief discusses the question: How can we realise the added value of urban climate nature-based solutions for biodiversity? 

The brief outlines pathways and recommendations for fostering multi-functionality in practice, including how to position nature-based solutions as a climate change strategy and integrate actions towards coordinated climate change response and wider sustainability benefits. The brief also points towards potential sources of funding that could be leveraged to promote investment in nature-based solutions to reduce climate risks.